CREATIVE DISCOVERY IN IMAGERY AND PERCEPTION - COMBINING IS RELATIVELY EASY, RESTRUCTURING TAKES A SKETCH

A figure combination task, in which three components are combined into an object, was administered under imagery-alone and externalization c onditions to subjects with different levels of sketching expertise. In externalization conditions the imaged combinations were sketched. In accordance with earlier studies, the combinations were rated equally c reative across conditions. The combinations were scored with regard to the novelty of their spatial configurations of the components (combin ing score), and with regard to the novelty of the structure of the com ponents (restructuring score). For expert sketchers the latter score w as found to be increased by sketching. Creativity ratings correlated w ith both combining and restructuring scores in the sketching condition , but only with combining scores in the imagery condition. The results are interpreted in terms of a model in which creative processes use c ombining and restructuring strategies in a flexible way. Whereas restr ucturing draws heavily on both externalization and expertise in extern alization, combining can be used independently of externalization and expertise. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.