How Scientists Build Models In Vivo Science as a Window on the Scientific Mind

Abstract

This is an investigation of “Online Creativity.” I will present a new account of the cognitive and social mechanisms underlying complex thinking of creative scientists as they work on significant problems in contemporary science. I will lay out an innovative methodology that I have developed for investigating creative and complex thinking in a real-world context. Using this method, I have discovered that there are a number of strategies that are used in contemporary science that increase the likelihood of scientists making discoveries. The findings reported in this chapter provide new insights into complex scientific thinking and will dispel many of the myths surrounding the generation of new concepts and scientific discoveries.