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 • Logic
• Many possible • Unique or few
answers or Ideas answers
• Divergent • Convergent
• Lateral • Vertical
Solutions
Creative Analytical
Solutions
Thinking Thinking
Solutions
 Creative Problem
Solving Process
•Preparation

•Incubation

•Illumination / Inspiration

•Verification
Stages Requrements
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 True
than to your father False
2 You have always been a good True
reader False
3 You usually day dream more than True
your friend do False
4 The more intelligence you are, True
the more imaginative and False
creative you are likely to be
5. 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 True
you are eager to do so. False

7 It’s best to strongly focus all your True

attention on your problem and try to False
think it through
8 It’s best to be under some degree of True
stress when trying to solve a problem False
9 Building confidence through repeated True
success will always increase your ability False
to be a good problem solver
10 To be creative we must apply consistence True
effort to our problem False
How Many Triangle are there ?
 ABC
A AJH
DIJ
D J H E BIG
GFK
I L KCL
LEH
B C DGH
G K
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 2
10

3
9

4
8

5
7 6
 7 1
3

10
9

4
5

8
6 2
 13 4 1/4 -
Complete this
Square
So that the rows, 6 3/4 - -
columns and
diagonals all add 8 - 5 1/2
the same number
 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