Gabora, Dr. Liane (2003) Contextual focus: A cognitive explanation for the cultural transition of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic. [Conference Paper]
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Abstract
Many elements of culture made their first appearance in the Upper Paleolithic. Previous hypotheses put forth to explain this unprecedented burst of creativity are found wanting. Examination of the psychological basis of creativity leads to the suggestion that it resulted from the onset of contextual focus: the capacity to focus or defocus attention in response to the situation, thereby shifting between analytic and associative modes of thought. New ideas germinate in a defocused state in which one is receptive to the possible relevance of many dimensions of a situation. They are refined in a focused state, conducive to filtering out irrelevant dimensions and condensing relevant ones.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | crativity, culture, context, cognitive transision, Upper Paleolithic, focus, defocus, analytic thought, associative thought |
| Subjects: | Psychology > Cognitive Psychology Psychology > Evolutionary Psychology |
| ID Code: | 3417 |
| Deposited By: | Gabora, Dr. Liane |
| Deposited On: | 09 Feb 2004 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Sep 2007 17:50 |
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