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R. Keith Sawyer
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Explaining Creativity: The science of human innovation Paperback – 23 February 2006

by R. Keith Sawyer (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Explaining Creativity The Science of Human Innovation
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Explaining Creativity is an accessible introduction to the latest scientific research on creativity. In the last 50 years, psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists have increasingly studied creativity, and we now know more about creativity than at any point in history. It considers not only arts like painting and writing, but also science, stage performance, and business innovation. Until about a decade ago, creativity researchers tended to focus on highly valued activities like fine art painting and Nobel prize winning science. Sawyer brings this research up to date by including movies, music videos, cartoons, video games, hypertext fiction, and computer technology. For example, this is the first book on creativity to include studies of performance and improvisation. Sawyer draws on the latest research findings to show the importance of collaboration and context in all of these creative activities. Today's science of creativity is interdisciplinary; in addition to psychological studies of creativity the book includes research by anthropologists on creativity in non-Western cultures, and research by sociologists about the situation, contexts, and networks of creative activity. It brings these approaches together within the sociocultural approach to creativity pioneered by Howard Becker, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and Howard Gardner. The sociocultural approach moves beyond the individual to consider the social and cultural contexts of creativity, emphasizing the role of collaboration and context in the creative process.
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  1. Print length
    362 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    OUP USA
  4. Publication date
    23 February 2006
  5. Dimensions
    23.11 x 2.54 x 15.24 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0195304454
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0195304459
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ OUP USA (23 February 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 362 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195304454
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195304459
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 23.11 x 2.54 x 15.24 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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R. Keith Sawyer

R. Keith Sawyer

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Dr. Keith Sawyer is one of the world's leading scientific experts on creativity, innovation, and learning. In his first job after graduating from MIT, he designed videogames for Atari. He then worked for 6 years as a management consultant in Boston and New York, advising large corporations on the strategic use of information technology. He's been a jazz pianist for over 30 years, and performed with several improv theater groups in Chicago, as part of his research into jazz and improvisational theater.

Dr. Sawyer is the Morgan Distinguished Professor in Educational Innovations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opener
Reviewed in India on 2 June 2020
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It is an eye opener for those who thinks creative thinking is just an individual phenomenon. Great studies have been rightly kept together. And it creative brains to work collaboratively.
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J. Patterson
5.0 out of 5 stars Explaining the Creativity of this Review
Reviewed in the United States on 22 November 2009
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I have rarely seen a text that focuses on creativity from a scientific perspective. Typically, I have heard of creativity as merely being a measure of how creative others within vicinity of your work think you are. While this may still seem true in the whole of society, rest assured that it is only seeming.

This book explores how the idea of creativity has evolved from the Individualist approach to the Contextualist approach with supporting research. In a society where Individualism is endemic, I feel it becomes even more important to understand how effective collaboration can bring about innovation as well as how our social environment in turn effects our generation of ideas.

I do not recommend this text for those with only a practitioners interest in the subject of bringing about innovation, however. (although there is a short section relevant to implementation)
This text focuses more on the theoretical aspects of creativity and innovation that have came about historically as well as recently.
4 people found this helpful
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喧
4.0 out of 5 stars ついに創造性研究の学生向け入門書が登場！なんだそうです。
Reviewed in Japan on 23 January 2009
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知能指数やら創造的思考やら天才のパーソナリティやら、もっぱら心理学分野が取り組んできた創造性研究は、近年、科学社会学や芸術社会学、文化人類学や考古学、さらには経営学といった諸分野の参入に沸き立っているらしいです。いまや創造的仕事とは、社会から孤立した特殊な個人の頭脳に不意に到来するインスピレーションの産物ではなく、伝統に習熟したうえで他者と協働しながらしだいにアイデアを練り上げていく試行錯誤の産物だということが判明しているのだそうです。

「創造性の社会･文化モデル」と呼ばれる新しい創造性観に至るまでの道のりと、創造性研究に参入してきた社会科学諸分野それぞれの重要業績の紹介、この２つが本書のコンセプトです。無作為に絵の具を飛び散らせて偶然性の芸術を標榜していたジャクソンポロックが実は絵の具の飛び散りを周到にコントロールしていたという暴露話とか、遺伝学のメンデルは実は黙殺されてなどいなかったという科学社会学ではおなじみの話とか、作曲家ばかりが創造的なわけじゃない演奏家だって創造的だ！ジャズ最高！とか、なんで映画のピュリツァー賞がないんだ！スターウォーズは最高に創造的じゃないか！とか、ウィンドウズはマイクロソフト社の独創じゃない！それ以前からの小さな創造的アイデアの積み重ねの結果なのだ！とか、とにかく盛りだくさんです。

こう書くとテキトーな書き散らしのエッセイかと思われそうですが、もちろん違います。実にアカデミックに真摯な筆致の学術書です。どうやら創造性研究はこれまで独立の学生用入門書はなかったそうなので、本書が記念すべき創造性研究入門書第一号ということになるようです。ものすごくわかりやすい英語で書かれているのでぜひトライしてみてください。
4 people found this helpful
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Elaine Gitalis
5.0 out of 5 stars about ME!!!?
Reviewed in the United States on 16 January 2007
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Having been a fine artist(painter) my whole life, I felt that the author was talking about me personally! So many aspects of my creativity that I took for granted or didn't understand were clearly explained.

This book would also benefit others, who do not understand the life of an artist,comprehend the mind-set of creative people.

Many myths are "busted" and it comes down to what Thomas Edison and myself have always said....." 10% creativity and the rest is very hard work or a "labour" of love!
2 people found this helpful
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Paulo Waisberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book on creativity
Reviewed in the United States on 18 March 2008
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Mr.Sawyer does a very good job on presenting conclusions and approaches in research on creativity. It looks like he is very enthusiastic about the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I would recommend readers interested in this fascinating field to look also for one of his books. I also recommend the Handbook of Creativity, that is a collection of articles on creativity. I learned some and enjoyed a lot reading Mr. Sawyer's book.
One person found this helpful
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