People with autism and other mental disorders are able to achieve extraordinary feats in mathematics, art or other random domains. Alan Snyder who coined the term claims that savant-like skills are available to everyone but are not available to conscious awareness.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- Divergent thinking
- Convergent thinking 
- Group brainstorming 
- Creative cognition
- Latent inhibition (LI)
- Savant syndrome
- Common characteristics of creative individuals

Focuses of Research on Creativity

Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience. Nelson Education.


Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience

A solution to the notion that preconceptions can inhibit creativity. Encourages multiple people to freely express ideas helpful in problem solving. Participants should be told to share whatever comes to mind and to not be critical of others ideas.

Group brainstorming

A technique to train people to think creatively proposed by Ronald Finke. Subjects have 1 minute to create a new object with some function out of unrelated objects and shapes. Was supposed to counteract fixation.

Creative cognition

The ability of someone to screen out stimuli that are irrelevant. It is what allows us to go about our days in the wake of a copious amounts of stimuli. Reduced LI is linked to both mental illness and creativity. 

Latent inhibition (LI)

Savant syndrome

Highly creative individuals frequently share several key traits. These include possessing intense knowledge about a specific subject, dedicating years of work to it, exploring novel solutions, seeking advice and assistance from other experts, and being willing to take risks.

Common Characteristics of Creative People

Divergent and convergent thinking are contrasting problem-solving approaches. Divergent thinking focuses on generating multiple unique possibilities, often termed 'thinking outside the box,' while convergent thinking aims to find a single, correct, or well-established solution.

Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is a cognitive process characterized by the ability to generate multiple, unique solutions to a problem, often described as 'thinking outside the box.' It is considered a key component of creativity.

Divergent Thinking

Convergent thinking is a cognitive process that involves providing a single, correct, or well-established answer to a problem. This approach contrasts with divergent thinking, which explores multiple possible solutions.

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