Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - 2007 - Volume 30, Issue 04  

Open Peer Commentary

Context-specific neophilia and its consequences for innovations

Claudia Mettke-Hofmanna1

a1 Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008. Mettkec@googlemail.com http://www.orn.mpg.de/mitarbeiter/mettke.html

Abstract

According to Ramsey and colleagues the main constituent psychological processes of innovation are response to novelty, exploration, and the ability to recognize a novel solution. I fully support this view but point out that novelty reactions are often context-specific. I will expand on this and discuss the possible consequences of context-specific novelty reactions on the emergence of innovations.

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