The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity is a comprehensive scholarly handbook on creativity from the most respected psychologists, researchers, and educators. This handbook serves both as a thorough introduction to the field of creativity and as an invaluable reference and current source of important information. It covers such diverse topics as the brain, education, business, and world cultures. The first section, "Basic Concepts," is designed to introduce readers to both the history of and key concepts in the field of creativity. The next section, "Diverse Perspectives of Creativity," contains chapters on the many ways of approaching creativity. Several of these approaches, such as the functional, evolutionary, and neuroscientific approaches, have been invented or greatly reconceptualized in the last decade. The third section, "Contemporary Debates," highlights ongoing topics that still inspire discussion. Finally, the editors summarize and discuss important concepts from the book and look to what lies ahead.
James C. Kaufman, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the California State University at San Bernardino, where he directs the Learning Research Institute. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in Cognitive Psychology in 2001. Kaufman is an international leader in the field of creativity, known for his research on such areas as everyday creativity, creativity assessment, creativity and fairness, and creativity and mental health.
Kaufman is the author or editor of 22 books either published or in press. These include Creativity 101 (Springer, 2009); Cambridge Handbook of Creativity (with Robert Sternberg; Cambridge, 2010); Essentials of Creativity Assessment (with Jonathan Plucker and John Baer; Wiley, 2008), and International Handbook of Creativity (with Sternberg; Cambridge, 2006). He has published more than 200 papers, chapters, and reviews. His research has been featured and discussed in CNN, NPR, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, and the BBC. He has traveled around the world talking about the power of creativity, keynoting in Taiwan, Qatar, Korea, Spain, France, and other places.
Kaufman is the President of American Psychological Association's Division 10 (Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts). He is a Fellow of APA (Divisions 1, 5, 10) and the Association for Psychological Science. He is also the founding editor of APA's newest journal, Psychology of Popular Media Culture. He is also the editor of the International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving and he is the Series Editor of the "Psych 101" series from Springer Publishing. He was a founding co-editor of the official journal for APA's Division 10, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts In addition, he has served as an Associate Editor for Psychological Assessment, Journal of Creative Behavior, and Research in the Schools.. His awards include the 2003 Daniel E. Berlyne Award and the 2012 Paul Farnsworth Award from APA's Division 10, the 2008 E. Paul Torrance Award from the National Association of Gifted Children, the 2011-2012 Mensa Education & Research Foundation's Award for Excellence in Research, and the 2009 Early Career Research Award from the Western Psychological Association.
