想像力教學及測驗在工程與設計教育的落實-概念結合與概念抽象程度對科技創意產生的影響

Abstract

概念結合是人類的想像力在腦中運作以產生新概念的認知歷程。本研究目的在探 討根據概念結合理論所設計出來的想像力學習與教學模式對工程領域大學生的創意產 生的影響，同時也將探討概念的抽象程度對概念結合以產生創意的影響。研究中也將 以非工程科系的大學生為對照組，比較工程與非工程領域學生在概念結合作業上的差 異，及二者在接受概念結合訓練後在科技想像力上表現的差異。由於創造有賴人對原 有的概念的意義重新解釋或擴大解釋，我們預測，較抽象概念結合作業促發獨創的新 概念的機會比抽象程度較低的概念結合作業高。概念結合的訓練教材的設計將涵蓋語 文與非語文兩種形式，也將涵蓋屬性交集、屬性轉移、關係詮釋、類比、反向詮釋等 五種詮釋方式的教學實例。研究分三年進行。第一、二年的研究中參與者將被隨機指 派至2（有、無概念結合訓練）x 2（是或非工程主修）四種實驗情境中從事二科技想 像力作業。在進行科技想像力作業之前，概念結合組會接受概念結合的教學與練習（第 一年使用具象的教材；第二年使用抽象的教材），無概念結合組則無概念結合的教學與 練習。第三年則將工程學生的抽象思考能力區分為高低兩組，進一步探討抽象思考能 力對想像力訓練與創意產生的影響。

Conceptual combination is a cognitive mechanism that produces new ideas in the brain. This study aims to examine the effects of a conceptual combination training (CCT) program on engineering college students’ production of original ideas. The role of abstractness of concepts in conceptual combination in technological imagination will also be investigated. Creative ideas often emerge as a result of reformulation or relaxation of a previously known concept. Because abstract concepts are often vague in conceptualization of their meaning, it is predicted that conceptual combination training with materials composed of abstract concepts may prime more original concepts than less abstract materials. Two technological imagination tasks will be administered to measure technological imagination performance after conceptual combination training. Non-engineering students will serve as the comparison group to explore the characteristics of engineering students’ technological imagination. The conceptual combination training materials presented to participants will illustrate 5 types of interpretations in conceptual combination: property conjunction, property transfer, relational interpretation, analogy, and negation. The study will be conducted in three years. In a 2 (CCT vs. no CCT) by 2 (engineering major vs. non-engineering major) experimental design, the effect of conceptual combination training on technological imagination will be examined using concrete conceptual combination materials in the first year. The second year’s study aims to replicate first years’ findings with abstract conceptual combination training materials. Pooling these two years’ data, the role of abstractness of concepts in facilitating original idea generation will be analyzed. In the third year, the effect of abstractness of concepts on CCT will be examined by an individual difference paradigm. Participants’ abstract thinking ability will be measured and classified into high or low abstract thinking ability group. A 2 (CCT vs. no CCT) by 2 (high vs. low abstract thinking ability) experimental design will be employed, and only concrete conceptual combination materials will be used. It is predicted that participants with higher abstract thinking ability will benefit more from conceptual combination training than their less abstract thinking ability counterparts.