Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Variability, constraints, and creativity. Shedding light on Claude Monet.

¹Psychology Department, Barnard College, Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10023, USA. pstokes@barnard.columbia.edu

The American Psychologist

|May 2, 2001

Summary

People learn not only how to perform tasks but also how to vary their performance. High variability in skills, like Claude Monet

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

An optimal period for setting sustained variability levels.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2001

Same author

Kinematic analysis of tongue movements in dysarthria following traumatic brain injury using electromagnetic articulography.

Brain injury·2000

Same author

Variability in the perceptual and physiological features of dysarthria following severe closed head injury: an examination of five cases.

Brain injury·1995

Same author

Impaired tongue strength and endurance in developmental verbal dyspraxia: a physiological analysis.

European journal of disorders of communication : the journal of the College of Speech and Language Therapists, London·1995

Same author

Lip function in subjects with upper motor neuron type dysarthria following cerebrovascular accidents.

European journal of disorders of communication : the journal of the College of Speech and Language Therapists, London·1995

Same author

Abnormal patterns of speech breathing in dysarthric speakers following severe closed head injury.

Brain injury·1993

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Art History

Background:

Recent research indicates that learning encompasses not only task execution but also the variability of performance.
High performance variability is often maintained by actively avoiding successful, repetitive solutions.

Discussion:

Claude Monet's consistent high variability in painting may stem from early learned constraints.
These self-imposed task constraints throughout his career likely sustained his innovative artistic style.

Key Insights:

Skill acquisition involves learning performance variability.
Self-imposed constraints are crucial for maintaining high variability in creative domains.
Variability in artistic practice can be both learned and intrinsically rewarding.

Related Experiment Videos

Outlook:

Further research can explore the neurobiological underpinnings of learning performance variability.
Investigating how different types of constraints impact creative output is warranted.
Understanding learned variability may offer insights into fostering innovation across disciplines.