CREATIVITY: GENIUSES, MADMEN, And HARVARD STUDENTS

Psy E-1704 1 CREATIVITY: GENIUSES, MADMEN, and HARVARD STUDENTS PSYCHOLOGY E-1704 Fall 2011 Lecturer: Shelley Carson Time: Wednesday 5:30-7:30 pm Office hours: Tuesdays 5-7 pm Place: William James 1 Email: [email protected]

Head TA: Crystal King [email protected] TA’s: Ellen Brodskey [email protected] Ruth Slotnick [email protected] Fritzie Reisner [email protected] General Information Welcome to Psych E-1704 Creativity: Geniuses, Madmen, and Harvard Students! Human creativity is essential to our ability to survive and thrive as a species. In addition, creativity in the arts enriches and adds breadth to our everyday experiences. Creativity in the sciences has extended our lifespan, made living conditions more comfortable, and opened the worlds of outer space and inner space to our scrutiny and amazement. This course provides an overview of the major theories, modern research, and current issues in the field of creativity. We will examine creativity from different levels of analysis, including biological, psychological, and social levels. We will use three different approaches in our examinations: first, we will examine empirical research; second, we will employ the case study approach to learn from the lives of history’s most eminent creative achievers; and finally, we will use ourselves as subjects to arrive at valuable insights about the creative process. Some of the topics we will cover include the definition and measurement of creativity, the nature of the creative process, the creative personality, the role of family life and culture in creativity, the relationship of creativity to IQ, gender differences in creativity, the relationship of creativity to psychopathology, and the enhancement of creativity. Course Requirements Grading will be based on the following elements for Undergraduate and Graduate credit:

Undergraduate Students Graduate Students Short papers 25% Short papers 20% Online Discussion 10% Online Discussion 5% Study Pool Participation 5% Study Pool Participation 5% Midterm 25% Midterm 20% Final Exam 35% Course Term Paper 20% Final Exam 30%

Please read the assigned chapters and articles before each lecture. While some lectures will be based on the readings, others will use the readings as a launching point for related topics. Exams will include material from both the readings and the lectures, so attending or viewing all lectures is highly recommended. Short papers: You will select an historical creative genius as a subject for your personal case study, and you will read an approved biography of that subject. You will submit five short papers on your subject, including a personality report, a childhood profile, a timetable of creative production, a psychopathology report, and an analysis of biopsychosocial factors that contributed to the subject’s eminence. These reports will be posted on our website (viewing limited to our class members) and will comprise an integral part of our study of creative geniuses. Course term paper: Graduate students will write a 10-12 page term paper using APA format and style. Graduates may choose any topic that is related to creativity theory or research. The paper Psy E-1704 2 should seek to answer a focused research question. The answer to that question will be your thesis statement. You should support your thesis with evidence from the existing psychological literature on creativity. A more detailed description of the paper assignments will be available on the course website. Study Pool Participation: You will be required to participate in two research studies through the Harvard Study Pool program. Studies are available both on campus and online.

Academic Honesty Attempting to receive credit for written work that is not one’s own will be punished by receiving a failing grade for the work in question. Additional disciplinary action may be taken by the Extension School and may include expulsion from the course and the school. It is each student’s responsibility to learn the rules governing the proper use of sources. Descriptions of plagiarism, cheating, computer network, and library abuse are printed in the Extension School catalogue. If you have questions concerning the appropriate use of sources, please refer to the booklets Writing with Sources and Writing with Internet Sources, prepared by Harvard's Expository Writing Program (available online at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~expos/sources or on our course website). I have also provided guidelines for citing sources in the field of psychology on the course website. Please review these guidelines and feel free to contact the teaching staff if you have questions concerning the citation of material. Required course materials 1) Kaufman, J., & Sternberg, R.J. (Eds.) (2010). Cambridge Handbook of Creativity. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2) Carson, S. (2010). Your Creative Brain. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 3) Jamison, K.R. (1993).Touched with fire: Manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament. New York: Free Press. 4) Approved biography of historical creative genius (more details during Week 1) 5) Additional readings will be available on the course website. Schedule Wednesday, Aug 31 What is “Creativity?” Introduction, Definitions, and Historical Overview Wednesday, Sept 7 The Creative Process and the Measurement of Creativity Wednesday, Sept 14 Cognitive Mechanisms and Creativity Wednesday, Sept 21 Creativity and IQ; Gender Differences in Creativity Personality Paper Due Wednesday, Sept 28 Creativity and Personality; Motivation and Creativity Family Paper Due Wednesday, Oct 5 Family and Social Influences on Creativity Lifespan Paper Wednesday, Oct 12 Child Prodigies; Achievement Across the Lifespan Psychopathology Paper Due Wednesday, Oct 19 Creativity and Psychopathology: Mood Disorders Wednesday, Oct 26 MIDTERM EXAMINATION (on line) Wednesday, Nov 2 Creativity: Psychosis-Proneness and Alcoholism/Drug Abuse Wednesday, Nov 9 Creativity and the Brain Confluence Paper Due Wednesday, Nov 16 Can We Enhance Creativity? Wednesday, Nov 23 No Class Thanksgiving Holiday Wednesday, Nov 30 Confluence Theories of Creativity Wednesday, Dec 7 Ethical Issues and Wrap-Up TERM PAPER DUE Week of Dec 14 FINAL EXAM (on line) Psy E-1704 3 Psy E-1704 4 ASSIGNED READINGS

Wednesday, Aug 31 What is “Creativity?” Introduction & Definitions, Historical Overview  (in Your Creative Brain): Carson, S. (2010). Wanted: Your Creative Brain. (Chapter 1, pp. 3-11) ______

Wednesday, Sept 7 The Creative Process and Measurement of Creativity Fill out online questionnaires: http://poll.icommons.harvard.edu/poll/taker/pollTaker.jsp?poll=1-9820-41459 http://poll.icommons.harvard.edu/poll/taker/pollTaker.jsp?poll=1-9908-26491  (online) Ghiselin, B. (1952). The creative process. Berkeley: University of California Press. (pp. 1-35)  (In Your Creative Brain) Carson, S. (2010). Brainsets and the Creative Process. (Chapter 4, pp. 55-69)  (In Handbook of Creativity): Plucker, J.A., & Makel, M.C. (2010). Assessment of Creativity (Chapter 3: pp. 48-73) Optional Reading  (online) Carson, S., Peterson, J.B. & Higgins, D. (2005). Reliability, validity and factor structure of the Creative Achievement Questionnaire. Creativity Research Journal, 17(1), 37-50. ______

Wednesday, Sept 14 Cognitive Mechanisms and Creativity  (online) Runco, M. A. (1999). Divergent thinking. In M.A. Runco and S.R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity (vol. 2). San Diego: Academic Press. (pp. 103-108)  (online) Fasko, D. (1999). Associative theory. In M.A. Runco and S.R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity (vol. 1). San Diego: Academic Press. (pp. 103-108)  (online) Rothenberg, A. (1999). Janusian process. In M.A. Runco and S.R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity (vol. 2). San Diego: Academic Press. (pp. 103-108)  finish biography of eminent creative achiever Optional Reading  (In Your Creative Brain): Your Mental Comfort Zone. (Chapter 2, pp. 13-18)  (In Handbook of Creativity): Ward, T.B., & Kolomyts, Y. (2010). Cognition and Creativity. (Chapter 5, pp. 93- 112)  (In Handbook of Creativity): Runco, M. A. (2010). Divergent thinking, creativity, and ideation. (Chapter 22, pp. 414-446) ______

Wednesday, Sept 21 Creative Genius: Intelligence and Gender Issues Personality Paper Due  (In Handbook of Creativity): Kim, K.H., Cramond, B., & Van Tassel-Baska, J. (2010). The relationship between creativity and intelligence. (Chapter 21, pp. 395-412).  (online) Abra, J. (1991). Gender differences in creative achievement. Genetic, Social & General Psychology Monographs, 117(3), 233-284. ______

Wednesday, Sept 28 Creativity and Personality; Motivation and Creativity Family Paper Due Sept. 29th  (In Handbook of Creativity): Feist, G.J. (2010). The function of personality in creativity: The nature and nurture of the creative personality. (Chapter 6, pp. 113-130). Psy E-1704 5  (online) King, L.A., Walker, L.M., & Broyles, S.J. (1996). Creativity and the Five- Factor Model. Journal of Research in Personality, 30, 189-203.  (In Handbook of Creativity): Hennessey, B.A. (2010). The creativity-motivation connection. (Chapter 18, pp. 342-365)  (online) Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper/Collins. (Chapter 5: The flow of creativity, pp. 107- 126) ______

Wednesday, Oct 5 Creativity and the Influence of Family and Society Lifespan Paper Due Oct 6th  (online) Ludwig, A.M (1995). The price of greatness. New York: Guilford Press. (Chapter 4: The early years, pp. 31-58)  (online) Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). Implications of a systems perspective for the study of creativity (Chapter 16: pp. 313-338) In R. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity, New York: Cambridge University Press. Optional Reading:  (In Handbook of Creativity): Lubart. T.. (2010). Cross-cultural perspectives on creativity. (Chapter 14, pp. 265-278) ______

Wednesday, Oct 12 Child Prodigies and Creativity Across the Lifespan Psychopathology Paper Due 13th  (online) Howe, M.J.A. (1999). Prodigies and creativity. (Chapter 21, pp. 431-448). In R. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity, New York: Cambridge University Press.  (online) Simonton, D.K. (1988). Age and outstanding achievement: What do we know after a century of research? Psychological Bulletin, 104, 251-267.  Begin reading Touched with Fire ______

Wednesday, Oct 19 Creativity and Psychopathology: Mood Disorders  Jamison, K.R. (1993).Touched with fire: Manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament. New York: Free Press.  (online) Verhaeghen, P., Joormann, J., & Khan, R. (2005). Why we sing the blues: The relation between self-reflective rumination, mood, and creativity. Emotion, 5, 226-232.  (In Your Creative Brain): Using Emotion Creatively: Accessing the Transform Brainset. (Chapter 10,pp. 207-232)

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Wednesday, Oct 26 Midterm Exam (online) ______

Wednesday, Nov 2 Creativity and Psychopathology: Psychosis-Proneness and Alcoholism Confluence Paper Due Nov. 3rd  (online) Carson, S.H. (2011). Creativity and psychopathology: A shared-vulnerability model. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 56(3), 144-153.  (online) Norlander, T. & Gustafson, R. (1998). Effects of alcohol on a divergent figural fluency test during the illumination phase of the creative process. Creativity Research Psy E-1704 6 Journal, 11, 265-274. Optional Reading:  (online) Winhusen, S. (2004). Emily Dickinson and schizotypy. The Emily Dickinson Journal, 13(1), 77-96. ______

Wednesday, Nov 9 Creativity and the Brain  (In Your Creative Brain): Tour Your Creative Brain. (Chapter 3, pp. 39-54)  (In Handbook of Creativity): Kaufman, A.B. , Kornilov, S.A., Bristol, A.S., Tan, M., Grigorenko, E.L.(2010). The neurobiological foundation of creative cognition. (Chapter 11, pp. 216-232)  (online) Dietrich, A. (2004). The cognitive neuroscience of creativity. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 11(6), 1011-1026. ______

Wednesday, Nov 16 Can We Enhance Creativity?  (online) Golden, B. (2006). Pathways to inhibition (chapter 3, pp 49-67).Unlock your creative genius. Amherst, NY: Prometheus  In Handbook of creativity: Nickerson, R.S. (1999). Enhancing creativity. (Chapter 20, pp. 392-430).  (In Your Creative Brain): Flexing Your Creative Brain. (Chapter 13, pp. 259-278)  (online) DeBono, E. (1992). Serious creativity: Using the power of lateral thinking to create new ideas. New York: Harper. (The six thinking hats, pp. 77-86). Optional Reading  (online) Scott, G., Leritz, L. E., & Mumford, M. D. (2004). The effectiveness of creativity training: A quantitative review. Creativity Research Journal, 16(4), 361– 388. ______

Wednesday, Nov 30 Confluence Theories of Creativity

 (online) Amabile, T.M. (1996). Creativity in context. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. (Chapter 4: A theoretical framework. pp. 81-127)  (online) Ludwig, A.M (1995). The price of greatness. New York: Guilford Press. (Chapter 9: Predicting “true” greatness, pp. 176-194).  (In Your Creative Brain): Applying the Brainsets to Real-World Creativity. (Chapter 14, pp. 279-292)

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Wednesday, Dec 7 Ethical Issues and Wrap-Up (no readings) TERM PAPER DUE ______

Week of Dec 14 FINAL EXAMINATION ______