On the Role of Computers in Creativity-Support Systems - Computational Creativity Research: Towards Creative Machines - page 106

We critically examine this traditional view in the light of our previous experiences
in designing creativity-support systems and modeling creativity. We present three
very different case studies here, each of which incorporates a different mechanism
of creativity. These systems are based on our previous research, and we will mention
here only the main ideas behind each of the systems and the results. After a brief
discussion of these systems, we will present our views on the role of computers in
supporting and modeling creativity.
6.2 Some Case Studies of Computer-Based Creativity-Support
Systems
We have been studying and modeling different aspects of creativity for over twenty
years [ 23 - 34 ]. During this time, we have also explored various computational
approaches to creativity, and have developed some computational systems that stim-
ulate imagination and emergence of novel ideas and associations in the users, or
model such processes. We present here three such systems in order to provide some
concrete examples of how computers can play a crucial role in supporting creativity.
6.2.1 Stimulating Creativity in Generating Stories
We implemented a system Story Telling from Pictures [ 34 ] inspired by an idea Little
Red Riding Hood in a helicopter from Rodari's fascinating topic The Grammar of
Fantasy [ 54 ]. In this technique, children are given a list of five or six words, and
are asked to make a story that involves all of them. Rodari's idea was that if all but
one of the words in the list are chosen so that they remind the children of some
familiar story, and one unrelated but familiar word is thrown in with them, children's
imagination is stimulated in incorporating the unrelated concept in the familiar story.
Children enjoy this activity, and produce a great many imaginative variations of the
original story.
For example, suppose children are given the words 'grandmother', 'wolf', 'for-
est', 'cape', and 'helicopter'. The first four words remind the children of the story
Little Red Riding Hood. However, the last word is completely unrelated. We must
emphasize here two necessary conditions for this technique to work. The first is that
the children must be familiar with the story Little Red Riding Hood. If they do not
know the story, or if the words used in the list do not remind them of the story, for
there are several versions of the story, then this technique is not so effective in terms
of stimulating imagination. The second condition is that the children must be familiar
with the unrelated word as well. If they have no idea what a helicopter is, then the
technique does not work either.