Contextualizing concepts using a mathematical generalization of the quantum formalism

We outline the rationale and preliminary results of using the State Context Property (SCOP) formalism, originally developed as a generalization of quantum mechanics, to describe the contextual manner in which concepts are evoked, used, and combined to generate meaning. The quantum formalism was developed to cope with problems arising in the description of (1) the measurement process, and (2) the generation of new states with new properties when particles become entangled. Similar problems arising with concepts motivated the formal treatment introduced here. Concepts are viewed not as fixed representations, but entities existing in states of potentiality that require interaction with a context---a stimulus or another concept---to `collapse' to observable form as an exemplar, prototype, or other (possibly imaginary) instance. The stimulus situation plays the role of the measurement in physics, acting as context that induces a change of the cognitive state from superposition state to collapsed state. The collapsed state is more likely to consist of a conjunction of concepts for associative than analytic thought because more stimulus or concept properties take part in the collapse. We provide two contextual measures of conceptual distance---one using collapse probabilities and the other weighted properties---and show how they can be applied to conjunctions using the pet fish problem

AI Plus Other Technologies? The Impact of ChatGPT and Creativity Support Systems on Individual Creativity

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has triggered a massive technological surge. Software and systems increasingly incorporate generative AI as a fundamental component of their applications. Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness of the interaction between generative AI and other tools and their consequences and causes. In this research, we explored the impact of the concurrent use of generative AI and creativity support systems (CSS) on users’ creativity. In addition, by categorizing the stimuli provided by the CSS into high and low relatedness, we further investigated the effects of using generative AI with various CSS. By focusing on the interaction effect between generative AI and CSS, this research not only sheds light on the broader implications of generative AI but also serves as a guiding framework for the evolution of future CSS and furthering the enhancement of individual creativity

A bridge too far: conceptual distance and creative ideation

Previous research has shown changing perspectives to be important in problem finding, with viewpoint-based techniques like the 'six thinking hats' and the 'six honest serving men' im- proving performance (e.g. Vernon & Hocking, 2014). To date, however, evidence for similar techniques based on conceptu- ally 'near' and 'far' cues, where conceptual distance is defined topologically in a semantic space, has shown mixed results. In a sample of 171 participants, we used two standard verbal problem scenarios together with a novel technique comprising six concepts that were either conceptually near or far from the problem scenario. Participants in the experimental group used the concepts when generating solutions; controls were given empty placeholders instead of concepts. Performance was measured for fluency, quality, originality and flexibility. Apart from flexibility, participants did worse when using con- cepts of either type in comparison to controls. For flexibility, a borderline boost for far concepts was observed (η2 = .03, p = .06). We conclude that the cognitive load overhead intro- duced by our concept-cueing technique, or any other similar technique that attempts to shape the creative process, needs to be minimised through a variety of methods before we can better determine its usefulness and, thus, the role of concep- tual distance in creative problem solving

Creativity as a Mental State: An EEG Study of Musical Improvisation

Researchers in cognitive neuroscience have used brain-imaging methods (e.g., EEG, fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of creative cognition and have found increased activity in the alpha frequency band (Fink et al., 2009a, 2009b; Martindale, 1975), however few studies have used neuroscientific measures to investigate artistic creativity. Such studies are valuable because they share a characteristic of ecological validity. In this study I used EEG, the Alternate Uses Test (Guilford, 1967), and the Consensual Assessment Technique (Amabile, 1982) to substantiate a conceptualization of creativity as a mental state characterized by a distinct pattern of neural activity. The participants were musicians with and without previous formal institutional training in improvisation. Amongst those with previous training, frontal upper alpha synchronization in the right hemisphere was greater when musicians improvised than when they played back and listened to melodies. Originality scores correlated with frontal upper alpha synchronization in the right hemisphere during improvisation, and frontal upper alpha synchronization in the right hemisphere correlated with expert ratings of created products. The relationship of frontal upper alpha synchronization in the right hemisphere during improvisation and the quality of created products was mediated by aptitude for originality. This suggests that training acts as a pathway for the development of creative gifts into creative talents observable in the quality of created products

Individual differences in semantic priming and inhibitory control predict performance in the Remote Associates Test (RAT)

Creative thinking is a complex cognitive ability that requires the combination and integration of information in the memory to produce original ideas. Previous creativity research has suggested that semantic memory, attentional focus or inhibitory control might be engaged when performing creativity tasks. In the present study, we tested whether stronger global attention, larger semantic priming and better ability to inhibit interfering information were related to performance in a creativity task such as the Remote Associate test (RAT). With this aim, 124 participants performed a lexical decision task in which the degree of semantic association (strong and weak) was manipulated. They also performed Navon's global-local task, in which global precedence and global/local interference indexes were calculated, and an adapted selective retrieval procedure from which an inhibition index was obtained. The results indicated that better creative performance was predicted by larger semantic priming between strong associates and by larger inhibitory effects, while attentional style was not associated with performance in the RAT. These findings support the role of semantic activation and inhibition during creativity

A Creative Cognition Framework for Generating Breakthrough Ideas

Latest developments in creative cognition, largely informed by neuroscience, give us the ability to debunk pervasive and insidious creativity myths that get in the way of creating breakthrough ideas. This paper, through a review of creative cognition and neuroscience literature derives and synthesises a creative cognition framework focused on engaging metacognition of the creative process, activating creating drive, shifting perspective to gain insight, deploying defocused attention and finally, and only when the other dimensions have been established, sparking remote connections and getting to breakthrough ideas. As practitioners we need to ensure we are strategically deploying this framework, creating the time and space for deep thinking, and that the process seamlessly supports people to be at their creative best. As thinking on creative cognition develops further over time, this framework will be updated and also iterated with practical learnings from deployment