Is the Creative Process in Art a Form of Puzzle Solving?

David Perkins and Robert Weisberg are two key figures in the movement to apply the principles of cognitive psychology to the understanding of the creative process. Although there are some minor differences between these two thinkers, their theories are essentially the same. Fundamental to the Perkins/Weisberg analysis of creativity is the idea that the creative process can be understood in terms of puzzle solving. The implications of this theory for arts education are wide-ranging. For instance, if Perkins and Weisberg are right, then training in puzzle-solving techniques might be conducive to creativity in the arts. The Perkins/Weisberg model for creativity is intended to replace earlier theories, such as those of H. Poincare and Arthur Koestler, which draw on such notions as inspiration, the unconscious, creative leap, and bisociation. In this article I will reveal fundamental problems with the Perkins/Weisberg model which will suggest that these earlier theories are not as unattractive by comparison as we might think.1