Steps involved in the creative process have been described in previous research, yet the exact nature of the process still remains unclear. In the current study, we take this investigation further, referring to two flying machines developed by Leonardo da Vinci and his other notes. Nine iterative steps are described with a focus on motivation and cognition: (a) vision and curiosity; (b) social recognition; (c) asking questions; (d) analogical thinking; (e) trial and error; (f) abductive reasoning; (g) incubation and forgetting; (h) overinclusive thinking, latent inhibition, and illumination; and (i) schema elaboration. The influence of da Vinci’s socio-historic context is also briefly discussed. The analyses show how general psychological mechanisms can explain extraordinary acts of creativity. The steps discussed can be further formalized in future research to advance the modeling of creativity.

先前的研究已经描述了创作过程中涉及的步骤，但该过程的确切性质仍不清楚。在当前的研究中，我们进一步研究了这一调查，参考了达芬奇开发的两台飞行器和他的其他笔记。描述了九个迭代步骤，重点是动机和认知： (a) 远见和好奇心；(b) 社会认可；(c) 提问；(d) 类比思维；(e) 反复试验；(f) 溯因推理；(g) 孵化和遗忘；(h) 过度包容的思维、潜在的抑制和启发；(i) 模式阐述。还简要讨论了达芬奇的社会历史背景的影响。分析表明一般心理机制如何解释非凡的创造力行为。