Collaborative Proposal: DHB: Dynamics of Idea Generation in Individual and Group Brainstorming: A Multi-disciplinary Approach Using Network Models and Behavioral Experiments

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This collaborative project by a team of researchers at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Texas at Arlington represents a comprehensive study of the creative idea generation process in groups and organizations. The modern global economy is increasingly competitive, and there is growing pressure on science, industry, business and government to produce novel ideas and innovative solutions for difficult problems. Because most real-world problems are highly technical or involve the integration of information across a number of domains of expertise, almost all efforts to generate creative, effective solutions must be collaborative at many levels. In recent years, social psychologists have studied creative idea generation in small groups in a variety of settings, and have identified the factors that seem to facilitate or hinder innovation in organizations. However, it is now important to develop ways for systematically optimizing group creativity, and that is the ultimate goal of this research project. A model of idea generation in individuals, based on current knowledge of how the brain retrieves information from memory and organizes that information into both familiar and novel combinations, will be used as the basis for experimental studies of creative idea generation in groups and teams. Extensions of the model based on the theory of complex networks will be used to suggest ways to enhance innovation at the level of larger organizations. The research team itself is an example of effective collaboration among diverse individuals, with computer scientists, engineers, and cognitive and social psychologists pooling their expertise to study a complex and important problem.