Since the 1950s, psychology and computer science have been stimulated and transformed by the mutual exchange of ideas about cognition. During this time, another aspect of the mind has occupied each field mostly in isolation: creativity. This talk surveys creative uses of computers in the arts and presents recent works using artifacts from studies at the Institute of Personality and Social Research to explore the idea of creativity. The talk closes by suggesting ways that psychology and computer science might nurture and provoke each other in future studies of creativity.
Justin Manley is a writer and software engineer. His writing about art explores the relationship between humans and technology. In doing so, he draws on research in perceptual psychology in order to make sense of artistic experiences. As an engineer, he works on Googles messaging applications building tools for visual communication and expression.