Browsing by Subject "Creativity"
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Item Big idea patterns of the advertising creative process(2011-05) Lindsay, Cabe Erin; Cunningham, Isabella C. M.; Sung, YongjunThe analysis of creative processes reveals that there are behaviors, techniques, and resources that have proven to be indispensable when embraced by advertising creatives in order to achieve big ideas. There are specific behaviors that clearly define successful creatives, and there are techniques and resources that creatives commonly use to arrive at big ideas. Some of these behaviors, techniques, and resources are well-known and time-tested, while others are proposed here for the first time, backed by research. This report aims to improve the productivity of creativity.Item Can organizational communication strategies that activate associations with mindfulness and flow enhance novel-idea production in an open-ended problem-solving task?(2015-12) Moode, Michael Stephen; Ballard, Dawna I.; McGlone, Matt; Browning, Larry; Treem, Jeffrey; Cox, StephenCreativity is the production of solutions to problems that are both original and appropriate. Although organizational communication literature offers insights regarding overt strategies for enhancing creativity at work (e.g., brainstorming rules), processes whereby creativity may be tacitly enhanced remain largely under-explored. Drawing upon creativity’s associations with heightened awareness (i.e., mindfulness) and the experience of flow—a psychological state characterized partially by distorted perceptions of the passage of time—the present study considers whether exposure to phrases related to these concepts influence the likelihood of one producing more novel ideas in an open-ended problem-solving task. The pursuit of new, tacit means for enhancing the originality of solutions to problems may benefit organizational communication practitioners in the following way. The creativity of employees may be facilitated if new tacit means are used (or avoided) alongside extant overt strategies. Employees may be more capable of producing novel ideas in response to a problem-solving task if organizational communication practitioners develop a more nuanced understanding of how the presentation of problems, and the methods used in solving them, exposes employees to incidental and unobtrusive meanings that shape the socio-environmental context in which problem-solving takes place. The present study used a two-by-two, between subjects factorial design, that presented participants with a set of phrases related to different levels of mindset (i.e., mindfulness and mindlessness) and psychological state (i.e., flow and anti-flow). For example, phrases representing the combination of mindfulness and flow included, “I’m focused,” “my goals are clear,” “I’m tuned in to my feelings,” and “I’m up to the challenge at hand.” Exposure to these phrases sought to activate associations with the mindset of actively and fluidly processing social information (i.e., mindfulness) and the psychological state whereby deep concentration leads to the reduction of self-awareness and awareness of the passage of time (i.e., flow). Conversely, phrases representing the combination of mindlessness and anti-flow included, “I’m not focused,” “my goals are not clear,” “I’m not tuned in to my feelings,” and I’m not up to the challenge at hand.” After being exposed to one of four sets of phrases, participants were then administered a novel-idea production task in which they were instructed to produce a list of solutions to a problem (i.e., people driving while using text messaging on their cell phones). Results of the experiment failed to demonstrate a relationship between the presentation of phrases aiming to trigger associations with mindset and psychological state; however, measures to assess internal reliability suggested that methodological limitations confounded the present study’s ability to accurately test how the activation of associations between mindset and psychological state are related to the likelihood of one producing novel ideas. As such, the present study concludes by drawing a number of insights regarding methodological considerations for future investigations. Specifically, recommendations are drawn regarding participant selection, the research milieu in which novel-idea production may be empirically observed, how associations with different mindsets and psychological states may be primed, and how a problem should be presented within an experiment intending to measure novel-idea production. Summarily, the present study represents a valuable starting point for investigators seeking to contribute to an under-explored topic within the organizational communication literature; for explorations of how the implementation of overt strategies to enhance novel-idea production in organizations may be enhanced by practitioners’ attention to whether and how employees are exposed to stimuli which may prime associations with peak creativity.Item Chasing the White Rabbit: seeking clarity and understanding in advertising creativity(2015-05) Wyeth, Benjamin Neil; Mackert, MichaelCreativity plays a central role in advertising. From the execution of advertising material to the strategy that drives it and the media used to disseminate it, creativity permeates every phase of the advertising process. However, the literature regarding advertising creativity is messy and somewhat fractured. As such, Phase 1 of this dissertation will be a scoping review, designed to bring the clarity and insight afforded by a “high altitude” exploration the topic. Additionally, advertising—in both construction and delivery—has evolved significantly over the last decade as new technologies and new methods for reaching consumers have become available, but relatively few researchers are examining the way advertising creativity is being taught. As such Phase 2 is a qualitative exploration of creative advertising education in 9 top-ranked advertising schools and portfolio programs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with creative faculty in these programs and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings and major themes are discussed, as well as limitations of the dissertation and suggestions for future research.Item Context matters : the role of settings in sport development(2011-08) Bowers, Matthew Thomas; Green, B. Christine; Chalip, Laurence; Harrison, Tracie; Hunt, Thomas M.; Todd, JaniceSport participation in the United States is often characterized as a unitary experience that naturally instills a standardized set of values. In this work, however, I challenge the mythology of a unitary conceptualization of sport participation and examine how the experiences and outcomes of playing sports change depending on the setting in which the participation occurs. Specifically, I undertake an investigation into the differences between playing sports in an organized setting and playing them in an informal, unstructured setting. Drawing from the findings of three distinct studies, I first demonstrate through a mixed-method historical study how the field of sport management has narrowed its focus over time to exclude the more playful forms of sport and physical activity. In the second and third studies, I show the experiential and developmental outcomes that are potentially overlooked by maintaining a narrow definition of sport that excludes sport played in unstructured settings. In the second study, a phenomenological examination of pre-teen youth sport participants reveals that the meaning of the experience of playing youth sports derives not from playing in one setting alone, but emerges through the synthesis of experiences accrued in both organized and unstructured settings. In the third study, the relative influences of time spent participating in organized sports and informal sports during childhood are assessed with respect to the development of participant creativity. Like the phenomenological study, the results of this quantitative analysis again point to the importance of balancing participation in both organized and unstructured settings. The most creative individuals are those who split their sport participation time across both settings, as opposed to individuals with below-average creativity, who spent the majority of their sport participation time in organized settings. Combined, the results of these three studies demonstrate the historical shift (in both research and practice) away from unstructured sport settings, and highlight the potentially transformative sport development implications of reincorporating unstructured sport settings on the overall experiences and outcomes of sport participation.Item Creativity as a learned skill : the role of deliberate practice in the development of creativity(2014-12) Reeves, William Russell, 1976-; Wilcox, Gary B.; Drumwright, Minette; Fortunato, John; Reed, Eli; Thomas, KevinThis study provides insights into the development of creativity, and specifically into the role that deliberate practice plays in the development of creativity. At the time of this writing, little research had been conducted with regards to methodologies of developing creativity, with the literature tending to focus primarily on measures of creativity. Further, research on the use of deliberate practice has thus far been restricted to those fields that have a focus on motor skills, or routine behaviors. As such, the current study represents the first attempt at applying deliberate practice to a field more nebulous in nature. Given the prime value assigned to creativity in the advertising industry, and indeed in industries across all domains, the value of this study is in the potential for guidance in terms of the education of creative professionals, as well as in increasing creative output. Interviews were conducted with twenty-nine creative professionals representing a diverse set of domains, from advertising and film to photography, music, and comic books. The results present a thorough examination of the use of deliberate practice by these creative individuals, and provides an overview of how deliberate practice operates in the development of creativity. The findings suggest that deliberate practice does indeed play a significant role in developing creativity across a wide swatch of domains, and that those incorporating deliberate practice certainly experienced greater strides in development and performance. Further, findings suggested the existence of previously unreported factors utilized by creative in their development. Study limitations, future research, and significant findings are presented in addition to the core findings.Item Do I have enough time? The effects of perceived test difficulty and perceived time pressure on cognitive performance(2016-12) Stein, Evan Marc; Markman, Arthur B.Previous research on time pressure has shown that time pressure has paradoxical effects on task performance. Findings from previous studies show that time pressure can either help or hurt performance. Thus, it was hypothesized that an inverted U-shape relationship between time pressure and cognitive performance might explain the inconsistent results. In the current study, we used a 2 (Practice set difficulty: easy vs. hard) x 2 (Perceived time pressure: low vs. high) between-subjects design to investigate the effects of perceived test difficulty and perceived time pressure on cognitive performance. Participants either received an easy or hard practice set of Remote Associate Task problems. After, participants were told that 10 mins was either a sufficient (i.e., low perceived time pressure) or insuffient (i.e., high perceived time pressure) amount of time to complete a 30-item test. Upon completion of the test, participants then answered a battery of questionnaires regarding their personality, behavior, and beliefs. Results showed that there was no effect of perceived test difficulty or perceived time pressure on creative task performance or time spent on items. Exploratory analyses using the self-report surveys showed that ADHD behaviors, impulsivity, procrastination, need for cognition, and regulatory focus interacts with perceived test difficulty and perceived time pressure. Findings from this study provides insight into the influence of individual differences on perceived test difficulty and perceived time pressure. Understanding how people with different personalities, behaviors, and beliefs perceive time will help elucidate the different contexts under which time pressure can impair or improve performance.Item Emergency Response: Creativity and Training(2010-01-14) Bastian, MarciaEvery time emergency responders respond to an incident, they enter an ambiguous situation that is an ill-defined problem space. As the responders engage with the incident, they discover, piece by piece, the unique interlocking problems and act quickly to put form and structure onto the potential solution. In order to quickly, effectively, and safely resolve an incident, emergency responders must have depth and breadth of knowledge across responder disciplines and domains. This knowledge is acquired through both formal training courses and informal training in the station house. The ability to quickly assess a situation, accurately identify the elements as they emerge and their significance, then decide on a course of action combining a variety of domains and skill sets speaks to the creative nature of emergency responders. This study uses naturalistic inquiry to explore what it is like to be an emergency responder, describe how creativity manifests itself in a field environment, and discuss what emergency responders want in their training. This study found that being an emergency responder is emotional, exciting, stressful, challenging, full of the unexpected, and rewarding. During an incident, emergency responders are dealing with the complex interactions of various emotions while resolving difficult and often sad situations. Being an emergency responder is synonymous with being a good problem solver; they are also highly emotionally resilient. The process of creativity within an emergency response environment is seen through preparation that is, training. The consistent review and development of skills makes the skills automatic. Responders also cross-train and, often, an individual responder will have expertise in multiple areas. The improvisational skills of emergency responders to events which are often emergent and creative in their own right, demonstrate a depth of creative force through the handling of complex, high-risk situations with persistence, endurance, and determination. Finally, this study found that emergency responders are passionate about their training. They know that what they learn and practice during training evolutions forms the foundation of their professionalism, provides opportunities to learn new skills or hone already established skills, reinforces safety considerations, and will save their lives and the lives of other people.Item Getting to the bottom of a great idea(2012-05) Truong, Harry Ngoc; Wilcox, Gary B.; Rivera, MariaCreativity and the creative process are a well-researched topic. The process has been analyzed into models, dissected to determine affecting factors, and modified using varying techniques for the purpose of finding insights into it. The insights found have been used to improve creativity and its process immensely. Although the findings have been significant, there is room for more. This report seeks to extend the knowledge into the creative process so that society’s creativity may improve. To do so, nine in-depth interviews were conducted of professionals in various fields; they discussed a major problem they had encountered and revealed the creative process that led to their successful solution. These timelines of their creative process were then analyzed by comparing them to the existing literature and against each other to find useful ways to aid the creative process. The results reveal reliable techniques into how a person can improve their creativity and inevitably generate better ideas.Item Machine Learning Based Classification of Textual Stimuli to Promote Ideation in Bioinspired Design(2013-08-09) Glier, Michael WBioinspired design uses biological systems to inspire engineering designs. One of bioinspired design?s challenges is identifying relevant information sources in biology for an engineering design task. Currently information can be retrieved by searching biology texts or journals using biology-focused keywords that map to engineering functions. However, this search technique can overwhelm designers with unusable results. This work explores the use of text classification tools to identify relevant biology passages for design. Further, this research examines the effects of using biology passages as stimuli during idea generation. Four human-subjects studies are examined in this work. Two surveys are performed in which participants evaluate sentences from a biology corpus and indicate whether each sentence prompts an idea for solving a specific design problem. The surveys are used to develop and evaluate text classification tools. Two idea generation studies are performed in which participants generate and record solutions for designing a corn shucker using either different sets of biology passages as design stimuli, or no stimuli. Based 286 sentences from the surveys, a k Nearest Neighbor classifier is developed that is able to identify helpful sentences relating to the function ?separate? with a precision of 0.62 and recall of 0.48. This classifier could potentially double the number of helpful results found using a keyword search. The developed classifier is specific to the function ?separate? and performs poorly when used for another function. Classifiers developed using all sentences and participant responses from the surveys are not able to reliably identify helpful sentences. From the idea generation studies, we determine that using any biology passages as design stimuli increases the quantity and variety of participant solutions. Solution quantity and variety are also significantly increased when biology passages are presented one at a time instead of all at once. Quality and variety are not significantly affected by the presence of design stimuli. Biological stimuli are also found to lead designers to types of solution that are not typically produced otherwise. This work develops a means for designers to find more useful information when searching biology and demonstrates several ways that biology passages can improve ideation.Item Mapping of creativity in capstone design process(2008-05) Mendias, Johnny J.; Ekwaro-Osire, Stephen; Ertas, Atila; Rasty, JahanBringing a concept into reality is intriguing to any novice designers in academia. The development of a concept is created by novel thought, known as creativity. The application of creativity has been viewed as a substantial foundation to innovative design development. The motivation of this research is to enhance creativity in senior capstone design projects and discover a method to map creativity in capstone design process. To effectively enhance creativity, tools have to be developed to map it. Recently, the application of design notebooks have been used to determine the incubation of creativity through student participation in capstone design projects. As a result, design documentation is a good indicator of teamwork practices through group interaction and creative development. This research is proposed to determine the context of creativity through the creative elements, context of the individuals involved, inhibitions of creative progress, and the sustainable methods to foster creativity. This research included two student teams working on two different capstone design projects over the course of two semesters. The following team outcomes were used in this study namely, i) design notebooks, ii) project reports, iii) project presentations, and iv) the final artifact. To assess the creative context of the documentation, specific coding rubrics were applied to the design notebooks, proposals, and presentations to describe and quantify the creative instances that occurred in the course of the design process, and interpreted into the creative process. The influence and inhibitions of creativity were then reviewed upon completion of each respected capstone project and determine the creative thought and motivation to converge to innovative solutions. A team of professional designers analyzed the team reports and the final artifact through the use of questionnaires applied to the student research. As a result, the context to enhance creativity in capstone design is the capstone design team and is motivated extrinsically during the creative activities of divergence and incubation. The team applies the creative activities most effectively during the production phase of the capstone design process, which supported the need for a cohesive creative process to be implemented during capstone design activities.Item Marriage and family therapists' experience of creativity in the therapy room(Texas Tech University, 2008-05) Drew, Faith; Kimball, Thomas G.; Wampler, Karen S.; McGovern, Thomas F.; Morelock, Catherine N.Research stresses the importance of creativity in family therapy, yet a paucity of information describes how Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) define and experience creativity in their practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe MFTs’ experiences of creativity in their work with individuals, couples, and families. The study discusses creativity within various disciplines and frames the concept within a stage and a systemic model, illustrating an individual creative process and a system of interconnected components. The study uses a phenomenological methodology, as outlined by Moustakas (1994). Data were gathered through in-depth interviews from 10 Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists practicing in the West Texas region. The interviews revealed 3 main categories, 8 main themes, and 15 subthemes describing how MFTs experience creativity personally and professionally. The study concludes by discussing the essence of the phenomenon, as well as implications and guidelines for behavioral health professionals, specifically MFTs, to promote creative development in their practice. Recommendations are made for future studies.Item Morality and creativity part 1(2016-05) Morgan, Courtney Guitar; Lewis, Robert J. (Assistant professor); Drumwright, MinetteAll too often, ethics are not only thrown out the window in creative brainstorming sessions but barred from entry under the guise that ethics stifle the creative process. A clear sense of ethics in line with those of mainstream society is considered a desirable characteristic (Amabile, 1988). Ethics may, however, have a negative effect on creativity—another desirable characteristic (Amabile, 1988). By integrating trait activation theory and recent literature in media psychology, the current study tests the effects of reading and assessing morally ambiguous (vs. clear) narrative resolutions on creative thinking via a divergent thinking test. Results show evidence consistent with the idea that trait creativity, when activated by morally clear story-resolutions, leads to greater performance on a divergent-thinking test, whereas trait creativity is unrelated to performance after exposure to morally ambiguous story-resolutions. So, while there may be positive associations between unethical behavior and creativity, the current study shows that not all activators of creativity are “dark."Item The student's experience of multimodal assignments : play, learning, and visual thinking(2012-12) Nahas, Lauren Mitchell; Faigley, Lester, 1947-; Roberts-Miller, Patricia; Syverson, Margaret; Hodgson, Justin; Pena, JorgeMuch of current pedagogical discussion of the use of multimodal assignments in the writing classroom argues that one benefit of such assignments is that they foster student engagement, innovation, and creativity while simultaneously teaching writing and argumentation concepts. Although such discussions rarely use the term “play,” play theorists consider engagement, innovation, creativity, and learning to be central characteristics and outcomes of play. Thus, what many scholars view as a major outcome of multimodal assignments might most accurately be described as playful learning. In order to investigate the validity of claims that playful learning is a product of multimodal assignments, this dissertation reports on the results of a comparative case study of four different classrooms that used multimodal assignments. The objective of the study was to better understand the students’ experience of these assignments because the students’ perspective is only represented anecdotally in the literature. The study’s research questions asked: Do students find these assignments to be playful, creative, or engaging experiences? Do they view these assignments as related to and supportive of the more traditional goals of the course? And what role does the visual nature of these technologies have in the student’s experience of using them or in their pedagogical effectiveness? Each case was composed of a different writing course, a different assignment, and a different multimodal computer technology. The results of the study show that students generally did find these assignments both enjoyable and useful in terms of the learning goals of the course. Many students even went so far as to describe them as fun, indicating that for some students these were playful experiences in the traditional sense. However, comparison of the results of each case illustrates that the simple injection of a multimodal assignment into the classroom will not necessarily create a playful learning experience for students. The students’ experience is a complex phenomenon that is impacted by the structure of the assignment, whether or not they are provided a space for exploration and experimentation, their attitude towards the technology, and the characteristics of the technology.Item The relationship between children's computer game usage and creativity in Korea(2009-05-15) Lee, Kyung-SookThis study investigated the relationships among children?s creativity, computer games, natural play, TV, and their structured activities daily after school by the analysis of their time spent on computer games, and the other components with the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT), using the statistical methods of MANOVA and SEM. Activity 5 of Verbal Form B and Activity 2 of Figural Forms B of the TTCT were used to measure students? verbal and figural creativity scores. Two hundreds and thirty eight 3rd and 6th grade students from one rural and one urban school in the Republic of Korea were studied. The study also examined whether any variables (i.e., gender, grade, location, achievement, genres of computer games and parental Social Economic Status) affected children?s creativity scores and computer game usage. Children using computer games heavily showed significantly higher scores on the scale of Figural Originality than those with moderate usage. Highly structured activity students had significantly higher scores on all Figural TTCT scales than did the moderately structured activity group. There was a significant location difference on Figural Originality and Figural Elaboration, parental SES, and time spent on TV. Time spent on free play did not show any differences on any TTCT scales. Time spent on TV was differently correlated with the Figural TTCT by parental SES. Third graders obtained significantly higher scores than 6th graders on all the Verbal TTCT and Figural Elaboration scales. In this study, the subjects showed a significant preference for Role Playing Game (RPG) and Casual games. Gender differences on preferences of game genres, time spent on computer games and starting period of computer use were found. The MANOVA among genres of computer games on the TTCT scores was significant. The path models showed that the parent factor had strong correlation with children?s figural creativity and the play factor was correlated more with verbal creativity.Item The relationship between creativity and psychosocial development among college honors students and non-honors students(2009-05-15) Dupre' Casanova, Amy ElizabethThe purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in measures of creativity and psychosocial development in college Honors and Non-Honors students and also to determine interaction effects of demographic and academic background data. Additionally, another purpose was to establish any relationship between measures of creativity and psychosocial development. Of the 284 college students participating, 120 were honors students and 164 were non-honors students. Participants were administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) Verbal Form B, Activities 4 and 5 and the Student Development Task and Lifestyle Assessment (SDTLA). The TTCT included scales of fluency, flexibility, originality, and average standard creativity score. The SDTLA includes the measurement of three developmental tasks, ten subtasks, and two scales. The participants were volunteers and were tested in four regularly scheduled classes during the 2006 spring and summer semesters. Two-tailed independent t-tests performed on the dependent variables of the TTCT indicated that the Non-Honors student?s scores were statistically significantly higher on fluency, originality, and the average standard creativity measures. On the average standard score, which is considered the best overall gauge of creative power, neither Non-Honors nor Honors student groups TTCT scores were considered higher than weak (0-16%) (Torrance, 1990). The results of the two-tailed independent t-tests performed on the dependent variables of the SDTLA resulted in the statistically significant higher development outcome scores in the Honors students. The mean SDTLA scores of both the Honors and Non-Honors scores were not outside of norm group average scores. The MANOVA data produced moderately statistically significant interaction effects between classification level and fluency. However, the post hoc tests did not confirm the difference in classification and fluency. Additional MANOVA data indicated a significant interaction effect between ethnicity and Lifestyle Planning (LP), and post hoc analysis confirmed the interaction with significant differences in Caucasian and ?Other? students. Classification level significantly interacted with eight of the fourteen development outcomes, nevertheless the post hoc tests showed inconsistent differences between classification groups within the developmental outcomes. Correlations between the TTCT and SDTLA did not yield statistically significant relationships between the creativity and psychosocial development variables.