2012/10/01 by Michael D. Mumford, Kimberly S. Hester, Issac C. Robledo +6
Psychology · #Creativity in Education and Neuroscience #Learning Styles and Cognitive Differences #Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
paper · doi:10.1080/10400419.2012.730008
openalex publication_date 2012/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Knowledge, or expertise, has been held to contribute to creative problem-solving. In this effort, the relationship of one form of knowledge, mental models, to creative problem-solving was assessed. Undergraduates were asked to solve either a marketing or an education problem calling for creative thought. Prior to generating solutions to these problems, the mental models used by undergraduates to understand problems in these domains were assessed in terms of their objective and subjective features. It was found that both objective and subjective features of peoples mental models were related to the quality, originality, and elegance of problem solutions. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of mental models in creative problem-solving are discussed.