Studying dopamine-dependent functions such as memory and creativity can help us understand and improve quality of life in populations at risk for dopaminergic network dysfunction. I examined memory and creativity in a series of studies in different at-risk populations. The first study investigated marijuana initiation and learning in 119 inner-city youth, some with prenatal substance exposures, including to cocaine. I hypothesized that earlier-onset marijuana use would predict poorer developmental learning trajectories, and non-use the most positive. Results suggested that initiation’s effects on learning may reflect psychosocial factors rather than prenatal substance exposure status or time of marijuana initiation. The potential importance of the dopamine-related personality factor “openness to experience” motivated additional studies. One hypothesized and found different neurocognitive outcomes in young-adult substance users (n=41) based on maladaptive or adaptive substance use motives. The other studies examined Parkinson’s disease (PD), a disorder characterized by the degeneration of brain dopaminergic networks. Participants were individuals with PD without dementia (33-42 “PDs”/study), age-matched normal control adults (26-28 “NCs”/study), and younger control adults (37-41 “YCs”/study). The first PD study examined neuropsychological and personality correlates of learning and memory. I hypothesized that in each group, openness would explain a significant amount of the variance in learning, and higher openness would be associated with better learning and memory, particularly in PDs. Results supported this hypothesis in PDs only. The second PD study examined creativity—specifically, divergent thinking, which correlates with openness and shares dopaminergic neural substrates. Based on research demonstrating that brief walking improves divergent thinking in young adults, and that exercise changes dopamine transmission, I hypothesized that brief walking would improve divergent thinking in PDs, NCs, and YCs. In PDs, I expected higher disease severity (more compromised dopamine function) to correlate with less improvement after walking. None of the hypotheses were supported, potentially due to the low intensity of the intervention, but openness appeared protective of creativity in YCs and PDs. Taken together, the results of the studies demonstrate the importance of psychosocial factors in dopamine-dependent cognition. In at-risk populations, openness’s benefits may surpass effects of moderate substance use, and they may offer neuroprotection in PD.

Creativity is a complex construct that is conceptualized and measured in multiple ways. This study examined the relationship between creativity and personality taking this into account. It was hypothesized that applying different conceptions and measures would cause variation in the creativity-personality relationship. The participants (N = 224) were undergraduate students completed six creativity measures, a personality inventory, and a demographic questionnaire. Personality predicted more creative production (R2 = .277) than creative potential (R2 = .176) and more self-reported creativity (R2 = .348) than that which was externally-rated (R2 = .149). Personality predicted creativity beyond demographic and intellect variables, but the effects varied based on the creativity measure. Openness was most consistently and strongly related to creativity. Other personality factors demonstrated suppression effects in multiple models. Overall, the results suggest that despite relatively small effects of personality on creativity, it can help strengthen prediction in creativity models. Implications for educational settings and future research are discussed.

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Creative thinking is a popular and ambiguous ability but so far we have limited knowledge about how creativity work within history education. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate how individual creativity and a historical thinking with a focus on continuity and change relate to each other within history education. Data was collected with the help of an authentic history assignment and analyzed with qualitative content analysis and statistical correlations. A constructivist framework with a specific focus on the The Geneplore Model of Creativity and Historical thinking was chosen to guide the analysis. Results point to several similarities between creativity and historical thinking on continuity and change, with both concepts focusing on constructing new and meaningful knowledge. Here, the strongest correlation was found between creative thinking and reflections about change through history. The analysis also pointed to cognitive processes with a particularly promising potential to develop both creative and historical thinking, namely divergent thinking with the purpose to generate several alternative answers, and janusian thinking with the purpose to generate contradictory perspectives. Further, the analysis also revealed some differences between creativity and historical thinking on continuity and change. Here, thinking creatively with help of distant analogical thinking was particularly difficult since those conclusions seldom were rooted in historical facts. In fact, many of the creative conclusion identified in this study showed a potential to develop students understanding of the past, but were still in an undeveloped stage. These results indicate a need for a continued critical exploration of creative answers after initially being generated. In sum, the identified similarities and differences between creative and historical thinking on continuity and change demonstrate that creativity could play a role in the development of students historical understanding and points to a promising direction for future research interested in creative comparisons over time.

This thesis aims to examine how individual teachers in the upper secondary school manage to comply with the requirements from three different agents within the schoolsystem; the requirements of the The national agency for education in Sweden regarding formative assessment and standardisation of grading, the requirement of the students regarding ”backward-pedagogy”, and requirement of the society regarding developing the student’s independence and creative ability. Semi-structured interviews with three teachers teaching Business Administration at one upper secondary school in Malmo was conducted. These interviews focused on how the informants manage to embrace the creative ability in their preparation and teaching of the Business Administration-course, as well as examination and assessment of the students creative ability. This thesis concluded that there is a confusion in how to define creative ability which automatically makes it hard for teachers to know how to incorporate this ability in their teaching. This thesis also makes a point that The national agency for educations obsession with assuring standardized grading, has formalised the learning process to the extent that it has made teachers focus more on gathering assessment material that is legally certain than helping the students learn to better face the compexity of the future. This development has come to disengaged the teachers as well as the students. This thesis wants to make point that learning is something personal, and should be treated in that respect.

No description available.

No description available.

Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på hur kompositörer inom genren svensk folkmusik idag går till väga när de komponerar ny musik, hur deras arbetsprocess ser ut och vilka arbetssätt de använder sig av. Det teoretiska perspektivet är hämtat från Stan Bennet och Max Grafs tidigare forskning om hur kompositionsprocessen ser ut för kompositörer inom konstmusikgenren. Ett didaktiskt perspektiv används också som utgångspunkt. Bakgrunden till arbetet baserar jag på tidigare forskning om kompositionsprocessen, forskning om gehörsmusik och kreativitet och idé-skapande. Jag ser även till vikten av att tränas i sitt divergenta tänkande som komponerande innebär. Undersökningen har gjorts genom kvalitativa intervjuer med tre kompositörer inom genren svensk folkmusik. Studien fokuserar på deras respektive processer och ifall det finns gemensamma drag de tre kompositörerna emellan. Resultatet visar att processen kan se väldigt olika ut, och att såväl intuitivt eller omedvetet som aktivt och medvetet komponerande sker. Något som är viktigt för kompositionen är att det finns en naturlighet i processen, att låten inte ska vara framtvingad även om kompositören arbetar aktivt med komponerandet av låten, samt att arbetsprocessen är individuell på så sätt att varje kompositör kan ha flera tillvägagångssätt Slutligen diskuteras även hur komponering kan användas i en undervisningssituation. / The purpose of this study is to see how composers in the genre “Swedish traditional music” work as they compose new music, to see their working process and what working methods they use. I will be using the theoretical perspective of Stan Bennett and Max Graf earlier research on the process in composing music in classical music. A didactic perspective is also used. I base my work on earlier researches in the area of composing, the creative process and creation in other areas. I also see to importance of divergent mind processes, which is a part of the process of composing. The study has been done by qualitative interviews of three composers in the genre of Swedish traditional music. The study focuses on their separate processes and common features. The result shows that the process can be diversified, and both intuitive and active thinking processes are being used. It is important that there is naturalness in the process. Although it´s an active process of composing, the song can´t be forced. I will present each composer one at the time and then summarize, this because the working process is so individual and each composer can have various processes. Finally I see to how composing can be used in the art of teaching.

This study developed a Methodology for the systematic and strategic fostering of creativity in graphic design education at university level. The thesis identified four social-psychological factors that have an effect on graphic design students' creative ability, namely their level of intrinsic motivation for creative activities; their ability to maintain autonomous, self-regulative behaviour that is conducive to creativity; a healthy self-belief in their creative ability and the minimization of negative stress in the educational milieu where creative tasks are undertaken. Each of these factors imply a range of strategies that may be used to maintain and stimulate creativity in graphic design education, such as the use of certain types of feedback, evaluation procedures that supports creativity, the creation of a safe, democratic, non-controlling classroom climate or the deliberate use of music and humoristic activities in the educational milieu. Additionally, a range of cognitive strategies that may be used for idea generation in graphic design are proposed. They include divergent thinking techniques, such as 'Random Association'; 'Morphological Synthesis'; 'Metaphors and Analogies'; 'Mind-mapping'; 'Idea Checklist'; 'Visual Thinking' and 'Sense Connections'. Each technique is described in terms of its unique methodology, advantages, creative potential and its applicability to graphic design. The study also proposes a tactical approach to the creative process, suggesting various cognitive strategies that may be used for each phase of the creative process. These strategies ensure that the whole spectrum of cognitive activities required for the successful production of a creative product is executed. The sum of these cognitive and social-psychological strategies provided the basis for the development -of two theoretical constructs that may be implemented as part of an undergraduate graphic design curriculum to cultivate creativity in students. They are: (1) a Learning Program in Creativity studies that consists of a number of study units and aims to provide tuition in the theoretical foundation that students need to enhance their creative ability (2) a range of General Guidelines that aim to provide educators with a range of didactic strategies and practices to support and stimulate creative ability in graphic design students. / Thesis (Ph.D. (History of Arts))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

This study developed a Methodology for the systematic and strategic fostering of creativity in graphic design education at university level. The thesis identified four social-psychological factors that have an effect on graphic design students' creative ability, namely their level of intrinsic motivation for creative activities; their ability to maintain autonomous, self-regulative behaviour that is conducive to creativity; a healthy self-belief in their creative ability and the minimization of negative stress in the educational milieu where creative tasks are undertaken. Each of these factors imply a range of strategies that may be used to maintain and stimulate creativity in graphic design education, such as the use of certain types of feedback, evaluation procedures that supports creativity, the creation of a safe, democratic, non-controlling classroom climate or the deliberate use of music and humoristic activities in the educational milieu. Additionally, a range of cognitive strategies that may be used for idea generation in graphic design are proposed. They include divergent thinking techniques, such as 'Random Association'; 'Morphological Synthesis'; 'Metaphors and Analogies'; 'Mind-mapping'; 'Idea Checklist'; 'Visual Thinking' and 'Sense Connections'. Each technique is described in terms of its unique methodology, advantages, creative potential and its applicability to graphic design. The study also proposes a tactical approach to the creative process, suggesting various cognitive strategies that may be used for each phase of the creative process. These strategies ensure that the whole spectrum of cognitive activities required for the successful production of a creative product is executed. The sum of these cognitive and social-psychological strategies provided the basis for the development -of two theoretical constructs that may be implemented as part of an undergraduate graphic design curriculum to cultivate creativity in students. They are: (1) a Learning Program in Creativity studies that consists of a number of study units and aims to provide tuition in the theoretical foundation that students need to enhance their creative ability (2) a range of General Guidelines that aim to provide educators with a range of didactic strategies and practices to support and stimulate creative ability in graphic design students. / Thesis (Ph.D. (History of Arts))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.