Psychology of the Scientist: XXVIII. Speculations on Nonverbal Creativity

Abstract

A theory is presented to the effect that a necessary and sufficient condition for the appearance of nonverbal creative functioning is the occasion of a marginal dominance of hippocampal over reticular arousal in any individual with a repertoire of appropriate information in the form of a neuronal record to which attention is paid. This accounts for the well-known characteristics of the nonverbal creator, his taciturnity, epistemicity, withdrawal from other people, his possession of abnormal quantities of energy and reciprocal sensitivity to fatigue. A method of testing this theory is described.