Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

This paper describes psychometric investigations that have been carried out as a prelude to developing new approaches to learning structures within education, based on connectionist concepts. In Experiment A, the ability of 15 subjects to produce different interpretations of an image fonned from abstract geometric shapes was studied over a 30 minute period of observing the diagram. The rate at which these subject produced ideas was shown to initially decline and then become constant. Experiment B investigated the effect of a strategy that encouraged 16 subjects to defocus their thinking before attempting to find another new interpretation. On returning to the problem, the average time taken to produce another interpretation was significantly reduced. Both sets of results are discussed m terms of connectiomst modelling, the need to broaden one's attention during creative problem-solving and the neural mechanism of 'lateral inhibition'. Further evidence for the potential effectiveness of 'chance' strategies is also referenced in the work, techniques and philosophy of well-known and recognised artists.