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"Knowledge�"like the sky�"is never private property. . . Teaching is the art of sharing." - Abraham Joshua Heschel

Identifying Creative People

Scientific American Mind magazine (Vol. 16, No. 1) explores divergent thinking in an article, "Unleashing Creative Power" by Ulrich Kraft.  The article points out that conventional measures, such as IQ tests, are not helpful in identifying creative people.  Instead today's creativity experts look for certain characteristics, such as the following, that people who excel at divergent thinking seem to exhibit:

Ideational fluency.  The number of ideas, sentences, and associations a person can think of when presented with a word.

Variety and flexibility.  The diversity of different solutions a person can find when asked to explore the possible use of, say, a newspaper or a paper clip.

Originality. The ability to develop potential solutions other people do not reach.

Elaboration.  The skill to formulate an idea, expand on it, then work it into a concrete solution.

Problem sensitivity.  The ability to recognize the central challenge within a task, as well as the difficulties associated with it.

Redefinition.  The capacity to view a known problem in a completely different light.

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