Toward a Behavioral Theory of "Creativity": A Preliminary Essay‪.‬

Abstract "Creativity" is an ordinary language term that appears to have value to the culture. "Creativity" is often determined by the admission of "creative" behavior. Creative behavior is a term that can be deconstructed by behavior analysts leading to training procedures to increase this behavior. Behavior analysis is a theory of context akin to evolutionary theory. In this type of theorizing the question is not if the context can be arranged to lead to greater amount of "creative" behavior but how to arrange the context to select for such behaviors. This paper attempts to serve as a preliminary essay on the selection of creativity, the production of novel products and forms of behavior through contingency co-adduction and derived stimulus relations, and the arrangement of the context to set the occasion for exploratory behavior that some would term "curiosity." Special emphasis is placed on such use in incentive programs to increase creativity.