Creative Outcome as Implausible Utility

Tsao, J. Y.; Ting, C. L.; Johnson, C. M.

doi:10.1177/1089268019857929

Creative Outcome as Implausible Utility

Journal Article · Wed Jul 03 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Review of General Psychology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268019857929· OSTI ID:1543062

Tsao, J. Y. ^[1]; Ting, C. L. ^[1]; Johnson, C. M. ^[1]

Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA

Two perspectives are used to reframe Simonton’s recent three-factor definition of creative outcome. The first perspective is functional: that creative ideas are those that add significantly to knowledge by providing both utility and learning. The second perspective is calculational: that learning can be estimated by the change in probabilistic beliefs about an idea’s utility before and after it has played out in its environment. The results of the reframing are proposed conceptual and mathematical definitions of (a) creative outcome as the product of two overarching factors (utility and learning) and (b) learning as a function of two subsidiary factors (blindness reduction and surprise). Learning will be shown to depend much more strongly on surprise than on blindness reduction, so creative outcome may then also be defined as “implausible utility.”

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: NONE; NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 1543062

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1574811

Journal Information:: Review of General Psychology, Journal Name: Review of General Psychology Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 23; ISSN 1089-2680

Publisher:: SAGE PublicationsCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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