Professional Presentations

The 276 presentations since 1976 may be roughly assigned to the following categories:

Invited/Award/Keynote/Presidential (73) / Conferences (31) / Symposia (48) / Workshops (6) / Paper Sessions (4) / Poster Sessions (5) / Colloquia (45) / Miscellaneous (64)*


Invited/Award/Keynotes/Presidential

  1. Musical esthetics, biography, and history. Texas Music Educators Conference, San Antonio, 1983.
  2. Musical genius and the classics: Historiometric lessons. Performance Forum/Dahl Lectures in the History and Theory of Music, School of Music, University of Southern California, 1983.
  3. Scientific studies of genius, history, and the arts. Carleton College, Minnesota, Sloan Grant for Technology and Liberal Education, 1984.
  4. Genius: The lessons of historiometry. Keynote, Frontiers in creativity research, Creative Education Foundation, State University College at Buffalo, New York, 1984.
  5. The masterpiece! Who? What? When? How? Where? Presidential address, Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts (Divison 10), American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 1986.
  6. Genius, civilization, and science: Laws of history. Centennial Celebrations, Occidental College, Los Angeles, 1987.
  7. Scientific genius: Who’s got it & why. Northern California Science Writers Association, San Francisco, 1989.
  8. Creativity and leadership. Keynote, Stanford Conference on Organizations, Stanford Center for Organizational Research, Asilomar CA, 1990.
  9. The child parents the adult: On getting genius from giftedness. National Research Symposium on Talent Development. Belin National Center for Gifted Education, University of Iowa, 1991.
  10. Computers and aesthetic success. Computers in Academia Lecture Series, Computing and Information Services, University of Pittsburgh, 1992.
  11. Sprinting to the finish: On late-life creativity. Science Weekend – Increasing Competence and Adaptive Behaviors Track. Centennial Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 1992.
  12. Gifted child – genius adult: Three life-span developmental perspectives. Plenary speaker, 3rd Annual Esther Katz Rosen Symposium on the Psychological Development of Gifted Children. University of Kansas, Lawrence, 1993.
  13. Genius and giftedness: Parallels and discrepancies. Keynote, National Research Symposium on Talent Development. Belin National Center for Gifted Education, University of Iowa, 1993.
  14. From giftedness to genius: Talent development from birth to death. Esther Katz Rosen Fund Annual Lecture on Gifted Children, American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1994.
  15. Making a mark: The psychology of greatness. After-dinner, Athenaeum, Claremont McKenna College, 1995.
  16. The Terman thesis: Giftedness and/or genius? National Association for Gifted Children, Tampa, Florida, 1995.
  17. Creative talent and achievement across the lifespan: Ingredients for a comprehensive theory. Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, 1996.
  18. Historiometry in empirical aesthetics. Sir Francis Galton Address, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, Prague, 1996.
  19. Creativity and Leadership: The psychology of greatness. Graduate School, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1996.
  20. Talent, giftedness and genius: What are the connections? California Association for the Gifted, Sacramento CA, 1997.
  21. Giftedness, talent, and genius: How the same? How different? World Conference of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Seattle, 1997.
  22. Masterpieces in music and literature: Historiometric inquiries. Rudolf Arnheim Award Address, American Psychological Association, 1997.
  23. Giftedness to genius. Distinguished Lecturer Program, Gifted and Talented Education, Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, CA, 1998.
  24. Creativity and talent: Integrated models of individual differences and developmental transformations. George A. Miller Award Address, American Psychological Association, San Francisco, 1998.
  25. The laws of life and the lessons of history. Keynote, Conference on Classical Sources of Human Strength: Appraising the Evidence, National Institute for Healthcare Research, Maryland, 1998.
  26. Creativity and talent: Individual differences across the life span. Saul B. Sells Lecture, Southwestern Psychological Association, Albuquerque, NM, 1999.
  27. Artistic genius: From where does it come? To where does it go? American Psychological Association, Boston 1999.
  28. Creativity and genius: Individual and sociocultural aspects of exceptional achievement. Positive Psychology Summit: Measuring the Wellsprings of a Positive Life, Gallup Organization, Lincoln, NB, 1999.
  29. What makes giftedness? Keynote address, GATE Fifty Mile Club Mini-Conference, University of California, Davis, 1999.
  30. Origins of genius and creativity. National Forum on “Understanding scientific creativity,” Council of Scientific Society Presidents, Washington DC, 2000.
  31. Giftedness, talent, and genius: Developmental continuity and discontinuity. Distinguished Lecturer Program, Gifted and Talented Education, Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, CA, 2000.
  32. Genius, creativity, and Darwin: Inspiration and exemplar. William James Book Award Address, American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 2000.
  33. Opera as the ultimate art form: Empirical studies of aesthetic creativity and assessment. Presidential Address, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, New York City, 2000.
  34. Scientific genius: The psychology of great science. Featured Banquet Speaker, Sigma Xi Induction and Awards Banquet, Texas A&M University Chapter, College Station, TX, 2001.
  35. Great psychologists: The history of psychology and the psychology of science. Congress of the Sociedad Interamericana de Psicología, Santiago, Chile, 2001.
  36. The story of creativity: Historical perspectives and interpretations. Green College Lecture Series on The Nature of Creativity: History, Biology, and Socio-Cultural Dimensions, University of British Columbia, 2001. [pdf]
  37. Great psychologists and psychological science: The quantitative analysis of psychology’s past, present, and prospects. Spartan Psychological Association Research Colloquium, San José State University, 2002.
  38. Teaching and the Big Five. Teaching Personality and Social Psychology Pre-Conference for the meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Los Angeles, 2003.
  39. Scientific creativity, logic, and chance: The integration of product, person, and process research traditions. Western Psychological Association, Vancouver, 2003.
  40. Genius, creativity, and their place within a positive psychology. International Positive Psychology Summit, Gallup Organization, Washington DC, 2003.
  41. Aging and creative productivity. Max Planck International Research Network on Aging, Hotel Döllnsee-Schorfheide, Germany, 2005.
  42. Film as theater versus flick as circus: Creativity and aesthetics in the narrative feature film. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 2005.
  43. The genetics of talent development: Putting the gift back into giftedness. E. Paul Torrance Lecture, College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, 2005. [mp4]
  44. Creativity and madness: The myth and truth. Psychology Forum, The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA, 2006.
  45. Leadership and creativity: Convergences and divergences regarding outstanding exemplars of the two phenomena. Keynote, International Leadership Association, Chicago, 2006.
  46. The other IQ: Historiometric assessments of intelligence. International Society for Intelligence Research, San Francisco, 2006.
  47. Giftedness: The gift that keeps on giving. Keynote, National Association for Gifted Children, Minneapolis, 2007.
  48. Varieties of (scientific) creativity: Fitting together the puzzle pieces of disposition and development. Keynote, International Society for the Psychology of Science and Technology, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany, 2008. [photo]
  49. Varieties of creativity: Types and levels. Keynote, International Conference on Creativity Education, Taipei, Taiwan, 2008.
  50. Creative scientists, artists, and psychologists: Modeling disposition, development, and achievement. Master Lectures Program, Board of Scientific Affairs, American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, 2009.
  51. Larger than life: Exploring the lives of eminent creators (with H. Gardner). E. Paul Torrance Creativity Lecture, A. Robinson (Moderator). National Association for Gifted Children, St. Louis, 2009.
  52. Scientific creativity: The science and the art. Incite Your Curiosity Lectures, Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Texas at Dallas, 2010. [recording]
  53. Creativity in the arts and sciences: Contrasts in disposition, development, and achievement. Victor M. Bearg Science and Humanities Scholars Speaker Series, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, 2010.
  54. Scientists, psychologists, artists: Creativity and creators across and within disciplines. Western Psychological Association, Cancun, Mexico, 2010.
  55. Creativity and discovery as blind variation: Donald Campbell’s BVSR theory after the half-century mark. American Psychological Association, San Diego, 2010.
  56. Genius, creativity, and talent: Definitions and manifestations. Keynote, 13th Annual Undergraduate Conference, Psychology Students’ Association, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2011.
  57. Excellence in the sciences, humanities, and the arts: How many different kinds of creativity are there? Keynote, Excellence in Education: Giftedness, creativity, development, International Centre for Innovation in Education, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2011.
  58. Is psychological science a STEM discipline? Field attributes and researcher characteristics. Presidential address, Society for General Psychology (Division One), American Psychological Association, Orlando FL, 2012.
  59. Why creativity cannot be sighted: Blind variation as a philosophical proposition and psychological hypothesis. Distinguished speaker series, Cognitive Sciences Program, Michigan State University, 2012.
  60. Diversifying experiences and creativity: Correlational and experimental research. Keynote, Lamar Bruni Vergara & Guillermo Benavides Z. Academic Conference, Office of Graduate Studies and Research, Texas A&M International University, 2013.
  61. Little-c creativity, Big-C Creativity: Formal definitions and implications. Invited address, Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent SIG, American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, 2013.
  62. Creative geniuses as causal agents in history: Free will, creativity, and sociocultural change. American Psychological Association, Honolulu HI, 2013.
  63. What is a creative idea? Formal definitions and cognitive implications. Keynote, Creativity: The Inspired Mind, California Cognitive Psychology Conference, University of California, Berkeley, 2014. [YouTube]
  64. Diversifying experiences and creative development: Historiometric, psychometric, and experimental findings. First Annual International Creativity Conference, Torrance Creativity Center, College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens GA, 2014.
  65. Multiple- and single-case studies of significant samples: Using empirical nomothetic baselines to gauge idiographic uniqueness. Murray Award Address, Association for Research in Personality, St. Louis MO, 2015.
  66. Creativity, automaticity, irrationality, fortuity, fantasy, and other contingencies: An eightfold response typology. Western Psychological Association, Sacramento CA, 2017.
  67. Creativity in the arts and sciences: Contrasts in disposition, development, and achievement. Creativity Up Close Lecture Series, Rice University, Houston TX, 2019.
  68. Scientific creativity: Discovery and invention as combinatorial. Creativity Conference, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR, 2019. [photo]
  69. Origins of creative genius: Disposition and development in the arts and sciences. Invited address, Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent SIG, American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, 2020 (cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic; was to include 2019 Mensa Award ceremony).
  70. WPA presidents from antiquity to the present day: Biographical, historical, and historiometric moments. Western Psychological Association, San Francisco, 2020 (virtual presentation due to COVID-19 pandemic).
  71. Defining creativity: Personal versus social definitions. E. Paul Torrance International Roundtable on Creative Thinking, Philadelphia, 2021 (virtual presentation due to COVID-19 pandemic).
  72. The history of psychology and the history of science: An instructive integration. Presidential address, Society for the History of Psychology (Division 26), American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2023. [photo]
  73. From Hilgard & Atkinson (1967) to Hilgard 2023: How an intro text helped stimulate over 50 years of research. Ernest R. Hilgard Lifetime Achievement Award Address, American Psychological Association, Seattle, 2024.


Conferences

  1. Cultural creativity and political leadership: The lessons of historiometry. In R. L. Merritt (Chair), The comparative study of innovation. Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, 1979.
  2. Esthetics, biography, and history in musical creativity. In W. J. McKeachie (Chair), Ann Arbor Symposium on applications of psychology to the teaching and learning of music (session III). University of Michigan, 1982.
  3. Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets: Correlates of differential greatness. Hungarian-American conference on the social psychology of literature, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, 1983.
  4. Creativity and leadership: Causal convergence and divergence. Creativity Week, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC, 1983.
  5. Creative leadership: Historiometric perspectives. Creativity and innovation in bureaucracy symposium, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC, October 1983.
  6. Creativity and the Zeitgeist: Social and other factors affecting the development of genius. Creativity and the creative process: In others and ourselves, Extension Program, University of California, Los Angeles, 1984.
  7. Multiples, chance, genius, and zeitgeist. Conference on scientific excellence: Origins and assessment. University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, 1985.
  8. Aesthetic success in 36 Hungarian and American short stories. Hungarian-American conference on the social psychology of literature, San Francisco, 1985.
  9. A chance-configuration theory of scientific creativity. The psychology of science. Center for Applied Psychological Research, Memphis State University, 1986. [photo]
  10. Does creativity decline in the later years? Definition, data, and theory. Gerontological Society of America presidential conference on late-life potential. Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1987.
  11. History, psychology, and genius: An intellectual autobiography of historiometry. Perspectives on the study of creativity. Pitzer College, Claremont CA, 1988.
  12. Mini-Conference on Creativity. Project Zero, School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, February 1990.
  13. Creative expertise: A life-span developmental perspective. Acquisition of expert performance: An international conference. Wakulla Springs, Florida, 1995. [photo]
  14. Discussant. Creative concepts conference. National Science Foundation, Texas A&M University, College Station, 1995.
  15. Psychology of literary creativity. Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, 1995.
  16. Creative cultures, nations, and civilizations: Strategies and results. Group Creativity Conference, National Science Foundation, University of Texas at Arlington, 2000.
  17. Combinatorial models of creativity: The chance baseline. New Ideas about New Ideas Conference, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, 2006.
  18. Scientific creativity as a combinatorial process: The chance baseline. “Milieus of Creativity” symposium at Villa Bosch Studio, Heidelberg (organized by the Department of Geography, University of Heidelberg and supported by the Klaus Tschira Foundation), 2006.
  19. Talent development in the sciences: Conceptual definitions, distinctions, and dimensions. Identifying and Developing Talent in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, National Academy of the Sciences, Washington DC, 2006.
  20. Genius 101: A book prospectus. Genius Week, Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 2007.
  21. Creative genius: Two Darwinian perspectives. Conflict, cooperation, and creativity in complex systems, co-presented by the Santa Fe Institute and the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, Washington DC, 2007.
  22. Cinematic success criteria and their predictors: The art and business of the film industry. Economics of Art and Culture, European Science Days, Steyr, Austria 2009.
  23. Genius, creativity, and talent: Definitions and manifestations. Learning and the Brain Conference, San Francisco, CA 2010.
  24. Scientific creativity as blind variation: Campbell (1960) after the half-century mark. Psychology of science: Implicit and explicit reasoning, Second Purdue Symposium on Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, 2010. [photo]
  25. Creativity and discovery as blind variation and selective retention: Multiple-variant definitions and blind-sighted integration. International Society for the Psychology of Science and Technology, University of California, Berkeley, 2010.
  26. Hierarchies of creative domains: Disciplinary constraints on blind-variation and selective-retention. Philosophy of creativity, Barnard College, NY, 2010.
  27. Creative problem solving as variation-selection: The blind-sighted continuum and solution variant typology. “Darwinian” and post-Darwinian models of creativity and innovation: Prospects and problems, University of Nevada, Reno, 2011 [owing to a snowstorm that closed all vehicle travel and train service over the Sierra passes, delivered via speaker phone with powerpoints shown on site].
  28. Scientific genius, creativity, and insight. Learning and the Brain Conference, San Francisco, CA 2013.
  29. Creativity and sightedness: Why creative solutions cannot be sighted … or, why blind solutions must maximally vary in creativity. Summit on Creativity and Innovation, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 2013.
  30. Scientific creativity: Discovery and invention as combinatorial. Metascience symposium. Stanford University, 2019. [presentation]
  31. Origins of genius: Creativity in science and the arts. Culture and Brain symposium, Karolinska Institute, Sweden, 2019. [program]


Symposia

  1. Transhistorical perspectives on the creative process in art. In R. Helson (Chair), The creative process in art. American Psychological Association, San Francisco, 1977.
  2. Transhistorical studies of eminence. In P. Suedfeld (Chair), Objective studies on psychohistory and psychobiography. Canadian Psychological Association, Quebec City, 1979.
  3. Thematic fame and melodic originality: An illustration of a paradigm. In C. Martindale (Chair), Individual and sociocultural determinants of musical perception and production. American Psychological Association, New York, 1979.
  4. Formal education, eminence, and dogmatism. In H. J. Walberg (Chair), Psychological and historical studies of the eminent and educators: Qualitative and quantitative perspectives. American Educational Research Association, Los Angeles, 1981.
  5. Predicting presidential greatness with historical data: Challenges and difficulties. In H. A. Alker (Chair), Testing the limits of measurement in political psychology. International Society of Political Psychology, Mannheim, 1981.
  6. (Chair), Of musical charms and noisy theories. American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1981.
  7. Presidential personality: The biographical use of the Gough Adjective Check List. In C. Orbovich (Chair), Innovative approaches to assessing the personalities of presidents. International Society of Political Psychology, Washington, DC, 1985.
  8. The content analysis of melodic structure. In D. Deutsch (Chair), Recent advances in the psychology of music. American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1985.
  9. Age, creative productivity, and chance. In H. Zuckerman (Chair), Age stratification and the production and reception of cultural products. American Sociological Association, Washington, DC, 1986.
  10. Presidential style, personality, and performance. In M. P. Wattenberg (Chair), Public images of political leaders. International Society of Political Psychology, San Francisco, 1987.
  11. Creativity in the late life: An optimistic perspective. In B. M. Silverstone (Chair), Aging creatively in the future. Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, 1988.
  12. The psychological impact of Shakespeare’s sonnets: Can computers appreciate poetry? In D. K. Simonton (Chair), The psychology of literature: Content analytical approaches. American Psychological Association, Boston, 1990.
  13. How to test theories of scientific change. In F. J. Sulloway (Chair), Beyond historical impressionism: Testing theories of scientific change. History of Science Society, Seattle, 1990.
  14. Creative genius in music: Mozart and other composers. In P. Ostwald (Chair), The pleasures and perils of genius: Mostly Mozart. San Francisco, University of California at San Francisco, 1991.
  15. On wrapping it up: The swan-song phenomenon and late-life creativity. In S. Dudek (Chair), Perspectives on creativity in aging adults. American Psychological Association, San Francisco, 1991.
  16. Moral caliber and historic success. In J. Sonnenfeld (Chair), The moral character of top leadership. Society for the Advancement of Socioeconomics, Irvine CA, 1992.
  17. Is fame fickle, fleeting, fluff? The reliability and validity of individual differences in eminence. In S. Vazire (Chair), Reputation matters: New research on an age-old concern. Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, 2005.
  18. Putting the best leaders in the White House: Personality, policy, and performance. In S. Renshon (Chair), Selecting a good president. Editor’s Forum, International Society of Political Psychology, 1992.
  19. Psychology of (eminent American) psychologists: A perspective and an illustration. In G. J. Feist (Chair), Foundations of a psychology of science? Centennial Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 1992.
  20. Three life-span perspectives on talent development. In J. C. Stanley (Chair), Panel discussion on future issues. Wallace national research symposium on talent development, Belin National Center for Gifted Education, University of Iowa, 1993.
  21. Creative development from birth to death: The experience of exceptional genius. In A. G. Maciel & A. P. Stetsenko (Chairs), A life-span approach to exceptionality: Exceptional people, exceptional performance, exceptional lives. International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Recife, Brazil, 1993.
  22. Literary creativity across the lifespan: Quantitative and qualitative changes. In C. E. Adams-Price (Chair), Writing, literature, and late-life creativity. American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1994.
  23. Beginning, peak, and end: Trajectories in composers’ careers. In D. K. Simonton (Chair), Artistic creativity across the life span: Literature, painting, architecture, and music. American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1994.
  24. Predicting presidential leadership: Discoveries, problems, and opportunities. In David G. Winter (Chair), Studying political leaders. International Congress of Applied Psychology, San Francisco, 1998.
  25. Discussant. In R. Paschal (Chair), Notable American women: Interpersonal and mentor influence. American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, 1995.
  26. Musical creativity across time: Period, age, and compositional changes. In C. Martindale (Chair), The psychology of stylistic change. International Congress of Psychology, Montreal, 1996.
  27. The psychology of famous personalities: Historiometric methods. In C. Smith (Chair), Archival methods in collective behavior research. International Congress of Psychology, Montreal, 1996.
  28. Forecasting Presidential performance. In Stanley Renshon (Chair), Looking for Mr. Right: Character, judgment, and leadership in the ‘96 Presidential election. Roundtable, American Political Science Association, San Francisco, 1996.
  29. Creativity as Expertise: The aesthetic success of 911 operas by 59 classical composers. In V. J. Cassandro & D. K. Simonton (Chairs), Empirical studies of outstanding creative personalities. American Psychological Association, Boston, 1999.
  30. Presidential greatness, personality, and performance: Direct, indirect, and spurious effects. In D. S. Ones & L. M. Hough (Chairs), Personality and performance in leadership positions – Presidents, CEOs, and managers. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 2000.
  31. Creative productivity across the life span: Is there an age decrement or not? In R. Kanfer (Chair), Aging, adult development, and work. Association for Psychological Science, Atlanta, 2003.
  32. Cinematic creativity and aesthetics: Impact criteria and component predictors. In S. R. Pritzker (Chair), Creativity and the movies. American Psychological Association, San Francisco, 2007.
  33. Addressing the central questions about creative thought. Discussant, In E. Hirt (Chair), Mental processes in creative performance: Fit, focus, and flexibility. Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Sacramento 2008.
  34. The muse and the clockwork in the Clockwork Muse: A retrospective review of Colin Martindale’s magnum opus. In J. M. Kwiatkowski & O. A. Vartanian (Chairs), Colin Martindale-A tribute to the arbiter. American Psychological Association, Toronto, 2009.
  35. First, best, and last: Creative landmarks across the career course. In S. B Kaufman & L. Smith (Chairs), Can creativity change? American Psychological Association, Toronto, 2009.
  36. Big-C Creativity or tiny-c creativity? The question gives the answer. In J. C. Kaufman (Chair), Debate–Which is more important to study: Eminent or everyday creativity? American Psychological Association, San Diego, 2010.
  37. Genius, creativity, and leadership: A UCD expository writing General Education course. In H. T. Snyder (Chair),  Teaching creatively–Examples from the teaching of psychology of creativity. American Psychological Association, San Diego, 2010.
  38. Panelist (with M. du Sautoy, P. Glass, D. Fields, R. Jung, & J. Taymor,). In B. Greene (Moderator), Beautiful minds: The enigma of genius. World Science Festival, New York City, 2011. [video]
  39. (Chair), Applied creativity: Education, business, therapy, and morality. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 2011.
  40. Little-c and Big-C creativity: Toward a scientific definition. In G. J. Feist (Chair), The study of creativity as a general psychological science. American Psychological Association, Orlando FL, 2012.
  41. Discussant. In H. T. Snyder (Chair), Teaching creatively and teaching creativity. American Psychological Association, Orlando FL, 2012.
  42. Diversifying experiences are additive: A study of eminent African Americans (with R. I. Damian). In R. I. Damian & D. K. Simonton (Chairs), Diversifying experiences and creativity—Underlying cultural context and cognitive processes. American Psychological Association, Orlando FL, 2012.
  43. Discussant. In J. A. Plucker (Chair), History of the psychology of creativity—Perspectives on the development of a scientific field. American Psychological Association, Honolulu HI, 2013.
  44. Diversifying experiences and creativity: An overview and synthesis (with R. I. Damian). In B. A. Nijstad & M. Baas (Co-chairs), Current directions in the social psychology of creativity. Society for Experimental Social Psychology, Berkeley CA, 2013.
  45. Significant samples, not significance tests: The often overlooked solution to the replication problem. In J. A. Plucker (Chair), Enhancing research quality – The role of replication and other strategies. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 2013.
  46. Versatility in genius: A history of historiometric studies of historic creators. Polymathy: An interdisciplinary panel on human versatility and creativity. Creativity Conference, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR, 2019.
  47. Creativity as blind variation and selective retention: Campbell’s BVSR as philosophy and psychology. Webinar, Applied Evolutionary Epistemology Lab, Lisbon, Portugal, 2021.
  48. An outsider’s expressed ignorance in the form of six big questions. F. C. Worrell (Chair), Insider knowledge for high performance. American Psychological Association, Minneapolis, MN, 2022.


Workshops

  1. Personal and situational factors predicting greatness ratings of US presidents: A quarter-century quest. International Leadership Association, Chicago, 2006.
  2. Creativity measurement: Big, medium, and little. International Conference on Creativity Education, Taipei, Taiwan, 2008.
  3. Cinematic sex doesn’t sell – nor even artistically impress! Content ratings, box office, critical reviews, and movie awards. Economics of Art and Culture, European Science Days, Steyr, Austria 2009.
  4. Creativity in the sciences: Creative ideas, scientists, processes, and disciplines. Panel presentation, Innovation inventors forum: Can Cleveland Clinic staff become more inventive – A forum on creativity in science. Cleveland Clinic Management Track, 2010.
  5. Creativity: An overview of individual-level processes, characteristics, and phenomena. Beneficial Progress in Technology Workshop, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Standford University, 2012.
  6. Studying creative genius: An overview of historiometric methods. Center for Complex Network Research, Northeastern University, 2021.


Paper Sessions

  1. Leaders as eponyms: Individual versus situational determinants of monarchal eminence. In S. Ellyson (Chair), Judgment, blame, and individual responsibility. American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1981.
  2. Popularity, content, and context in 37 Shakespeare plays. International Colloquium on Experimental Aesthetics, Santa Cruz, 1985.
  3. Psychology of science in the history of psychology. In A. S Winston (Chair), Philosophies of psychology, science and history. American Psychological Association, San Francisco, 2001.
  4. Creativity as blind variation and selective retention: Philosophy, psychology, or both? In M. Tissaw (Chair), At the inevitable intersection of psychology and philosophy. American Psychological Association, Orlando FL, 2012.


Poster Sessions

  1. Juxtapositional three-dimensional art? Dishabituation, stimulation, and recreation! In C. F. Nodine (Chair), The art of psychologists. American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1981. [examples]
  2. Artistic creativity and interpersonal relationships across and within generations. American Psychological Association, Anaheim, 1983.
  3. Mature cinematic content for immature minds (with L. E. Skidmore & J. C. Kaufman). Western Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 2011.
  4. Mad genius or diverse genius? Diversifying experiences in a sample of eminent African-Americans (with R. I. Damian). Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, 2013.
  5. Exploring longitudinal relations among narcissism, fame, and creativity: An archival study of eminent writers (with R. I. Damian, R. W. Robins, & K. Grimm). Association for Research in Personality, Charlotte, NC, 2013 (won Best Poster Award).


Colloquia

  1. Archival research designs. Institute for Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1976.
  2. Biographical and historical determinants of creative eminence. Psychology Board, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1977.
  3. War and creativity. Reserve Research Co. 12-6, Davis, California, Office of Naval Research, 1977.
  4. The library laboratory: Some personal observations. Social Psychology “Brown Bag,” University of California, Los Angeles, 1981.
  5. Historiometric measures of creativity. Institut für Psychologie der George-August Universität, Göttingen, West Germany, 1981.
  6. 37 plays/39 presidents: A comparative progress report. Institute for Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1982.
  7. Intelligence and social influence: Four nonlinear models. Social Psychology “Brown Bag,” University of California, Los Angeles, 1983.
  8. Role-models and mentors. Friday Afternoon Social Club, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1984.
  9. Intelligence and personal influence. Psychology Department Colloquium series, University of California, Berkeley, 1984.
  10. Presidential greatness: Personality or attribution? Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1985.
  11. Historiometry: History and practice. Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1985.
  12. Exceptional personal influence: A paradigm and a case. Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, 1986.
  13. Why presidents succeed: A political psychology of leadership. Center for International Studies, University of Southern California, 1987.
  14. Scientific creativity: The chance-configuration theory. Psychology Department, Occidental College, Los Angeles, 1987.
  15. Presidential quirks and eccentricities. Brown Bag, University of California, San Francisco, 1987.
  16. Career landmarks: A theory of creative development. Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1989.
  17. Presidential success: Problems and opportunities. Department of Psychology, Stanford University, April 1989.
  18. Career landmarks in science: Individual differences and interdisciplinary contrasts. Friday Afternoon Social Club, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1989.
  19. Psychological aspects of scientific creativity. Grand Rounds, Department of Psychiatry, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, 1989.
  20. Latent variable models of posthumous reputation: A quest for Galton’s G. Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1989.
  21. Scientific genius: Truths and myths of path-breaking science. Brown bag, University of California, San Francisco, 1990.
  22. Creativity, productivity, and impact: A theory and some data. Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1990.
  23. Presidents’ wives and first ladies: Women behind the men? Or basking in reflected glory? Institute for Personality and Social Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1992.
  24. Behavioral laws in histories of psychology: Generalizations, narratives, and interpretations. Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, 1993.
  25. The emergence of genius: Some key life-span developmental issues. Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1994.
  26. The Terman problem: Longitudinal versus retrospective studies of giftedness and genius. Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 1995.
  27. Why study famous persons? Institute for Personality Assessment and Social Research, University of California, Berkeley, 1995.
  28. Creative productivity across and within careers. Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 1995.
  29. Greatness, women, and minorities. Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 1995.
  30. Scientific vs. artistic creativity: A Darwinian perspective. California School of Professional Psychology, 1998.
  31. Great psychologists: Who makes psychology’s history and why? Department of Psychology, Yale University, 1998.
  32. Creativity and psychopathology: Darwinian Perspectives.” Research Lunch, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, 2000.
  33. Outstanding creativity and leadership: How much the same?  How different? Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations Colloquium Series, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, 2003.
  34. Scientific creativity: Chance, logic, genius, or zeitgeist? Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ, 2003.
  35. Creativity in science: Dispositional and developmental correlates. Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 2004.
  36. Creativity and leadership: How much are they the same? How much are they different?, Technology and Operations Management Seminar Series, Harvard Business School, 2005.
  37. Creativity in science. Spotlight on Science Lectures, Office of Postdoctoral Education, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2005.
  38. Exceptional creativity and leadership: Two routes to success? Or a single pathway to acclaim? Success Seminar Lecture Series, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 2005.
  39. Is genius born or made? Refinements and complications in the nature-nurture controversy. Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, 2006.
  40. Outstanding creativity and leadership: Convergent and divergent Features. Department of Management and Organizations, Stern Business School, New York University, 2006.
  41. Great psychologists: The scientific analysis of psychology’s past and present to predict and control its future. Annual Harold Basowitz Memorial Lecture, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, 2006.
  42. Scientific talent, training, and performance: Intellect, personality, and genetic endowment. Institute of Personality and Social Research, University of California, Berkeley, 2008.
  43. Creativity and discovery as blind variation (and selective retention): Tautological identity, heuristic metaphor, or patent absurdity? Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 2009.
  44. Creative problem solving as Campbellian BVSR: Quantitative creativity measure and blind-sighted metric. Department of Psychology, University of California, Merced, 2012.
  45. Defining creativity: Don’t we also need to define what’s not creative? School of Education, University of Georgia, 2016.


Miscellaneous Presentations

  1. Time-series analysis. Sacramento Youth Authority, Sacramento, 1979.
  2. The psychology of greatness. Harvard Club of Sacramento, 1980.
  3. Creativity in the American presidency. Creative Problem-Solving Institute, Buffalo, New York, 1984.
  4. Genius, creativity, and leadership. UCD Executive Program, University Extension, University of California, Davis, 1985.
  5. The origins of genius: The laws of history. Faculty Lecture Series “The Leading Edge,” University of California, Davis, 1985.
  6. Creativity and leadership. Society of Women Engineers, University of California, Davis, 1987.
  7. Creativity and leadership. Society of Women Engineers, Oakland, California, 1987.
  8. Genius in science: Myths, truths, and confusions. Literary dinner, Library Associates Lecture Program, University of California, Davis, 1989.
  9. What makes a genius? Fireside Chat, Chancellor’s Club, University of California, Davis, 1990.
  10. Genius, creativity, and giftedness. Keynote address, Sacramento Area School Psychologists Association, Rancho Murieta Country Club, 1991.
  11. Scientific genius: Truths and myths. Public Lecture, Sigma Xi, University Club, 1992.
  12. VOTER HELPER 1.0: Political psychology and presidential elections. Fall Seminar Series “Election Preview?1992,” Institute for Government Affairs, 1992.
  13. Psychology of the arts. Guest lecture for Art 290 Seminar, Lucy Puls, Graduate Adviser, 1992.
  14. Paths to greatness. Keynote address, Gala for UC Davis Prize Recipient, Radisson Hotel, Sacramento, 1994.
  15. Making it big. Eyeopeners, the UCD Alumni Breakfast Series, The Capitol Club of the Renaissance Tower, Sacramento, 1994.
  16. Five, four, three, two, one, zero. Commencement address, Commencement Ceremonies for the College of Letters and Science, UC Davis, 1994.
  17. Leadership. Workshop for Area 3 History and Cultures Project, Center for Cooperative Research and Extension Services for Schools, Division of Education, University of California, Davis, 1994.
  18. Creativity testing. Guest lecture for Management 298, Nicole Biggart instructor, 1994.
  19. The psychology of optimal performance. Guest speaker, Rotary Club of Davis, CA, 1994.
  20. Creativity. Leadership Workshop, Alpha Phi Omega, Iota Phi Chapter, 1995.
  21. Genius, creativity, and leadership. Annual meeting, Colusa County Farm Bureau, Colusa Golf and Country Club, 1995.
  22. Great leaders: Lessons for everyday leadership practice. Leadership Development Series, Office of Student Affairs, University of California, Davis, 1995.
  23. Greatness. Guest speaker, Kiwanis Club of Davis, CA, 1995.
  24. Why go to UCD? Opening address, Undergraduate Research Conference, 1995.
  25. The psychology of greatness. After-dinner Lecture, Library Associates Annual Meeting, University of California, Davis, 1995.
  26. Greatness. After-dinner speaker, Special Libraries Association, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, 1995.
  27. Chosing a President: Why it’s so difficult. Mini-lecture, Picnic Day, University of California, Davis, 1996.
  28. Participant, Academic Panel, College Colloquia for Center for Talented Youth, Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth of Johns Hopkins University, UC Davis, 1996.
  29. Creativity in Alaska. Presentation for Graduate Seminar on “Human Adaptation to the North,” University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1996.
  30. Meet the author. California Association for the Gifted, Sacramento CA, 1997.
  31. What it takes to be great. Donor Appreciation Day, University of California, Davis, 1997.
  32. Conversations with the author. GATE Fifty Mile Club Mini-Conference, University of California, Davis, 1999.
  33. Genius, creativity, and leadership across the lifespan. Guest speaker, Senior Learning Unlimited, Davis Senior Citizens Center, UC Davis University Extension, 2000.
  34. Teaching experiences. Annual workshop for new faculty, University of California at Davis, 2001.
  35. Creativity and aging. “Issues in Aging” Human Development 162, Diane Gilmor instructor, 2002.
  36. Genius and Mozart. Upbeat Live Pre-Concert Event, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles, CA, 2002.
  37. Outstanding success: What does it take and who has it? Inquiring Minds Program, University Retirement Community, 2003.
  38. Panelist, APA Career Workshop, Western Psychological Association, Vancouver, BC, 2003.
  39. Creativity and leadership: Similarities and differences. Sacramento Bee Staff Retreat, Sonoma, CA, 2003.
  40. Awards, prizes, and honors in academe: Observations, speculations, and implications. After-dinner talk, Faculty of Distinction Dinner held at the Chancellor’s residence, University of California, Davis, 2005.
  41. The genius of genius: Living a life of giftedness. Fireside Chat, UC Davis Chancellor’s Club, Davis, 2007.
  42. Creativity as a multi-faceted phenomenon. Speaker, External Research Advisory Board, UC Davis Office of Research, Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA, 2008.
  43. Presidential personality and performance. Davis Senior Center, Davis, CA 2009.
  44. Creativity and leadership: Convergences and divergences regarding exceptional exemplars. Keynote at the Residential Orientation and Conference for Saybrook University, San Francisco, 2010.
  45. Madness and music. Panel discussion (with M. Morris, Dean J. A. Owens, C. Reynolds, and A. M. B. Berger), Department of Music and Davis Humanities Institute, Mondavi Center, UC Davis, 2010.
  46. 10,000 hours: Does practice make perfect? Panel discussion (with K. A. Ericsson), Student Union, Pomona College, 2011. [video]
  47. A conversation on creativity: Nobel Prize winning physicist Martin Perl and his son The New Republic art critic Jed Perl discuss the creative process in the sciences and the arts (moderator). UC Davis Conference Center, 2012.
  48. How can we improve our insight and creative problem-solving skills? Panel discussion (with M. Beeman; K. W. Fischer, Moderator). Learning and the Brain Conference, San Francisco, CA 2013.
  49. Giftedness, talent, and/or genius: When the same? When different? Korean Teacher’s Institute on GATE and STEM Education, School of Education, University of California, Davis, 2013.
  50. Diversifying experiences and creative development. Belin-Blank Center, College of Education, University of Iowa, 2013.
  51. Creativity in the arts and sciences: Contrasts in disposition, development, and achievement. Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, University of Iowa, 2013.
  52. More method in the mad-genius controversy: A historiometric study of 204 historic creators. Teacher-Leader Center, College of Education, University of Iowa, 2013.
  53. Creative thoughts as acts of free will:  A two-stage formal integration. Ida Cordelia Beam Lecture, University of Iowa, 2013.
  54. Giftedness from conception to death … and beyond! Korean Teacher’s Institute on GATE Education, School of Education, University of California, Davis, 2014.
  55. Is there really a unity to science? Conversation hour, Society for Philosophical and Theoretical Psychology, APA Division 24, Washington DC, 2014 (with H. J. Stam, R. A. Shweder, G.  J. Rich, and L. K.W. Sundararajan).
  56. Living legends social, Suite program, Society for Philosophical and Theoretical Psychology, APA Division 24, Washington DC, 2014 (with Daniel Robinson, Ken Gergen, Barbara Held, and Rom Harré).
  57. Genius and madness, Panel discussion, 7 Days of Genius: Venture into the Extraordinary, 92 Y, New York, NY, 2015 (with Gail Saltz, James C. Kaufman, and Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind). [video]
  58. Understanding genius, Roundtable, Helix Center, New York Psychoanalytic Center and Institute, 2015. [video]
  59. Greatness devalued, Cosmoetica, Dan Schneider, interviewer (with David Koepsell), 2016. [video]
  60. More method in the mad-genius controversy: A historiometric study of 204 historic creators. Creativity Up Close, Moody Center, Rice University, Houston TX, 2019.
  61. The future/Retirement/Impact/What it all means. Panelist, Festschrift for Teresa Amabile, Harvard Business School, Boston, 2019.
  62. Researching the polymath. Panelist, The Polymath Festival, The Da Vinci Network, UK, 2021.
  63. The combinatorial theory of creativity. Meetup, Cambridge Creativity, Cambridge UK, 2021.
  64. Diversifying experiences and creativity: Correlational and experimental research. Creativity and Problem Solving course, School of Education, Mississippi State University, 2021.

*Excludes the very numerous “in house” departmental presentations, such as “brown bags,” as well as guest lectures in other classes, whether in psychology or in other programs. Also excludes a paper that was commissioned by The National Academies for the 2012 Science of Science and Innovation Policy Conference held at the National Academy of Science but could not be orally delivered because of scheduling conflicts [pdf]. Similarly excluded is a contribution to a Festschrift to honor Howard Gardner’s 70th birthday; though it was not delivered in person, the would-be presentation is printed in Volume 2 of Mind, Work, and Life [go here].

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