Scientific and Technological Thinking

At the turn of the 21st century, the most vahiable commodity in society is knowledge, particularly new knowledge that may give a culture, a company, or a laboratory an adaptive advantage. Knowledge about the cognitive processes that lead to discovery and invention can enhance the probability of making valuable new discoveries and inventions. Such knowledge needs to be made widely available to ensure that no particular interest group 'corners the market' on techno-scientific creativity. It would also facilitate the development of business strategies and social policies based on a genuine understanding of the creative process. Further, through an understanding of principles underlying the cognitive processes related to discovery, educators can utilize these principles to teach students effective problem solving strategies as part of their education as future scientists. A special focus for this volume is to explore what fine-grained case studies can tell us about cognitive processes. The case study method is normally associated with sociology and anthropology of science and technology; these disciplines have been skeptical about cognitive explanations. Cognitive psychologists, in turn, have traditionally lamented the lack of rigor and control in case studies. The authors in this volume advocate a multiple-method approach and provide examples of empirical studies and theoretical analyses. In order to achieve true scientific and technological progress we need to understand the process by which our species is transforming our world. We hope this book makes an important step in that direction by leading to breakthroughs in our understanding of discovery and invention.