Abstract
High behavioral variability in creative work is learned early and maintained by self-imposed task constraints that preclude repetitive solutions — Stokes (2001) applies this framework to Claude Monet’s painting career.
Stokes, P. D. (2001). Variability, constraints, and creativity: Shedding light on Claude Monet. American Psychologist, 56(4), 355–359. DOI
Key findings
- Variability learning: — People learn not only how to perform a skill but how variably to continue performing it — variability itself is an acquired dimension.
- Constraint-maintained variability: — High variability persists when performers impose constraints that preclude a currently successful, often repetitive solution.
Application
When a writer who always uses the same essay structure produces low variability; imposing a constraint (e — open this cite for the study behind the move.