Creativity and Reason in Cognitive Development

by Edited by James C. Kaufman , John Baer

• ISBN13: 9780521605045
• ISBN10: 0521605040
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-29
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

To what extent do creativity and imagination decline in childhood? What factors might influence a decline? Theories of cognitive development show only uni-directional progress (although theorists may disagree whether such progress occurs steadily in small continuous improvements or comes in stages separated by plateaus during which developmental gains are consolidated). Declines in levels of skill are quite uncommon, yet many have observed just such an unusual pattern with regard to the development of creativity and of the imagination. Is there something about the development of one kind of thinking that undermines imaginative and creative thinking? Is it perhaps the process of schooling itself, with its focus on the acquisition of knowledge and the production of correct (rather than imaginative) answers, which promotes this decline? This book explores these questions from a variety of perspectives. Essays from psychologists and educators from diverse backgrounds discuss the relationships among creativity, reason, and knowledge.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	ix
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	1	(6)
James C. Kaufman and John Baer
COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVES
1. Expertise and Reason in Creative Thinking: Evidence from Case Studies and the Laboratory	7	(36)
Robert W. Weisberg
2. Creative Genius, Knowledge, and Reason: The Lives and Works of Eminent Creators	43	(17)
Dean Keith Simonton
3. Dynamic Processes Within Associative Memory Stores: Piecing Together the Neural Basis of Creative Cognition	60	(21)
Adam S. Bristol and Indre V. Viskontas
4. The Creativity of Everyday Moral Reasoning: Empathy, Disgust, and Moral Persuasion	81	(18)
David A. Pizarro, Brian Detweiler-Bedell, and Paul Bloom
5. Reasoning and Personal Creativity	99	(18)
Mark A. Runco
6. Alternative Knowledge Structures in Creative Thought: Schema, Associations, and Cases	117	(20)
Michael D. Mumford, Cassie S. Blair, and Richard T. Marcy
7. The Role of the Knowledge Base in Creative Thinking	137	(8)
John F. Feldhusen
8. The Role of Domain Knowledge in Creative Problem Solving	145	(14)
Richard E. Mayer
9. Creative Thinking and Reasoning: Can You Have One Without the Other?	159	(18)
Daniel Fasko, Jr.
10. From Alexithymia, Borne of Trauma and Oppression, to Symbolic Elaboration, the Creative Expression of Emotions, and Rationality	177	(25)
Warren D. TenHouten
11. Opening up Creativity: The Lenses of Axis and Focus	202	(19)
Mia Keinänen, Kimberly Sheridan, and Howard Gardner
DEVELOPMENTAL AND EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
12. Creativity in Young Children's Thought	221	(23)
Susan A. Gelman and Gail M. Gottfried
13. A Young Artist's Story: Advancing Knowledge and the Development of Artistic Talent and Creativity in Children	244	(25)
Susan M. Rostan
14. Is It Reasonable to Be Creative?	269	(13)
Jacques-Henri Guignard and Todd Lubart
15. Does Culture Always Matter: For Creativity, Yes, for Deductive Reasoning, No!	282	(15)
Weihua Niu, John X. Zhang, and Yingrui Yang
16. Higher Level Thinking in Gifted Education	297	(19)
Joyce VanTassel-Baska
17. The Relationship Among Schooling, Learning, and Creativity: "All Roads Lead to Creativity" or "You Can't Get There from Here"?	316	(17)
Ronald A. Beghetto and Jonathan A. Plucker
18. How Early School Experiences Impact Creativity: An Ecological Perspective	333	(18)
Cynthia Paris, Nancy Edwards, Ellyn Sheffield, Maureen Mutinsky, Terri Olexa, Susan Reilly, and John Baer
19. Conclusions	351	(6)
John Baer and James C. Kaufman
Author Index	357	(10)
Subject Index	367