Creativity and Perception

Informal thought about the nature of mental operations important to creative human behavior suggests that perceptual processes are of considerable importance. The ability to “see relationships among elements” is an attribution commonly made toward authors of major scientific discoveries or of noteworthy artistic achievements. For example, Shepard (1978, 1981) documented self-reports from several creative scientists and authors that strongly emphasize the role of visual imagery and the manipulation of visual codes in the creative process. Given the anecdotal and self-report evidence for a relationship between creative behavior and aspects of perceptual processing, it initially may seem surprising that there is a notable void in either research or theoretical articles specifically focused on these issues. In preparing this chapter, for example, we noted that, during the last six volumes of the Journal of Creative Behavior, there was only one title that included the word perception, and that paper (Goodman & Marquart, 1978) was limited to a one-page abstract. In addition, we noted that among seven current textbooks in perception that presently reside on our bookshelves, none contain the term creativity in their indexes, nor is the term creative ability addressed at any point in the texts. Although references to the term perception occasionally can be found in indexes of monographs specifically dealing with the topic of creativity, most of these references refer to research related to specific theories about individual differences in perceptual styles or processing modes, as opposed to broader contemporary issues of perceptual processing. Clearly, most researchers in the field of perception have not touched upon the topic of creativity, and relatively few researchers in creativity have chosen to integrate their work with perceptual issues

Violência sexual contra crianças e adolescentes: características relativas à vitimização nas relações familiares Sexual abuse of children and adolescents: characteristics of sexual victimization in family relations

O objetivo deste estudo é analisar as características relativas às vitimizações sexuais intrafamiliares cometidas contra grupos etários categorizados segundo o critério de idade estabelecido pelo Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente,atendidos no Centro de Referência da Criança e do Adolescente e nos Conselhos Tutelares de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, no período de 1995 a 2000. Identificou-se 234 agressões cometidas por 217 agressores contra 210 famílias e 226 vítimas. Foram vitimizadas 131 crianças (48,7%) e 95 adolescentes (41,2%) com predomínio do sexo feminino. Crianças com idade entre dez anos e um mês e 12 anos incompletos foram as mais atingidas (19,5%) e nos adolescentes, entre 12 e 14 anos completos (17,3%). A maioria das vítimas reside com famílias que possuem três (19,9%) ou quatro filhos (17,7%), sendo os primogênitos os mais agredidos (33,6%). Agressores únicos vitimizaram em sua maioria apenas uma vítima (86,7%). Pais (34,2%) e padrastos (30,3%) foram os que mais agrediram, com os primeiros vitimizando mais crianças (19,7%) e os segundos, adolescentes (17,1%).<br>This study analyzes the characteristics of sexual abuse committed within the family against age groups classified according to the Brazilian Statute for Children and Adolescents (the prevailing legislation on matters pertaining to minors) and treated at the Reference Center for Children and Adolescents and the Guardianship Councils in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil, from 1995 to 2000. Some 234 abuses were identified, committed by 217 aggressors, against 210 families and a total of 226 victims. A total of 131 children (48.7%) and 95 adolescents (41.2%), predominantly females, were victimized. Children ranging from 10 to 12 years were the most frequently abused (19.5%), as well as adolescents from 12 to 14 years old (17.3%). The majority of the victims live in families with 3 (19.9%) or 4 children (177%), and the firstborn are the most frequently abused (33.6%). The majority of aggressors who acted alone victimized only one individual (86.7%). Fathers (34.2%) and stepfathers (30.3%) were the most frequent aggressors, with the former victimizing more children (19.7%) and the latter adolescents (17.1%)