Balder Onarheim

Applying the neuroscience of creativity to creativity training

This article investigates how neuroscience in general, and neuroscience of creativity in particular, can be used in teaching “applied creativity” and the usefulness of this approach to creativity training. The article is based on empirical data and our experiences from the Applied NeuroCreativity (ANC) program, taught at business schools in Denmark and Canada. In line with previous studies of successful creativity training programs the ANC participants are first introduced to cognitive concepts of creativity, before applying these concepts to a relevant real world creative problem. The novelty in the ANC program is that the conceptualization of creativity is built on neuroscience, and a crucial aspect of the course is giving the students a thorough understanding of the neuroscience of creativity. Previous studies have reported that the conceptualization of creativity used in such training is of major importance for the success of the training, and we believe that the neuroscience of creativity offers a novel conceptualization for creativity training. Here we present pre/post-training tests showing that ANC students gained more fluency in divergent thinking (a traditional measure of trait creativity) than those in highly similar courses without the neuroscience component, suggesting that principles from neuroscience can contribute effectively to creativity training and produce measurable results on creativity tests. The evidence presented indicates that the inclusion of neuroscience principles in a creativity course can in 8 weeks increase divergent thinking skills with an individual relative average of 28.5%.

Product creativity assessment of innovations: considering the creative process

Creativity is a critical component that feeds into all stages of innovation and design processes by promoting inspiration, ideation, and implementation of ideas, revealing the need for thorough research to support design creativity. Assessment of product creativity is a reoccurring topic in creativity research, while the role of consumers knowledge of the creative process behind the product is fairly unexplored. In this paper, we present an empirical study investigating whether providing information about a complex development process could amplify consumers perception of product creativity. Does storytelling about the process contribute to amplifying creativity ratings? What form of storytelling is needed to make an impact? Results from 134 respondents showed a small but not significant amplifying effect from the additional process information; however, an important learning can be drawn about the form of storytelling needed. An absolute minimal form was chosen here, displaying the need for investigating other, more elaborate forms. Additionally, the analysis showed that creativity was an important driver for the assessment of other product attributes such as purchasability, portraying the importance of design creativity and underlining the importance of further investigating the role of creative process information in amplifying consumers perception of creativity in products.

Studying creativity training programs: A methodological analysis

Throughout decades of creativity research, a range of creativity training programs have been developed, tested, and analyzed. In 2004 Scott and colleagues published a meta‐analysis of all creativity training programs to date, and the review presented here sat out to identify and analyze studies published since the seminal 2004 review. Focusing on quantitative studies of creativity training programs for adults, our systematic review resulted in 22 publications. All studies were analyzed, but comparing the reported effectiveness of training across studies proved difficult due to methodological inconsistencies, variations in reporting of results as well as types of measures used. Thus a consensus for future studies is called for to answer the question: Which elements make one creativity training program more effective than another? This is a question of equal relevance to academia and industry, as creativity training is a tool that can contribute to enhancement of organizational creativity and subsequently innovation. However, to answer the question, future studies of creativity training programs need to be carefully designed to contribute to a more transparent landscape. Thus this paper proposes a methodological research standard consisting of three criteria, to which researchers can look when designing future studies of the effectiveness of creativity training.

Chapter 12: Metacognition in Creativity: Process Awareness Used to Facilitate the Creative Process

DTU Orbit (03/11/2019) Metacognition in Creativity: Process Awareness Used to Facilitate the Creative Process The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of ‘process awareness’ on the creative process of a design team. Process awareness is a cognitive creativity skill which entails actions derived from instances where individuals in the design team express knowledge of underlying cognitive processes and -aspects and utilize it to facilitate their ownand their team’s creative process. Transcripts from sessions where the design team was working creatively were analyzed both top-down and bottom-up, through quantitative coding, using a coding scheme, and qualitative coding. This was done to ensure capture of all instances of process awareness. Through this iterative process it was revealed that process awareness was predominantly observed in creativity related tasks. Moreover three distinct facets to process awareness emerged; planning, monitoring and reflecting, which were employed respectively before, during and after initiating a process and/or a workshop. We conclude that process awareness is an important creativity skill, being a crucial mechanism to enhance all stages of the creative process. If a designer becomes able to plan, monitor and reflect on his or her own cognitive processes, as well as other team members, he or she will be able to understand what works and what does not for advancing the creative process. In turn, that enables the designer to become more strategic about which actions are appropriate and at what time they are most usefully deployed; making the use of strategies, methods and tools not just an automatic procedure but a highly conscious and purposeful one.