"The Associative Basis of The Creative Process" by Sarnoff A. Mednick

Summary

This academic paper proposes an associative interpretation of creative thinking, suggesting it involves forming new combinations of associative elements. The author outlines three ways these combinations can occur: through serendipity (accidental contiguity), similarity of elements, or mediation via common links. The text argues that individual differences in creativity stem from how easily individuals can bring remote ideas into contiguity, with a "flat associative hierarchy" (access to less conventional associations) being linked to higher creativity. Finally, the paper describes the Remote Associates Test (RAT), designed to measure this associative ability, and presents preliminary research supporting its validity and relationship to various factors like academic performance and personality traits.