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Creative thought as blind-variation and selective-retention: combinatorial models of exceptional creativity
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. dksimonton@ucdavis.edu
Physics of Life Reviews
|April 27, 2010
Summary
This review explores Campbell's blind-variation and selective-retention (BVSR) theory of creativity, focusing on combinatorial models and empirical evidence over 50 years. It examines factors influencing creative thought within disciplinary contexts.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Creativity Studies
Background:
- Donald Campbell's 1960 proposal of the blind-variation and selective-retention (BVSR) theory as a framework for understanding creative thought.
- The BVSR theory posits that creativity arises from a process of generating diverse ideas (variation) and selecting the most fitting ones (retention).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advancements in creativity research over the past 50 years, specifically through the lens of Campbell's BVSR theory.
- To examine the application of combinatorial models as formal representations of the BVSR theory.
- To synthesize empirical findings related to cognitive, personality, developmental, and social factors influencing creativity within the BVSR framework.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature published in the 50 years following Campbell's (1960) proposal.
- Analysis of combinatorial models used to formalize the BVSR theory, focusing on concepts like domain samples, field size, ideational combination, and disciplinary communication.
- Derivation of empirical implications for individual, domain, and field systems.
Main Results:
- Combinatorial models provide a formal structure for representing the BVSR theory of creativity.
- Empirical evidence supports the BVSR framework by linking cognitive processes, personality traits, developmental factors, and social contexts to creative outcomes.
- The review highlights the interplay between variation and selection mechanisms in fostering creative thought.
Conclusions:
- The BVSR theory, operationalized through combinatorial models, remains a robust framework for understanding creativity.
- Future research should continue to explicate the mechanisms of blind variation and selective retention in diverse contexts.
- Further integration of empirical findings with theoretical models is crucial for advancing creativity research.
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