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7 - The Creation and Aesthetic Appreciation of Architecture

from Part II - Creativity in the Traditional Arts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2017

By
Oshin Vartanian
Edited by
James C. Kaufman ,
Vlad P. Glăveanu  and
John Baer
James C. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Vlad P. Glăveanu
Affiliation:
Universitetet i Bergen, Norway
John Baer
Affiliation:
Rider University, New Jersey
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Summary

Abstract

Psychologists have historically been interested in architecture as an important domain within which to study creativity. Classic studies highlighted the role of personality variables, while at the same time downplaying the contributions of some cognitive abilities (e.g., intelligence) to individual differences in architectural creativity. Recently, research in this domain has been informed by novel findings from psychology, neuropsychology, and neuroscience. Specifically, architectural creativity has been linked to the flexible interplay between associative and inferential processes, the neural systems for which are dissociable in the brain. In addition, evidence suggests that high-level creativity in architecture could in part be driven by ordinary thought processes working on exceptionally rich content. In turn, neuroimaging studies have begun to also shed light on the neural bases of our aesthetic appreciation of various basic features of architectural design such as contour, ceiling height, and perceived enclosure. Together, these various strands of research are increasing our understanding of creativity and aesthetic appreciation in the domain of architecture.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity across Domains , pp. 110 - 122
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2017

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