Explaining Creativity The Science of Human Innovation

by Sawyer, R. Keith

• ISBN13: 9780199737574
• ISBN10: 0199737576
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Explaining Creativity is an accessible introduction to the latest scientific research on creativity. The book summarizes and integrates a broad range of research in psychology and related scientific fields. In the last 40 years, psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists have devoted increased attention to creativity; we now know more about creativity than at any point in history. Explaining Creativity considers not only arts like painting and writing, but also science, stage performance, business innovation, and creativity in everyday life. Sawyer's approach is interdisciplinary. In addition to examining psychological studies on creativity, he draws on anthropologists' research on creativity in non-Western cultures, sociologists' research on the situations, contexts, and networks of creative activity, and cognitive neuroscientists' studies of the brain. He moves beyond the individual to consider the social and cultural contexts of creativity, including the role of collaboration in the creative process.

Author Biography

R. Keith Sawyer, a professor of psychology, education, and business at Washington University in St. Louis, is one of the world's leading scientific experts on creativity. He combines this scientific expertise with a strong hands-on background in real-world creativity. After receiving his computer science degree from MIT in 1982, he began his career with a two-year stint designing videogames for Atari. In 1990, Dr. Sawyer began his doctoral studies in psychology, studying creativity with Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Dr. Sawyer has also been a jazz pianist for over 20 years, and spent several years playing piano with Chicago improv theater groups.

Table of Contents

Conceptions
Introduction	p. 3
Conceptions of Creativity	p. 15
Individualist Approaches
Defining Creativity Through Assessment	p. 37
The Creative Personality	p. 63
The Creative Process, Part 1	p. 87
The Creative Process, Part 2	p. 107
The Creative Process, Part 3	p. 129
Computer Simulations of the Creative Process	p. 143
Biology and Creativity	p. 157
Cognitive Neuroscience and Creativity	p. 185
Sociocultural Approaches
The Sociology of Creativity	p. 211
Group Creativity	p. 231
Organizational Creativity	p. 249
Culture and Creativity	p. 265
History and Creativity	p. 281
Creativity in the Domains
Visual Arts	p. 297
Writing	p. 319
Music	p. 337
Theater	p. 357
Science	p. 371
Everyday Creativity
Education and Creativity	p. 389
How To Be More Creative	p. 405
Conclusion: The Future of Creativity	p. 427
Appendices The Domain of Creativity Research
Creativity Timeline	p. 439
Creativity Overviews	p. 443
Journals that Publish Creativity Research	p. 445
Influential Books in Creativity Research	p. 447
Journal Special Issues	p. 457
The Field Of Creativity Research
Important Creativity Researchers	p. 463
Colleges and Universities with a Degree or Certificate in Creativity	p. 473
Professional Associations and Conferences	p. 475
References	p. 477
Index	p. 533
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