Publisher's Synopsis
The various chapters of this volume emphasize different periods ofdevelopment. There is an argument for the creativity of children,another for adolescence, and another for adulthood. Continuitiesand discontinuities across the life span are described, as arenumerous developmental issues, such as the role of knowledge andexperience, and the relationships between creativity, play, anddeviance. Why development and creativity? One reason is thatdevelopmental issues cut across many other topics in studies ofcreativity. The biological underpinnings of creativity, forexample, probably exert their influence in different ways atdifferent points in development, and the cognitive and emotionalmechanisms of creative thinking vary in different chronologicalstages. Even more obvious are the educational implications ofdevelopmental theories of creativity. The conclusion to this volumesuggests that we must understand the development of creativity orwe will not really understand creativity itself. This is the 72ndissue of the journal series New Directions for ChildDevelopment.
