We argue that creative ideas are potentially valuable improbable constructions. We arrive at this formulation of creativity after considering several problems that arise for the theories that suggest that creativity is novelty, originality, or usefulness. Our theory avoids these problems. But since we also derive our theory of creativity from the scientific commitments of a more general theory of cognitive development, a theory called rational constructivism, our theory is unique insofar as it explains creativity in both adults and children through reference to a set of computational mechanisms that have been posited on the basis of independently plausible experimental research.

我们认为，创意可能是有价值的，不可能的结构。在考虑了表明创造性是新颖性，独创性或有用性的理论出现的几个问题之后，我们得出了这种创造性的表述。我们的理论避免了这些问题。但是，由于我们还从更普遍的认知发展理论（称为理性建构主义）的科学承诺中衍生出创造力理论，因此我们的理论是独一无二的，因为它通过参考一系列计算机制来解释成年人和儿童的创造力在独立的，合理的实验研究的基础上提出的。