Think Intelligence Creativity

Creativity

ability to produce ideas or products that are original (novel) and appropriate (useful) within a context

Little-c

everyday creativity - personal problem solving, hobbies, everyday insights

Big-c

groundbreaking, culturally significant creativity

Mini-c

Personal learning insights - small moments that reshape understanding

Pro-c

professional level - more advanced than everyday creativity but not quite Big-c

divergent thinking

ability to produce multiple, varied ideas from a single prompt

convergent thinking

ability to find a single correct or best solution

Domain

field or area where creativity occurs - music, math, art, science

field

gatekeepers in the domain who judge whether creative work is valuable

person-process-press-product model

person, process, press, product

person

traits, personality, abilities

Process

How someone thinks

Press

The environment or context

Product

Creative output

Flow

mental state of total absorption where challenges matches skill

Intrinsic motivation

doing something because it is inherently satisfying - critical for creativity

extrinsic motivation

external rewards or pressure - can reduce creativity

creativity and mental health

associated with openness, sensitivity, and sometimes mood variability - not always mental illness

Generalist

person with broad experience across multiple domains, adaptable, good at analogy and abstraction

specialist

person with deep, narrow knowledge in one domain

sampling period

early period of exploration across many activities before specializing

match quality

how well a persons talents/interests match the activity they pursue

Kind learning environment

clear rules, repeated patterns, immediate feedback - chess, golf - eraly specialization works

Wicked learning environment

unclear rules, delayed or misleading feedback, unpredictable - buisness, innovation - generalists outperform

desirable difficulties

tasks that feel difficult but strengthen long-term learning - spaced repetition, varied practice

Analogical thinking

using knowledge from one domain to solve problems in another

interleaving

mixing different types of problems or skills - increases retention even if it feels harder

transfer of learning

applying knowledge from one domain to another

Outlier

person whose success is far outside statistical norms - often due to mix of oppurtunity, timing, culture, and effort

10,000 Hour rule

approximate amount of deliberate practice needed for world-class expertise

Deliberate practice

focused practice aimed at improving weaknesses, wth constant feedback

accumulated advantage

small early advantages that compound over time into much larger ones

opportunity

access to resources, mentors, timing, environment - key determinant of outlier success

Cultural legacy

behaviors, values, or patterns passed down by culture or family that shape success

practical intelligence

social savy: knowing how to navigate situations, communicate, or get needs met

ecology of success

timing, birth order, culture, opportunity, environment, family support

Threshold effect

beyond a certain point, increasing IQ or raw intelligence doesn’t increase success as much as other fators

Who first began studying intelligence more than 2,000 years ago

Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle were the first to analyze human reasoning and intellectual differences

How didi early investigations into intelligence differ from modern approaches

early approaches were philosophical and speculative, not empirical, Modern approaches rely on scientific measurement, stats, and cognitive testing

What kind of approach did Plucker and Esping use to explore theories of intelligence

a historical approach reviewing how theories evolved over time

What research trend became dominant in the study of intelligence by the 1960s

psychometric testing and factor-analytic approaches

Who is considered the first psychologist to study intelligence

Francis Galton

Which evolutionary theorist significantly influenced Galtons views on intelligence

Charles Darwin

What was Galtons belief about the origin of intelligence

intelligence is genetically inherited

What controversial idea did Galton support regarding reproduction and intelligence

Eugenics - selective breeding to increase desirable traits

What important statistical concept did Galton contribute to the field

The correlation coefficient

Francis Galton

contribution- First psychologist to study intelligence; believed intelligence was inherited; promoted selective breeding; created correlation coefficient; influenced by Darwin

Charles Darwin

contribution: His theory of natural selection influenced Galton’s ideas about inherited traits

Lewis Terman

contribution: Defined intelligence as abstract thinking; revised Stanford-Binet; promoted IQ testing

Goddard

contribution:Introduced Binet-Simon to America; classified terms like “moron”; supported eugenic policies including sterilization

Plucker and Esping

contribution: Provided a historical overview of intelligence theories

g factor

general intelligence underlying all cognitive abilities

s factor

specific abilities unique to separate tasks

fluid intelligence Gf

ability to solve novel problems and think abstractly, independent of prior knowledge

Crystallized intelligence Gc

Knowledge accumulated from experience and education

Triarchic Theory

Sternberg’s model: analytical, creative, and practical intelligence

Analytical intelligence

Academic problem-solving and analysis

Creative intelligence

Generating new, original ideas or approaches

Practical intelligence

Applying knowledge to real-world situations

Multiple intelligences (Gardner)

Theory proposing several independent intelligences - linguistic, spatial, interpersonal

Emotional intelligence

Ability to understand, manage, and use emotions effectively

Wisdom (Sternberg)

Using intelligence and experience for the common good; balancing interests

IQ

Standardized score measuring cognitive ability; mean 100, SD 15.

Reliability

Consistency of test scores over time

Validity

Whether a test measures what it claims to measure

Metacognition

Awareness and regulation of one’s own thinking processes

Flynn Effect

Q scores rising globally over decades

Savant syndrome

Low overall intelligence but extreme talent in one domain

distributed intelligence

Intelligence extended by tools, environment, and social collaboration

successful intelligence

Using analytical, creative, and practical skills to achieve life goals

Threshold theory of intelligence and creativity

Intelligence helps creativity up to a moderate IQ (around 120), after which IQ no longer predicts creative ability strongly

Genetics and intelligence

Intelligence is influenced by both genes and environment; heritability increases with age

What distinguishes fluid vs. crystallized intelligence

Fluid = solving new problems; Crystallized = acquired knowledge

What does the threshold model suggest about IQ and success

High IQ helps up to a point, but beyond a certain threshold, extra IQ does not strongly increase success

What is practical intelligence according to Outliers/Intelligence 101

Knowing how to navigate systems, communicate effectively, and use tacit knowledge to get things done

What factor usually predicts high performance according to Ericsson

Deliberate practice — structured, feedback-driven effort

How does intelligence differ from creativity in problem-solving

Intelligence emphasizes correct solutions; creativity emphasizes novel, original solution

What role does environment play in intelligence development

Early enrichment and opportunity strongly influence cognitive growth; environment interacts with genes

Why did Galton believe intelligence is inherited

Influenced by Darwin and observed family patterns

Correlation

Statistical measure of relationship between variables; invented by Galton

Factor analysis

Statistical technique to identify underlying dimensions of intelligence

Psychometrics

Field focused on measuring mental abilities

Heritability

Proportion of trait variance explained by genetic differences in a population

Norming

Establishing test score distributions for comparison

Standardization

Uniform test administration for fairness

What is the relationship between creativity and innovation

Creativity generates ideas; innovation applies them in real-world settings

What are the Four P’s of creativity

Person, Process, Product, Press

According to Mumford’s 8-Stage Model, what is the first step

Problem construction (defining the problem)

Which two types of thinking are necessary for creativity

Divergent thinking and convergent thinking

What are the three components of Amabile’s creativity model

Domain-relevant skills, creativity-relevant processes, and task motivation

In Csikszentmihalyi’s systems theory, what role do gatekeepers play

They evaluate, filter, and validate what counts as creative within a field

How does starting one’s creative career earlier affect productivity

Earlier starters peak earlier; later starters peak later but produce longer

Do product-based studies suggest creativity is domain-general or domain-specific

Primarily domain-specific

What three conditions support creativity in Amusement Park Theory (APT

Intelligence, motivation, and appropriate environment

Which college majors score highest in creativity

Humanities and arts majors

Which subfactor showed weaker connections to overall creativity

Personal properties

What factor increases likelihood of being creative in a domain

Experience and training in that domain

What is a “general thematic area”

A broad domain cluster where creativity can occur (e.g., arts vs. sciences).

Is having parents in a creative field necessary to be creative in that domain

No