Cognitive Approaches to Creativity

Life offers many problems for which our textbooks fail to supply solutions. In this way problem situations differ from those in school []. We learn many answers in school, but life doesnt ask the right questions. This is where problem solving becomes more basic than memorisation.

What is creativity? Cognitive models

A symbolic model
A connectionist model

Describing creativity
P(sychological)-creativity vs H(istroical)creativity (Boden, 1990) Productive vs reproductive problem solving (Gestalt: Wertheimer, 1982)

Convergent vs divergent thinking (Hudson,

1968)

P- and H-creativity

Boden, 1990

Creativity depends on perspective Psychological creativity: creative from perspective of the individual
finding a new way to get to university working out what presents to buy people for Christmas

Historical creativity: creative from perspective of society

designing the Millennium Bridge
writing a research article

Reproductive vs Productive Problem Solving

Gestalt (Wertheimer, 1982)
Reproductive problem solving: using old and familiar knowledge and ways of thinking to solve a problem Productive problem solving: doing something new Weisberg, 1993, 1995 Continuous thinking (reproductive) Discontinuous thinking (productive) Problem restructuring (productive)

MARGIE, MOPs, or XPs? A symbolic cognitive model.

Schank and Cleary, 1995

Bottom up solution MARGIE

Principles
Search through all possible reasons for an action. Combine these in all possible ways Identify those combinations of reasons that explain the action being considered

(Rieger, 1975)

Performance
e.g., John hit Mary John wanted to be hit. He wanted Mary to be mad at him so Mary would hit him. So he hit her

Problems
Very slow Combinatorial explosion No learning

Top down solution: SAM (Schank & Abelson, 1977) and MOPS (Schank, 1982)
Principles
SAM = Script Applier Mechanism, MOP = Memory Organisation Package
The system applies a set of expectations (Scripts or, more sophisticated, MOPS) based on previous knowledge, to a particular scenario, and makes inferences about information that is not stated explicitly in the story.

Performance
Infers Mary ordered her meal, Mary ate her meal etc. Identifies Mary left a big tip as anomalous Fast

Problems
cannot explain why Mary left a big tip

Only use bottom up when top down fails

Principles
Apply knowledge structure (i.e. apply MOPS: top down processing)
If top down process fails to find explanation then apply bottom up process (i.e. MARGIE)

Performance
Will interpret typical (notunusual) stories quickly Knows when bottom up processes are needed

Problems
bottom up process will still have all the problems associated with MARGIE (slow, computationally expensive etc.)

Top down processing, with application of XPs to handle anomalies

Principles

XP=explanation package:
XP is a frozen explanation - pre-packaged chain of inferences that can be used to explain a specified anomaly Three stage process: Detect an anomaly (situation not handled by existing MOPS) Find explanation by applying XPs

Learn from explanation (generate and store new MOPS and XPs)

Creative explanation: Detection and explanation

characterise anomaly and develop question

apply XP to generate an explanation test explanation

search for XP to answer question restructure explanation found? NO YES NO does it work? YES go to learn procedure

Creative explanation: Learning

expectation failure and explanation

if explanation results from restructuring

generate and store a new XP create new MOP from failure and explanation

search memory for similar expectation failure

found?

YES

NO
store failure with explanation

Schank and Cleary, Summary:

Intelligent misuse of knowledge

process is relatively simple, but success depends on existing knowledge (how many relevant MOPS and XPs are present in the systems knowledge base)

Summary
A lot of everyday cognitive tasks can be though of as creative

Symbolic models
decompose creative problem solving into subtasks and suggest processes by which these might be achieved. Maybe some pedagogic use. Network (connectionist) models
Are more parsimonious Explain how more fundamental, lower level cognitive processes might result in the behaviours that we label as creative