4.2.6 Cognitive Creative Processes (continued)

Guilford's third principle is that creativity is really a form of problem solving‑not a magical, mysterious process. Guilford also stated that Wallas' four‑stage model of creativity is consistent with other models of problem solving.

Guilford identified cognitive processes that were unique to cre­ativity. He concluded that two major categories of cognitive processes were important in the creative process. First, "divergent production abilities" were uniquely important in the creative process. Guilford thought that the key concept underlying divergent production abilities is variety. One can generate a variety of solutions to a problem or associations to a word. Divergent thinking is thinking that goes off in different directions. For example, a typical item on a divergent thinking test would be "how many uses for a brick can you think of?" As Guilford stated "divergent thinking is a matter of scanning one’s stored information to find answers to satisfy a special search model”. A broad base of search and free-ranging scanning ability increases divergent thinking production. Wallash stated that divergent thinking is dependent on the flow of ideas and the "fluidity in generating cognitive units". He stressed the importance of the ability to "ride the associative currents". Divergent thinking should be especially important in the incubation stage of Wallas' stages of creativity.