Creativityandproblemsolving-feb2008

Creativity and Problem Solving

M.N.Reddy

Content • Definitions of creativity •Concept of Creative process • Tests for Assessing Creativity • Creative techniques and problem solving • Steps to Manage / improve creativity

Intelligence and Creativity Intelligence: •Ability to learn (Educationalist) •Ability to adopt to the Environment (Biologist) •Ability to carry on abstract thinking (Terman, 1921) •Ability to process Information (Wechster (1975)

Creativity:

•Perceiving new ideas ( originality)

•Effectiveness

Is Science Creative ? Are Scientists Creative ?

Scientists : To bring new knowledge

Ways: • Brainstorming • Dreaming or daydreaming • Serendipity • Focused Effort

Alexander Fleming 1881 - 1955

• Applying approaches from one field to another

Idea (Valuable) Generation is a Function of Creativity

Idea = f(Creativity)

DEFINITIONS • As

the ability to think fast, generate new ideas and deal with problems in effective way

•As an ability to process information in such a way that the result is new original •Creativity is merely the generation of new, novel and useful ideas

•Creativity may be viewed as a new insight which points to better ways of dealing with reality •To get better insight we need to see the problem from a fresh perspective, which involves escaping from old idea •The creative process which solves a problem

in an

original and useful way

Creative Thinking: The relating of ideas or things which were previously unrelated Ex: the movements of the moon and the rise and fall of the tides

Being creative is seeing the same thing as every body else but thinking of something different

? •Can a person who has never manifested creativity be taught or simulate to be creative • Can an individual who has never been creative, but who is currently blocked, be helpful to overcome his difficulties

Some Highlighted Traits of Creative People •Tolerance for ambiguity •Independent thinking •Not being inhibited by conformity process

Newton

• A reasonable but not necessarily outstanding level of intelligence

Two Types of Thinking Creative

Analytical

• Imagination • Many possible answers or Ideas • Divergent • Lateral

• Logic • Unique or few answers • Convergent • Vertical

Creative Thinking

Solutions Analytical Solutions Thinking Solutions

Creative Problem Solving Process •Preparation •Incubation •Illumination / Inspiration •Verification

Requrements Stages Preparation • Openness to experience • Tolerance for ambiguity • Willingness to redefine concepts • Divergent thought process • Intuitive ability Incubation • Sub-conscious data processing • Independence

Illumination

• Ability to switch from intuitive to analytical patterns of thought

Verification

• Critical attitude • Convergent thought process • Analytical ability

Methods to Enhance Creativity

Puzzles Enhance Creativity

How many squares can you see ?

Number of Squares:1 x1 = 16 (Total = 30)

2x2 = 9 3x3 = 4 4x4 = 1

Hidden Assumptions Draw four straight lines through the following 9 points with out lifting the pen

Obstacles to Creativity • Failure to ask questions •Failure to record ideas •Failure to think in new ways •Failure to keep trying •Failure to tolerate creative behavior

Emotional barriers to creative thinking • • • • • • • • • •

Fear of failing, making a mistake or taking risks An inability to tolerate ambiguity An overriding need for security A preference for judging ideas An inability to relax Lack of challenge and failure to engage with the task Excessive heal Lack of access to imagination Lack of imaginative control Inability to distinguish reality from fantasy

Improving your creativity

• Loosen up emotionally and intellectually • Overcoming perceptual block • Discipline yourself to think creativity

Analyzing Creative Designs

List 3 reasons why a pencil usually has 6 sides rather than 3 or 4 or 5 sides.

Creative Conclusions

List 3 possible reasons why a man is seen reading a news paper in the park with paper UPSIDE DOWN .

Creative / Unlikely Comparisons

List 3 ways in which a tree and a car are the same

Measurement of Creative Potentials •Paper Clip • Pencil Eraser • House hold Spoon • Car Tire • Red Brick

Techniques to expand intuitive ability Mental analytical techniques – Expose oneself to new ideas and situations outside specialty – Stay open and flexible – Read philosophy of science – Read science fiction – Keep note pad nearby for recording ideas before they are forgotten and to use for further development

Creativity in Indian Science (Kapur, Subramanian&Shaw, 1997) Is Indian Science Creative ? •Role of Indian Family •Role of Indian Society •Role of Education •Environment

An electric train is traveling southwest at 95 miles per hour, and the wind is blowing north east at 95 miles per hour. In which direction does the smoke blow

Problem Solving and Creativity What is a Problem ? • The individual has a problem when he has a goal, but is uncertain to what series of actions he should perform to reach it • Discrepancy between an existing situation and a desired state of affairs

Brainstorming •A means of getting a large number of ideas from a group of people in a short time Guidelines: •Suspended Judgement •Free-wheel •Quantity •Cross-fertilize

Stages of Brainstorming •State the problem and discuss •Restate the problem •Warm-up session •Brainstorming •Wildest ideas

DOs & DON’Ts Dos •Encourage noise •Encourage laughter •Allow wild and silly ideas •Write the ideas down on paper •Enforce suspended judgement •Allow variety of ideas •Number of ideas •End on the wildest ideas

Don’t s •Ever tape recorder •Use of Black-board or transparencies •Allow observers •Accepts interruptions •Spend too long on the initial discussions •Drag out a session that has dried up

Some More Guidelines •Criticism is ruled out • Quantity and variety are welcomed. • Combinations and improvements of already stated ideas are welcomed

Killer Statement of Ideas • We have done that long back • That is impractical • Why are you wasting your on this issue time • I think that is not practical • It is against policy •You can not justify the costs involved here • We have done that long back •It is too much of hassle •We do not do that way here • We are not meant for this • If we do in this case we have to do it in every case

How Creativity you are ? 1

You were closer to your mother than to your father

2

You have always been a good reader

3 4

5.

True False

True False You usually day dream more than True your friend do False The more intelligence you are, True the more imaginative and False creative you are likely to be Since our I.Q ‘s are limited, we True can not increase our problem False solving ability

6

It is always easier to solve a problem if you are eager to do so.

True False

7

It’s best to strongly focus all your attention on your problem and try to think it through It’s best to be under some degree of stress when trying to solve a problem

True False

8 9

10

True False True False

Building confidence through repeated success will always increase your ability to be a good problem solver To be creative we must apply consistence True effort to our problem False

How Many Triangle are there ?

ABC AJH

A

DIJ D

H

J

E

BIG GFK

I

L

KCL LEH

B

K

G

C

DGH CGH DEF

F

Island: Inhibited by two tribes One Tribe: Always Speaks truth Second Tribe: Always Speaks lies

Door1

Door2

Problem You are on an Island that is inhibited by only two tribes . One of the tribes always tells the truth, and the other tribe always lies. You have two doors in front of you. One opens up to great treasure and the other opens up to certain death. You need to open up one of the doors. Only the tribes know what is behind the doors. But you don’t know which tribe is which.You can only ask one question to only one tribe. What question do you ask?

The question is Which door would the other tribe tell me to open ? Decision: Open up the opposite door

Can You rearrange the position of the numbers I to 10 so that the sum of any two adjacent numbers is equal to the sum of the pars of numbers at the opposite ends of the diameter 1 10

2 3

9 4 8 5 7

6

7 3

1 10

9 4 5 8 6

2

Complete this Square So that the rows, columns and diagonals all add the same number

13

4 1/4

-

6 3/4

-

-

8

-

5 1/2

13

4 1/4 10 1/2

6 3/4

9 1/4

10 3/4

8

14 1/4

5 1/2

B

A

Pathfinding attributes

• Capacity for insight • Possession of foresight • Tolerance of uncertainty • Willingness of risk • Courage to change