Closing the gaps: toward unifying and deepening the study of creativity

Abstract

We propose that the study of creativity would benefit from more efforts to unify methods and results from disparate modes of inquiry and domains. We illustrate one approach for combining two perspectives: Martindale's regressive imagery and computer-based text analysis; and Ericsson and Simon's articulation of concurrent verbal protocol analysis for studying creative problem solving. We examine two domains: visual arts and computer programming. Our approach yields data suggestive of potentially key differences across domains, thereby suggesting that such hybrid techniques may inform creative problem solving in basic and unprecedented ways.