bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study of Creative Thinking of American And Japanese College Students
Authors: SAEKI NORIKO , FAN XITAO , VAN DUSEN LANI
Published: December 2011

Cross‐cultural differences in creative thinking were assessed for 51 American and 54 Japanese college students. The American college students showed statistically significantly higher scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) figural test than the Japanese college students. No gender differences were found in either culture. Performance on the TTCT did not correlate with the performance on broad academic aptitude/achievement measures for either culture.
The Sylvia Plath Effect: Mental Illness in Eminent Creative Writers
Authors: KAUFMAN JAMES C.
Published: December 2011

Although many studies (e.g., Andreasen, 1987; Jamison, 1989; Ludwig, 1995) have demonstrated that creative writers are prone to suffer from mental illness, this relationship has not been truly examined in depth. Is this finding true of all writers? In Study One, 1,629 writers were analyzed for signs of mental illness. Female poets were found to be significantly more likely to suffer from mental illness than female fiction writers or male writers of any type. Study Two extended the analysis to 520 eminent women (poets, fiction writers, non‐fiction writers, visual artists, politicians, and actresses), and again found the poets to be significantly more likely to experience mental illness. This early finding has been dubbed “the Sylvia Plath effect,” and implications and possibilities for future research are discussed.
The Propulsion Model of Creative Contributions Applied to the Arts and Letters
Authors: STERNBERG ROBERT J. , KAUFMAN JAMES C. , PRETZ JEAN E.
Published: December 2011

This article applies a propulsion model of creative contributions to the arts and letters. The basic notion is that creative contributions differ not only in the amounts of creativity they display but also in the types of creative contributions they make. The article opens with a general discussion of creative contributions and next considers some existing models of creative contributions. It then describes the propulsion model for understanding creative contributions and suggests eight types of contributions that follow from the propulsion model. Next the article describes some contributions in the arts and letters and shows how the propulsion model can be applied to understanding them. Finally the article discusses why such a model can be useful in evaluating the status of creative work, of individuals, and of a domain.
The Relationship Between Creativity and Conformity Among Preschool Children
Authors: VAN HOOK CHERYL W. , TEGANO DEBORAH W.
Published: December 2011

The current study investigated the relationship between creativity and conformity based on the work of Starkweather (1964). The subjects were 45 preschool children. Creativity was assessed using the Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure (Moran, Sawyers, Fu, & Milgram, 1983), an original thinking task. Two forms of conformity were assessed: social conformity and impersonal conformity using the Starkweather Social Conformity Test and the Starkweather Form Boards Test respectively (Starkweather, 1964). Starkweather's hypothesis of a curvilinear relationship between conformity and creativity was found for the social conformity task (X2= 11.69, p < .01). The findings support the hypothesis that highly conforming and highly nonconforming children do not score as high on creativity measurements as their freedom of expression (i.e., not following a rigid pattern of conforming/nonconforming) counterparts. Chi‐square analyses revealed significantly more children in the high creativity and freedom of expression group as compared to the low creativity and conforming/nonconforming children. That is, significantly fewer children were found in the low conformity/low creativity cell and more in the low conformity/high creativity cell than were expected by chance. No differences were found for impersonal conformity, perhaps due to the insensitivity of the instrumentation to assess conformity. It is concluded that freedom of expression may be seen as an important personality trait in the identification and nurturance of creative potential and problem solving in young children.
Shining Lights or Lone Wolves? Creativity and Self‐image in Primary School Children
Authors: HOFF EVA V. , CARLSSON INGEGERD
Published: December 2011

The relationship between self‐image and creativity was studied in primary school children. Earlier research points in two directions. Some researchers describe the creative child as well adjusted. Others provide a more nuanced picture in which less well‐behaved children can also be creative. Three different measures of creativity were used in this study: the Unusual Uses Test, an activity questionnaire and a perceptual test (the Creative Functioning Test). A self‐image inventory was used to measure participants' perceptions of their own skills, physical self, psychological health and relationships to others. The results showed no self‐image differences between children with high and low creativity. The creativity measures were significantly related, with the exception of the flexibility dimension of CFT. One possible explanation is that CFT measured another aspect of creativity. This was illustrated in a cluster analysis in relation to self‐image.
Gender‐Role Orientation, Creative Accomplishments and Cognitive Styles
Authors: HITTNER JAMES B. , DANIELS JENNIFER R.
Published: December 2011

The present study examined the association of gender‐role orientation to creative accomplishments and cognitive styles. One hundred and twenty‐seven college students completed the Artistic and Scientific Activities Survey (Guastello, 1991), the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1974), and the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974). Three different gender‐role orientations were examined: instrumentality (agenic, stereotypically masculine), expressiveness (communal, stereotypically feminine), and androgynous (high levels of instrumental and expressive characteristics). Results indicated that instrumentality was positively associated with creative accomplishments in the business venture domain and that androgynous, versus nonandrogynous, individuals were more creatively productive in the domains of literature, theater, and video‐photography. Instrumentality was also positively associated with the six hats cognitive style, which is a measure of cognitive flexibility, and the six hats style was marginally significantly associated with androgyny. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are considered.
Perception of the most creative Chinese by undergraduates in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Taipei
Authors: YUE XIAO DONG , RUDOWICZ ELISABETH
Published: December 2011

This study surveys 489 undergraduates in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Taipei about their nomination of most creative Chinese people in history and in modern times. Politicians were nominated by all four samples as being the most creative individuals in the past and at present. Scientists and inventors ranked second in position. Taken together, they occupy over 90 percent of the total number of nominations. Artists, musicians and businessmen are rarely nominated. More than half of the reasons given for nominating these people are not directly related to creativity. This finding is attributed to a strong utilitarian view of creativity that lies in Chinese young people's perception of creativity. They are much more concerned with a creator's social influence or contribution in society than with his or her innovativeness in thinking. The paper concludes by addressing some methodological implications for further studies on the issue.
Beliefs And Creative Performance: Relationships Across Three Tasks
Authors: MUMFORD MICHAEL D. , DECKER BRIAN P. , CONNELLY MARY SHANE , OSBURN HOLLY K. , SCOTT GINAMARIE
Published: December 2011

Creative work occurs on novel, ill‐defined tasks. By virtue of their ambiguity and complexity, however, creative tasks allow the situation to be construed in a number of ways. Accordingly, one might argue that beliefs, as interpretive structures, would be related to performance on creative problem‐solving tasks. To test this proposition, a battery of measures was developed to assess people's beliefs. Subsequently, 195 undergraduates were asked to work on three creative problem‐solving tasks. When quality and originality ratings, reflecting performance on the creative problem‐solving tasks, were regressed on the beliefs, multiple correlations in the low .40s were obtained. It was found that beliefs consistent with the nature of the task were those most likely to be related to performance. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the role of beliefs in shaping people's creative problem‐solving activities.
Judging Advertising Creativity Using the Creative Product Semantic Scale
Authors: WHITE ALISA , SHEN FUYUAN , SMITH BRUCE L.
Published: December 2011

The Creative Product Semantic Scale has been used to judge tangible creative products such as crafts, and intangibles such as the ideas produced by problem solving groups. In this study it was used to judge the creativity of 15 print advertisements, using samples representing college students, advertising professionals, and the general public. The study explored the differences and similarities of responses. There were no significant differences in the judgments of the three groups regarding the originality and logic of the ads. With regard to how well crafted or well executed the ads were, however, the judgments of advertising professionals differed from those of students and the public.
A Big‐Five Personality Profile of the Adaptor and Innovator
Authors: KWANG NG AIK , RODRIGUES DAPHNE
Published: December 2011

This study explored the relationship between two creative styles (adaptor and innovator) and the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience). 164 teachers from 3 secondary and 2 primary schools in Singapore completed a self‐report questionnaire, which consisted of the Kirton Adaption‐Innovation Inventory and the NEO‐Five Factor Inventory. It was found that adaptors were significantly more conscientious than innovators, while innovators were significantly more extraverted and open to experience than adaptors. No significant differences were found between adaptors and innovators in neuroticism and agreeableness. The study also revealed a meaningful pattern of relationships between the Big Five personality traits and the three facet scales of the KAI. Specifically, Sufficiency of Originality was negatively correlated with Openness to Experience and Extraversion; Rule Governance was positively correlated with conscientiousness but negatively correlated with openness to experience; Efficiency was positively correlated with conscientiousness. The overall findings supported the fundamental contention that different creative styles were due to different combinations of personality traits, with adaptors being more conscientious, while innovators being more extraverted and open to experience. These personality‐based differences in creative styles between adaptors and innovators had resulted in much social conflict between them. One way of resolving it is to make known the nature and value of different creative styles to these two different types of creators.
Teaching Creative Writing Skills to Primary School Children in Hong Kong: Discordance Between the Views and Practices of Language Teachers
Authors: CHEUNG WAI MING , TSE SHEK KAM , TSANG HECTOR WH
Published: December 2011

Although creativity has been valued in ancient and contemporary Chinese literature, the degree to which creativity is valued and incorporated into teaching by Chinese language teachers is not known. This information is important given that creativity has been increasingly recognized in the education literature as a component of effective writing. The purpose of this study was to compare the views of Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong about creativity and the acquisition of creative writing skills by primary school children, and their teaching practices. A total of 449 Chinese language teachers, employed at primary schools throughout Hong Kong completed a survey questionnaire. The 14‐item questionnaire focused on teachers' views of creativity, their perceptions of how to develop students' creativity, their awareness of creative writing strategies, and teaching practices related to creative writing. With respect to the definition of creativity, teachers identified imagination foremost, followed by inspiration, and original ideas. Teachers identified developing students' confidence, and providing an open atmosphere as essential means of fostering creativity. Despite the apparent value of creativity expressed by the teachers and their familiarity with methods for enhancing creativity, the majority reported using traditional methods of teaching writing. Strategies are recommended for reconciling this discrepancy, and promoting creative writing skills by primary school teachers in Hong Kong and other Chinese speaking societies.
Generalization of Creativity Across Domains: Examination of the Method Effect Hypothesis
Authors: PLUCKER JONATHAN A.
Published: December 2011

The question of whether creativity is content general or content specific is one of the most controversial issues in contemporary creativity research. Recent studies provide support for both positions, but the results of these investigations may be influenced by several factors, including the presence of a method effect (i.e., psychometric vs. alternative assessment). This study investigates the method effect by analyzing quantity (psychometric) and quality (alternative assessment) of creative achievement simultaneously using structural equation modeling. Results provide evidence for the method effect hypothesis.
Beyond Brainstorming: Effects of Different Group Procedures on Selection of Ideas and Satisfaction with the Process
Authors: FAURE CORINNE
Published: December 2011

Although previous research indicates that nominal groups generally outperform interactive groups at brainstorming tasks, companies still favor group interaction because of its presumed benefits beyond the brainstorming task. This study assesses the effectiveness of both types of groups in two domains that follow idea generation: selection of ideas and satisfaction with the process. Results indicate no superiority of interactive over nominal groups in these two domains. In addition, this study compares group effectiveness for groups selecting from their own sets of ideas and groups selecting ideas generated by another group.
Conformity to Experimenter‐Provided Examples: Will People use an Unusual Feature?
Authors: LANDAU JOSHUA D. , LEHR DONALD P.
Published: December 2011

Undergraduates studied nonword exemplars and then created their own novel nonwords. In Experiment 1, people studied legal or illegal nonwords. In Experiment 2, people studied illegal nonwords, but to increase awareness of the features, half of the participants assessed the features of the nonwords. Despite instructions to avoid copying any aspect of the examples, people incorporated features from the examples into their own novel creations. Although people do not spontaneously create illegal nonwords, those people that studied illegal nonwords were more likely to create illegal nonwords. Assessing the features of the examples did not reduce the likelihood that people would copy features of the examples. We discuss these results in the context of Ward's (1994) structured imagination account.
Creativity and Intuition Revisited
Authors: DOLLINGER STEPHEN J. , PALASKONIS DIMITRA G. , PEARSON JODI L.
Published: December 2011

This study used the recently revised Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and a variety of validated creativity measures to replicate a classic finding — that sensing‐intuition predicts creativity — and to evaluate whether the other MBTI scales add to the prediction of creativity. 94 undergraduates completed the MBTI (form M self‐scorable) and criterion measures including the Creative Personality Scale, an abbreviated Creative Behavior Inventory (self‐reported past accomplishments) and the Test of Creative Thinking‐Drawing Production (creative product ratings using consensual assessment). Results showed that intuition predicted all three criteria but that, contrary to expectation from past research, judging‐perceiving did not add to the prediction model. Thinking‐feeling emerged as a possible suppressor variable. We suggest that judging‐perceiving predicts creativity as an artifact of its relation with intuition and that the combination of intuition and feeling best characterizes high scorers on a composite creativity measure.
Understanding Creativity Judgments of Invented Alien Creatures: The Roles of Invariants and Other Predictors*
Authors: KOZBELT AARON , DURMYSHEVA YANA
Published: December 2011

Participants imagined, drew, and wrote about novel alien creatures (cf. Ward, 1994). Judges rated the creativity of the drawings alone, paragraphs alone, or drawings and paragraphs together. Much prior research has examined how participants rely on available exemplars and categorical knowledge in this task; here we focus on understanding why some creatures are judged as more creative than others. We hypothesized that judges would assess creativity reliably, that instructions to avoid common invariants (two eyes, four limbs, and bilateral symmetry) would increase creativity, and that some common attributes coded from the drawings and paragraphs would emerge as reliable predictors of creativity. Hypotheses were largely supported, though the effect of instructions was rather mild. Numerous drawing and paragraph attributes were significantly correlated with creativity; these varied depending on the dependent measure of creativity. Finally, participants' own evaluations of their creatures were reliably correlated with other raters' judgments.
The Role of Job Challenge and Organizational Identification in Enhancing Creative Behavior among Employees in the Workplace
Authors: CARMELI ABRAHAM , COHEN‐MEITAR RAVIT , ELIZUR DOV
Published: December 2011

Organizations recognize the importance of creative employees and constantly explore ways to enhance their employees' creative behavior. Creativity research has directed substantial efforts to understanding how work environment fosters creativity. Yet, this research has paid little attention to the importance of specific characteristics of the work environment and organizational identification in augmenting creative behavior in employees at work. The present study examines the influence of job challenge on employees' creative behavior, arguing that organizational identification plays a mediating role in this relationship. The results show that organizational identification mediates the relationship between job challenge and employees' creative behavior.
Age, Emotion Regulation Strategies, Temperament, Creative Drama, and Preschoolers' Creativity
Authors: YEH YU‐CHU , LI ME‐LIN
Published: December 2011

Based on Yeh's (2004) Ecological Systems Model of Creativity Development, this study investigated the effects that age, the use of emotion regulation strategies, temperament, and exposure to creative drama instruction have on the development of creativity among preschool children. Participants were 1164‐ to 6‐year‐old preschool children. This study categorized the emotion regulation strategies used by preschool children and developed a creativity test which includes the measurement of usefulness, an indicator of creativity that has, until now, been ignored. The main findings are that (a) 6‐year‐olds outperform 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds in terms of creativity; (b) emotion regulation strategies as well as a positive temperament have positive effects on children's creativity; (c) creative drama instruction contributes to children's creativity; and (d) age group, emotion regulation strategies, temperament, and creative drama instruction can collectively predict children's creativity.
Artists' vulnerability to psychopathology: Towards an integrative cognitive perspective
Authors: PAPWORTH MARK A. , JORDAN GABRIELE , BACKHOUSE CATHERINE , EVANS NICOLA , KENT‐LEMON NICOLA , MORRIS JENNIFER , WINCHESTER KENNETH J. G.
Published: December 2011

A relationship is commonly reported between high levels of artistic creativity and mental health problems (e.g., depression or psychosis), and it is now becoming clearer that the divergent cognitive style associated with creativity has commonalities with some of the processes involved in the development and maintenance of some psychological difficulties. Our aim was to investigate the nature of this cognitive style. More specifically, we considered the profile of probabilistic reasoning and associated problem solving abilities, as both of these mechanisms have been found to be integral to major forms of clinical dysfunction. We assessed levels of creative potential, mood, probabilistic reasoning, and problem solving abilities in 66 arts and 85 science undergraduate volunteers. As predicted, art students showed higher levels of creative potential and experienced lower levels of mood than their science peers. Differences in probabilistic reasoning were observed which are in keeping with the pattern reported to be present in those suffering with psychosis in that they tended to ‘jump to conclusions’. Art students also displayed both poorer problem solving abilities and self‐appraisal of their problem solving skills. Our results extend previous findings associated with the mediating role of cognitive processes in the relationship between creativity and some forms of psychopathology. Implications for the prevention and treatment of psychological difficulties in the creative are highlighted.
Hierarchical Linear Modeling of Creative Artists' Problem Solving Behaviors*
Authors: KOZBELT AARON
Published: December 2011

College art students were videotaped creating original drawings from an array of objects. Judges reliably assessed the creativity of the drawings. Videos of the creation of ten high‐ and ten low‐rated drawings were coded frame‐by‐frame to quantify the extent to which artists engaged in several categories of activities (selecting objects, selecting media, pausing, drawing objects, drawing other visible elements, and drawing imaginary elements) plus reworking the drawing (erasing and revising). Video coding was used to model how the frequency of each measure varied throughout the sessions. Behaviors were analyzed by hierarchical linear modeling, a regression technique that permits individual‐ and group‐level analyses simultaneously. Analyses revealed substantial individual and group differences in the behavioral trajectories, especially in the drawing measures and in reworking the drawing. The results support a positive association between creativity and opportunistic problem solving strategies, and a negative association between creativity and the pre‐planned application of default problem representations.
Examining Gender with General Creativity and Preferences for Creative Persons in College Students within the Sciences and the Arts
Authors: CHARYTON CHRISTINE , BASHAM KIMBERLY M. , ELLIOTT JOHN O.
Published: December 2011

The purpose of the research was to investigate gender similarities and differences in general creativity constructs with their preferences for creative persons. Data were collected from 247 participants (87 engineering, 24 psychology students with a psychology major, 51 psychology students with a major other than psychology, 30 English, and 55 music students) from a large Mideastern Big 10 university. All participants completed measures of general creativity (creative personality, creative temperament and cognitive risk tolerance) and a demographic questionnaire with the request to list 10 creative persons and their given field. Results indicated that males and females tended to have similar levels of general creativity, yet the most frequently listed creative eminent persons tended to be male. The most frequently listed creative person selections were in science and art, with the three most frequently selected eminent persons being in the science domains. The most frequent creative person selections, consistently selected by at least 10 participants, were Caucasian males.
Metaphor Foundations in Creativity Research: Boundary vs. Organism
Authors: MORAN SEANA
Published: December 2011

Two metaphors explicitly or implicitly used in the conceptualization of creativity are examined and compared. The boundary metaphor describes creativity in terms of crossing or pushing out a frontier. This metaphor underlies studies that emphasize creativity as a moment — an “aha!” experience or a sharp break from tradition. The organism metaphor describes creativity in terms of a reconfiguration of a problem, domain, or situation. This metaphor underlies studies that emphasize creativity as a transformation process. Research and educational implications for a potential shift in the dominant metaphor in the creativity research field are discussed.
Loyalty and Creativity in a Disciplinary Organization
Authors: Kirkhaug Rudi
Published: December 2011

The relationship between loyalty to rules and the creativity that attempts to improve those same rules was examined among Norwegian army officers deployed in international operations. Today's army officers are faced with rapidly changing work conditions and unpredictable enemies, both of which challenge and outdate rules and routines. They thus may experience that they are either guided by too few or inadequate rules, or by many rules that need to be constantly updated. Assuming that following rules is advantageous to officers, then, contrary to classical theory, it was hypothesized that officers scoring both low and high on loyalty to rules would score high on creativity. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed a significant U‐shaped relationship between loyalty to rules and creativity.
Categories of insight and their correlates: An exploration of relationships among classic‐type insight problems, rebus puzzles, remote associates and esoteric analogies
Authors: CUNNINGHAM J. BARTON , MacGregor JAMES N. , GIBB JENNY , HAAR JARROD
Published: December 2011

A central question in creativity concerns how insightful ideas emerge. Anecdotal examples of insightful scientific and technical discoveries include Goodyear's discovery of the vulcanization of rubber, and Mendeleev's realization that there may be gaps as he tried to arrange the elements into the Periodic Table. Although most people would regard these discoveries as insightful, cognitive psychologists have had difficulty in agreeing on whether such ideas resulted from insights or from conventional problem solving processes. One area of wide agreement among psychologists is that insight involves a process of restructuring. If this view is correct, then understanding insight and its role in problem solving will depend on a better understanding of restructuring and the characteristics that describe it.

This article proposes and tests a preliminary classification of insight problems based on several restructuring characteristics: the need to redefine spatial assumptions, the need to change defined forms, the degree of misdirection involved, the difficulty in visualizing a possible solution, the number of restructuring sequences in the problem, and the requirement for figure‐ground type reversals. A second purpose of the study was to compare performance on classic spatial insight problems with two types of verbal tests that may be related to insight, the Remote Associates Test (RAT), and rebus puzzles. In doing so, we report on the results of a survey of 172 business students at the University of Waikato in New Zealand who completed classic‐type insight, RAT and rebus problems.
A Cross Cultural Examination of Creative Problem Solving Style: The Dutch Translation of VIEW
Authors: ISAKSEN SCOTT G. , DE SCHRYVER LUC , ONKELINX JONAS
Published: December 2011

Creativity and Creative Problem Solving are globally important. This study examined the cross‐cultural applicability of creative problem solving styles by translating VIEW: An Assessment of Problem Solving Style from its native English into Dutch and examining its psychometric properties and preliminary validation evidence. In general, support was found for the Dutch translation of VIEW in that it performed similarly to its original with regard to item performance on factor analysis, had acceptable levels of internal consistency and stability over time, and correlated in a similar manner with two alternative measures of style. Implications for future translations were identified.
The Relationship Between Diverse Components of Intelligence and Creativity
Authors: CHO SUN HEE , NIJENHUIS JAN TE , VAN VIANEN ANNELIES E.M. , KIM HEUI‐BAIK , LEE KUN HO
Published: December 2011

Intelligence and creativity are accounted for in terms of two different mental operations referred to as ‘convergent thinking’ and ‘divergent thinking’, respectively. Nevertheless, psychometric evidence on the relationship between intelligence and creativity has been controversial. To clarify their relationship, we characterized the relationship between diverse components of intelligence and creativity through the administration of psychometric tests on a large sample (WAIS, RPM, and TTCT‐figural: n = 215; TTCT‐verbal: n = 137). The general intelligence factor (g) score showed significant correlations with both TTCT‐figural and TTCT‐verbal scores. However, sub‐dimensional analysis demonstrated that their association was attributable to the specific components of both TTCTs (TTCT‐figural: Abstractness of Titles, Elaboration, and Resistance to Premature Closure; TTCT‐verbal: Flexibility) rather than to their common components (Fluency and Originality). Among the intelligence sub‐dimensions, crystallized intelligence (gC) played a pivotal role in the association between g and the specific components of both TTCTs. When the total sample was divided into two IQ groups, these phenomena were more evident in the average IQ group than in the high IQ group. These results suggest that the mental operation of creativity may be different from that of intelligence, but gC may be used as a resource for the mental operation of creativity.
The Effects of Domain Knowledge and Instructional Manipulation on Creative Idea Generation
Authors: HAO NING
Published: December 2011

The experiment was designed to explore the effects of domain knowledge, instructional manipulation, and the interaction between them on creative idea generation. Three groups of participants who respectively possessed the domain knowledge of biology, sports, or neither were asked to finish two tasks: imagining an extraterrestrial animal and creating a new sport. Participants in each group were randomly assigned to one of three instructions, in order to encourage them to perform the tasks using aspecific instance strategy(relying on specific instances), anabstract strategy(relying on abstract principles), or their habitual ways. Based on an analysis of the participants' verbal reports and their creations, the results suggested that domain knowledge enhanced the tendency to use the abstract strategy, and improved the originality and practicality of the generated ideas. Instructions also influenced the strategy participants used in creative idea generation. The instruction to use abstract principles brought forth the most original creations. Moreover, there was an interaction between domain knowledge and instructions. Encouraging participants to use the specific instance strategy blocked the knowledgeable people from developing novel ideas. Other factors, such as age, grade and gender, were found to be unrelated to either the originality or the practicality of the creations. The implications of the results were discussed in detail.
Training Insight Problem Solving Through Focus on Barriers and Assumptions
Authors: WALINGA JENNIFER , CUNNINGHAM J. BARTON , MacGREGOR JAMES N.
Published: December 2011

Recent research has reported successful training interventions that improve insight problem solving. In some ways this is surprising, because the processes involved in insight solutions are often assumed to be unconscious, whereas the training interventions focus on conscious cognitive strategies. We propose one mechanism that may help to explain this apparent disconnect. Recognition of a barrier to progress during insight problem solving may provide a point of access to the tacit constraining assumptions that have misled the solution process. We tested this proposal in an experiment that examined the effects of different training routines on problem solving. The experiment compared four training routines, focusing either on barriers and assumptions combined, barriers alone, assumptions alone, or goals, with two control conditions. Outcomes were measured using eleven spatial insight problems. The results indicated that training that combined focus on barriers and assumptions was significantly more effective than all other conditions, supporting the proposition that recognizing and reinterpreting barriers may assist in surfacing the unwarranted assumptions that prevent problem solving.
Avoiding Design Fixation: Transformation and Abstraction in Mapping from Source to Target
Authors: GOLDSCHMIDT GABRIELA
Published: December 2011

Designers try to ‘enlist’ whatever they can to help themselves arrive at high quality, novel and original designs. When stimuli are used for this purpose, usually provided at the onset of the design process, these stimuli, or sources, may have one of two effects: they may enhance the design search and contribute to a high‐quality, creative design, or they may cause fixation, when the designer is unable to divorce him or herself from properties of the stimulus. This paper argues that to avoid fixation stimuli should not be within‐domain and task examples, and in mapping from source to target it is essential to abstract relations among source objects, and to perform transformations in conjunction with transfer actions.
Creative Self‐Efficacy and Innovative Behavior in a Service Setting: Optimism as a Moderator
Authors: MICHAEL L. A. HSU , HOU SHENG‐TSUNG , FAN HSUEH‐LIANG
Published: December 2011

Creativity research on the personality approach has focused on the relationship between individual attributes and innovative behavior. However, few studies have empirically examined the effects of positive psychological traits on innovative behavior in an organizational setting. This study examines the relationships among creative self‐efficacy, optimism, and innovative behavior as well as the moderating effect of optimism. Longitudinal data across two periods were collected from 120 spa employees of a diet and beauty salon company in Taiwan. After controlling for the effects of job tenure and the Big Five personality traits, this study found that employees with a high level of creative self‐efficacy demonstrate a high level of innovative behavior at work, and optimism does not have a direct effect on employees' innovative behavior, but it does play a moderating role. When employees' creative self‐efficacy is high, those with greater optimism exhibit greater innovative behavior at work. Toward the end, this paper offers suggestions for future research and discusses the practical implications of this study.
Obesity and fracture in men and women: An epidemiologic perspective
Authors: Nielson Carrie M , Srikanth Priya , Orwoll Eric S
Published: December 2011

In Western societies, mean body weight has increased dramatically in older people, and a similar trend exists in Asia. Yet insufficient attention has been directed to the problem of osteoporotic fractures in the overweight and obese. Many, if not most, osteoporotic fractures occur in overweight or obese people, and obese men may be particularly susceptible. We discuss the potential implications of these findings, including the challenge of identifying individuals at highest risk, screening and treatment strategies, and future research directions. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Zinc balance is critical for NFI‐C mediated regulation of odontoblast differentiation
Authors: Oh Hyun‐Jung , Lee Hye‐Kyung , Park Su‐Jin , Cho Young‐Sik , Bae Hyun‐Sook , Cho Moon‐Il , Park Joo‐Cheol
Published: December 2011

Zinc is trace element essential for diverse metabolic and cellular signaling pathways for the growth, development, and maintenance. Zinc deficiency is involved in bone malformations and oral disease. Mice deficient in zinc transporter Zip13 show connective tissue and skeletal disorders, abnormal incisor teeth, and reduced root dentin formation in the molar teeth and share a morphologically similar phenotype to nuclear factor I‐C (NFI‐C)‐deficient mice. However, the precise function of zinc in NFI‐C signaling‐mediated odontoblast differentiation and dentin formation remains unclear. Here, we show that zinc stimulated the expression of metal transcription factor‐1, but decreased NFI‐C expression in odontoblastic MDPC‐23 cells. Zinc also enhanced the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 (p‐Smad2/3) and increased the binding efficiency of NFI‐C and p‐Smad2/3 in the cytoplasm. In contrast, zinc deficiency resulted in the accumulation of NFI‐C into nucleus. Consequently, NFI‐C had the biologic properties of a transcription factor, including DNA binding affinity for metallothionein‐1 and the dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) promoter, and transcriptional activation of the DSPP gene. Furthermore, zinc deficiency condition promoted DSPP expression in odontoblasts and dentin mineralization, while zinc sufficiency condition decreased DSPP expression and slightly delayed dentin mineralization. These data suggest that zinc equilibrium is required for odontoblast differentiation and dentin formation during dentinogenesis through the nuclear accumulation and modulation of NFI‐C. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 877–887, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The hinge region of the scaffolding protein of cell contacts, zonula occludens protein 1, regulates interacting with various signaling proteins
Authors: Bal Manjot Singh , Castro Victor , Piontek Jörg , Rueckert Christine , Walter Juliane K. , Shymanets Aliaksei , Kurig Barbara , Haase Hannelore , Nürnberg Bernd , Blasig Ingolf E.
Published: December 2011

Zonula occludens protein 1 (ZO‐1) is a ubiquitous scaffolding protein, but it is unknown why it functions in very different cellular contacts. We hypothesized that a specific segment, the unique hinge region, can be bound by very different regulatory proteins. Using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and binding assays to peptide libraries, we show, for the first time, that the hinge region directly interacts with disparate signal elements such as G‐proteins alpha 12 and alpha i2, the regulator of G‐protein signaling 5, multifunctional signaling protein ahnak1, and L‐type Ca2+‐channel beta‐2‐subunit. The novel binding proteins specifically bound to a coiled coil‐helix predicted in the hinge region of ZO‐1. The interactions were modulated by phosphorylation in the hinge helix. Activation of the G‐proteins influenced their association to ZO‐1. In colon cells, G alpha i2 and ZO‐1 were associated, as shown by coimmunoprecipitation. After cotransfection in kidney cells, G alpha i2 barely colocalized with ZO‐1; the colocalization coefficient was significantly increased when epinephrine activated G‐protein signaling. In conclusion, proteins with different regulatory potential adhere to and influence cellular functions of ZO‐proteins, and the interactions can be modulated via its hinge region and/or the binding proteins. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 934–945, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Oxidative‐mechanical stress signals stem cell niche mediated Lrp5 osteogenesis in eNOS−/− null mice
Authors: Rajamannan Nalini M.
Published: December 2011

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common indication for valve surgery in the USA. This study hypothesizes that CAVD develops secondary to Wnt3a/Lrp5 activation via oxidative‐mechanical stress in eNOS null mice. eNOS−/− mice were tested with experimental diets including a control (n = 20), cholesterol (n = 20), cholesterol + Atorvastatin (n = 20). After 23 weeks the mice were tested for the development of aortic stenosis by Echo, Histology, MicroCT, and RTPCR for bone markers. In vitro studies measured Wnt3a secretion from aortic valve endothelial cells and confirmed oxidative stress via eNOS activity. Anion exchange chromatography was performed to isolate the mitogenic protein. Myofibroblast cells were tested to induce bone formation. Cholesterol treated eNOS mice develop severe stenosis with an increase in Wnt3a, Lrp5, Runx2 (threefold increase (P < 0.0001) in the bicuspid versus tricuspid aortic valves. Secretion of Wnt3a from aortic valve endothelium in the presence of abnormal oxidative stress was correlated with diminished eNOS enzymatic activity and tissue nitrite levels. Initial characterization of the architecture for a stem cell nice was determined by protein isolation using anion‐exchange chromatography and cell proliferation via thymidine incorporation. Osteoblastogenesis in the myofibroblast cell occurred via Lrp5 receptor upregulation in the presence of osteogenic media. Targeting the Wnt3a/Lrp5 pathway in valve calcification and activation of osteogenesis is via an oxidative‐mechanical stress in CAVD. These findings provide a foundation for treating this disease process by targeting the cross talk mechanism in a resident stem cell niche. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 1623–1634, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the quantification of ciprofloxacin in proprietary Ciproxin tablets and generic ciprofloxacin tablets using handheld Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Assi Sulaf , Watt Robert A. , Moffat Anthony C.
Published: December 2011

Quantification of ciprofloxacin in proprietary Ciproxin tablets and generic ciprofloxacin tablets was made using handheld Raman spectroscopy. Powder dilutions of ciprofloxacin or crushed Ciproxin tablets with excipient(s) were made. The spectra were taken either from the powder dilutions or from pellets compressed from these dilutions and were stored in the instrument library. Methods were created from these powder dilutions: each representing a separate model. The spectra of the tablets were identified within each method using the inbuilt algorithm of the instrument. The results showed that only the models made with the crushed Ciproxin tablets were semi‐quantitative for the analysis of Ciproxin tablets. On the other hand, none of the models could identify generic ciprofloxacin tablets. Thus, the spectra were exported to MATLAB for off‐line quantification. Whereas, univariate regression models were hardly linear, partial least square regression models gave linear calibrations with correlation coefficients above 0.99 and root mean square error of calibration below 3.75% m/m. For the prediction of tablets, the models varied in their results with the one created with ciprofloxacin and lactose giving the most satisfactory results. However, in total the method did not give the pharmacopoeial accuracy of ±5% and stays a semi‐quantitative approach although a satisfactory identity of the constituents was achieved. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enhancement in SERS intensity with hierarchical nanostructures by bimetallic deposition approach
Authors: Fu Chit Yaw , Kho Kiang Wei , Dinish U. S. , Koh Zhen Yu , Malini Olivo
Published: December 2011

We investigate the plasmonic enhancement arising from bimetallic (Au/Ag) hierarchical structure and address the fundamental issues relating to the design of multilayered nanostructures for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. SERS‐active nanosphere arrays with Ag underlayer and Au overlayer were systematically constructed, with the thickness of each layer altered from 40 to 320 nm. The SERS responses of the resultant bimetallic structures were measured with 2‐naphthalenethiol dye as the test sample. The results confirm the dependency of SERS enhancement on the thickness ratio (Au : Ag). Compared with Au‐arrays, our optimized bimetallic structures, which exhibit nanoprotrusions on the nanospheres, were found to be 2.5 times more SERS enhancing, approaching the enhancement factor of an Ag‐array. The elevated SERS is attributed to the formation of effective hot‐spots associated with increased roughness of the outer Au film, resulting from subsequent sputtering of Au granules on a roughened Ag surface. The morphology and reflectance studies suggest that the SERS hot‐spots are distributed at the junctions of interconnected nanospheres and over the nanosphere surface, depending on the thickness ratio between the Au and Ag layers. We show that, by varying the thickness ratio, it is possible to optimize the SERS enhancement factor without significantly altering the operating plasmon resonance wavelength, which is dictated solely by the size of the underlying nanospheres template. In addition, our bimetallic substrates show long‐term stability compared with previously reported Ag‐arrays, whose SERS efficiency drops by 60% within a week because of oxidation. These findings demonstrate the potential of using such a bimetallic configuration to morphologically optimize any SERS substrate for sensing applications that demand huge SERS enhancement and adequate chemical stability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescence spectroscopy for screening yeast extracts, a complex component of cell culture media
Authors: Li Boyan , Sirimuthu Narayana M. S. , Ray Bryan H. , Ryder Alan G.
Published: December 2011

Yeastolate or yeast extract, which are hydrolysates produced by autolysis of yeast, are often employed as a raw material in the media used for industrial mammalian cell culture. The source and quality of yeastolate can significantly affect cell growth and production; however, analysis of these complex biologically derived materials is not straightforward. The best current method, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC‐MS), is time‐consuming and requires extensive expertise. This study describes the use of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy coupled with robust principal component analysis (ROBPCA) for the rapid and facile characterization and discrimination of yeast extracts in aqueous solution. SERS using silver colloids generates time‐dependent signals, where adenine is the strongest contributor, and the spectra are stable and reproducible (< ~3%) at 180 min after mixing. Combining this spectral behavior with chemometric methods enables SERS to be used in discriminating between different yeastolate sources, for assessing lot‐to‐lot variability, and, potentially, to monitor storage‐induced compositional changes. Fluorescence EEM combined with multiway ROBPCA also provides a rapid and inexpensive method for the discrimination of yeastolate, yielding results in terms of sample discrimination very similar to that obtained with SERS. However, the EEM data does not provide the same level of chemical information that is provided by the SERS. Thus, the combination of these two methodologies has the potential to be extremely useful in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, as well as for the rapid characterization and screening of biogenic hydrolysates from animal or plant sources. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.