Creativity as It Unfolds: An Examination of Temporality in the Creative Process
| Title: | Creativity as It Unfolds: An Examination of Temporality in the Creative Process |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Gerben Tolkamp (ORCID |
| Source: | Creativity Research Journal. 2025 37(1):22-43. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Business Education, College Students, Creative Development, Creative Thinking, Creativity, Time Factors (Learning), Time on Task, Conceptual Tempo |
| Geographic Terms: | Netherlands |
| DOI: | 10.1080/10400419.2023.2234719 |
| ISSN: | 1040-0419 1532-6934 |
| Abstract: | Scholars view the creative process as a sequence of activities (e.g. problem construction, information search, idea generation, and idea development) that unfolds over time. This implies that time plays an important role in creativity. Unfortunately, however, the field lacks clear and explicit propositions about the temporal aspects of the creative process and lacks suitable methodology to examine this process in detail. In this paper, we firstly outline two broad perspectives on the creative process, the linear and iterative perspectives, and translate their implicit theories of time into temporal propositions regarding the duration, frequency, timing, and sequencing of creative process activities. Secondly, we develop and use an experimental framework that enables us to test these propositions, and offer some initial insights into how the creative process unfolds. These analyses suggest 1) that some people followed a more linear approach to creativity, whereas others behaved more in line with the iterative approach; 2) that those who followed the iterative approach generated more original solutions; and 3) this difference mainly occurred because people who followed the iterative approach spent more time on idea selection and development. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1458509 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| ISSN: | 1040-0419 1532-6934 |
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| DOI: | 10.1080/10400419.2023.2234719 |
| Published in: | Creativity Research Journal |
| Language: | English |