CIS 190

Building Creativity

Research: Measuring Creativity

• Creativity Quotient (CQ) - unsuccessful
• Divergence Testing - find all possible answers instead of converging on the right one
• Psychometric Study - tests to measure creativity such as unusual uses and uncommon responses to words

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

• Fluency - The total number of relevant ideas generated in response to a stimulus
• Originality - The statistical rarity of the responses
• Elaboration - The amount of detail in the responses

Source: Wikipedia

Different Types of Tasks

• Verbal tasks using verbal stimuli
  (aka unusual uses)
• Verbal tasks using non-verbal stimuli
• Non-verbal tasks

We're going to try each of these

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
Vocabulary Game

1. Pick a letter
2. Pick a category
3. Come up with as MANY items starting with the letter and pertaining to the category as you can

Source: Byrdseed

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
Vocabulary Game

• Fluency: How many did you get?
• Originality: How many are unique?

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
Vocabulary Game

• Fluency: How many did you get?
• Originality: How many are unique?
• Elaboration: Choose 1, write a detailed paragraph in 5 minutes

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
More Meanings Game

1. Find a sentence that could be interpreted many ways
2. Find as many meanings as you can in 30 seconds

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
More Meanings Game

1. I never said he stole my money
2. I never said he stole my money
3. I never said he stole my money
4. I never said he stole my money
5. I never said he stole my money
6. I never said he stole my money
7. I never said he stole my money

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
More Meanings Game

• I saw a man on a hill with a telescope
• He fed her cat food
• He bought a car with a cat photo
• Somali tied to militants held on U.S. ship for months.
• The horse raced past the barn fell

Source: Wikipedia

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
Alternative Uses Game

1. Choose a random object nearby
2. Think of as many alternative uses of that object as possible in 3 minutes

Source: Byrdseed

Verbal Task / Verbal Stimuli
Alternative Uses Game

• Fluency: How many did you get?
• Originality: How many are unique?
• Elaboration: Choose 1, tell us why that is a good use

Verbal Task / Non-Verbal Stimuli
Abstract Images

1. Find an ambiguous or abstract image
2. Come up with as many interesting titles as you can in 3 minutes

Verbal Task / Non-Verbal Stimuli
Abstract Images

• Fluency: How many did you get?
• Originality: How many are unique?
• Elaboration: Choose 1, describe the situation shown in 3 minutes

His answers:

• 4 elephants inspecting a grapefruit
• 4 very unsportsmanlike gopher hunters

Non-Verbal Task / Non-Verbal Stimuli
Drawing Game

1. Start with a random squiggle

Non-Verbal Task / Non-Verbal Stimuli
Drawing Game

1. Start with a random squiggle
2. Add to the picture as much as you can in a short time
3. Can target fluency, originality, or elaboration

Source: Byrdseed

Building Creativity

• Have a purpose or intent
• Reward curiosity and exploration
• Provide opportunity for choice and discovery
• Encourage confidence in risk-taking
• Redefine problems (and solutions)
• Start with many ideas and expand on them

Hindering Creativity

• "That won't work"
• "We've never done it that way"
• "That idea isn't relevant"
• "We don't know how to do that"
• "I don't understand your idea"
• "Let's find a solution everyone agrees on first"

Creativity Activity!

• Fluency - 5+ ideas for new displays, events, or activities for CIS Open House 2016
• Originality - A <=5 word slogan with the fewest Google hits
• Elaboration - Choose 1 idea, write 1 paragraph describing the idea in detail

No budget or feasibility; be creative!