1. SARNOFF MEDNICK The Associative Basis of the Creative Process By: Leticia Rios

2. BACKGROUND Sarnoff Mednick was born and raised in Bronx in New York City. He was born on Jan. 27, 1928 and died on April 10, 2015. His parents immigrated to the United States from Ukraine.

3. ACCOMPLISHEMENTS Sarnoff’s Remote Associates Test He developed the Copenhagen High Risk Project Mendick founded the Psykologisk Institut in Copenhagen He was awarded the honorific degree of Dr. Med. By the University of Copenhagen in 1976. He was Co-author of Fetal Neural Development and Adult Schizophrenia in 1991 Developmental Neuropathology of Schizophrenia Development and Schizophrenia: Theory and Research in 1995 Schizotypal Personality Disorder in 1995 and The Biosocial Bases of Violence: Theory and Research in 1997 Genes, heredity and criminal behavior Fetal viral infection and adult schizophrenia Schizophrenia and genetic factors Fetal neural development and adult schizophrenia

4. Contribution to the Psychology of Thinking and Creativity According to Mednick, to create consists of making new combinations of associative elements Creative thinking is described as original and useful Creative thinking process: the forming of associative elements into new combinations which either meet specified requirements or are useful

5. WAYS OF ACHIEVING A CREATIVE SOLUTION According to Madnick, three ways of attaining creative solutions: 1. Serendipity 2. Similarity 3. Mediation

6. CREATIVE SOLUTIONS Serendipity: The requisite associative elements may be evoked by the environmental appearance of stimuli which elicit associative elements. Similarity: The elements may be evoked in contiguity as a result of the similarity of the associative elements. Mediation: The elements may be evoked in contiguity through the mediation of common elements.

7. NEED FOR ASSOCIATIVE ELEMENTS AND OTHER FACTORS An individual without the elements will not be able to combine them. Associative hierarchy: Organization of an individual’s associations will influence the probability of a creative solution Number of associations: The greater the number of associations, the greater the probability of reaching a creative solution Cognitive or personality styles, will also influence the probability of a creative solution

8. STEREOTYPING ASSOCIATED RESPONSES This will reduce the probability and speed of creative solution This concept is related to functional fixedness

9. TEST OF CREATIVITY The test consists of providing the test takers two mutually distant realities as stimulus items The person taking the test is asked to draw a spark from their juxtaposition The mediating link must be strictly associative between the two words The response should be original

10. REMOTE ASSOCIATES TEST The Remote Associates Test has connections with other measures A study by Miller (1990) showed that high RAT scorers tended to get higher grades from teacher rated as flexible than from teachers rated as dogmatic Low RAT scorers received higher grades from teachers rated dogmatic than from teachers rated as flexible

11. HIGH RAT SCORES Females that are open minded scored higher on the RAT test Males that score higher on RAT test have higher interest in artist, psychologist, physician mathematician and auto journalist

12. LOW RAT SCORES The low creative group showed higher interest on farmer, math-physical science high school teacher, office man and pharmacist

13. EXAMPLES OF HOW IT WORKS SERENDIPITY: This creative solution could become a discovery or an invention Serendipity is attributed to the invention of X-Ray and to the discovery of penicillin

14. EXAMPLES OF HOW IT WORKS SIMILARITY: Examples of this mode of creative solution may be found in creative writing Writing includes rhythm of words, and similarities in the structure of words or similarities in the objects which they designate This continuous occurrence may be beneficial to those who look for similarities in order to find a creative solution

15. EXAMPLES OF HOW IT WORKS MEDIATION: The mediation of common elements is important to language, mathematics, chemical, and psychology

16. THINGS TO REMEMBER Creative thinking must be original and useful Knowledge is necessary: We need elements in order to combine them for creative thinking Avoid Functional Fixedness: Be Open Minded, “Think outside the box”