Implications for Science and Technology

Creative discovery has led to many technological breakthroughs and innovations
in science and industry. Technological breakthroughs and success in
science and industry have been evident in the extensive research into creative
activity conducted by W. J. Gordon. He provides some source material
that points to the relationship between invention, discovery, and learning.
Creativity and analogies have led to breakthroughs in a wide variety of technological
fields.

One example of the many technological breakthroughs and innovations
in science and industry presented by Gordon occurred in 1865. John Boyd
Dunlop was trying to think of a way to help his son be more comfortable
when riding his bicycle over cobblestone streets. While watering his garden,
he noticed how the hose resisted his fingers when he pressed his hand more
firmly around it. He made the connections between the elastic resistance of
the hose and how this type of elasticity would make his son more comfortable
when biking. His first successful tire was made from a piece of garden
hose.

Sources for Further Study

Albert, Robert S. “Identity, Experiences, and Career Choice Among the Exceptionally
Gifted and Eminent.” In Theories of Creativity, edited by Mark
A. Runco and Robert S. Albert. Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage, 1990. This
twelve-chapter book on creativity is a compilation of the expertise of persons
who have studied creativity in areas such as anthropology, behavior,
cognition, development, and ecology.
Davis, Gary A., and Sylvia B. Rimm. Education of the Gifted and Talented. 5th ed.
Boston: Pearson, 2004. Presents various skills, behaviors, and characteristics
of students who are gifted, talented, or creative. The abilities and
skills involved in creative problem solving are explained in clear language.
An excellent source to gain information on the educational needs
of gifted, talented, or creative students.
Gordon, W. J. “Some Source Material in Discovery-by-Analogy.” Journal of
Creative Behavior 8, no. 4 (1974): 239-257. Focusing on an associative view
of invention, discovery, and learning, Gordon cites thirty-eight examples
of associative analogical connections which have triggered famous innovations
and breakthroughs. A wide variety of technological fields are included.
Interesting reading; gives the foundations of many items used in
everyday life.

Kline, Paul. Intelligence: The Psychometric View. New York: Routledge, 1991.
Provides a summary of studies focusing on the nature of intelligence and
other human abilities. Topics include the history of the concept of intelligence and ways to measure intelligence. The definitions of statistical and
technical terms are presented in a clear and readable fashion.
Simenton, Dean Keith. Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Explores the source of creativity
in Darwinian properties of variation and selection.
Steptoe, Andrew, ed. Genius and the Mind: Studies of Creativity and Temperament.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. A collection of case study
essays on the psychology of creative “geniuses” such asWolfgang Amadeus
Mozart; George Gordon, Lord Byron; and William Shakespeare.
Sternberg, Robert J. Intelligence Applied: Understanding and Increasing Your Intellectual
Skills. Orlando, Fla.: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986. A training
program based on the triarchic theory of intelligence that Sternberg has
developed. Details effective strategies for solving various types of problems,
including science insight problems and analogies. Exercises for
practice are included.

Storfer, Miles D. Intelligence and Giftedness: The Contributions of Heredity and
Early Environment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990. Storfer presents information
on the effects of nurture on intelligence, focusing on the nature
and development of intellectual giftedness and the characteristics of intellectually
gifted people. The concept of intelligence in different socioeconomic
conditions, in enrichment programs, and in its varying types
are highlighted in separate chapters. The factors that influence intelligence
and giftedness are examined in detail.

Torrance, Ellis Paul. Education and the Creative Potential. Minneapolis: University
of Minnesota Press, 1963. A compilation of seven papers and six
experimental studies conducted by Torrance, who developed a test to
measure creative thinking and conducted longitudinal studies on creativity.
Contains information on topics such as developing creative potential
in schoolchildren and factors that facilitate or inhibit creativity in children.
Weisberg, RobertW. Creativity: Genius and Other Myths. New York:W. H. Freeman,
1986. Weisberg discusses the behaviors, activities, and finished
products of individuals who have been described as creative. Defines creativity
by giving real-life examples and discusses the role that intense
knowledge or expertise plays in creative problem solving.
Debra A. King-Johnson
See also: Giftedness; Intelligence; Intelligence Tests; Learning.