Cognitive Framing: A Case in Problem Posing

Abstract We analyse a student's creative expression in problem-posing situations. The findings suggest that a fine but significant difference in creative behaviour at an interval of one year (from 11 to 12 years old) indicates a passage from cognitive variety to small incremental changes, under the constraints of a strong cognitive frame. We found a specialization of the student's creative behaviour in the direction of specific mathematical creativity, a process accompanied by the weakening of the ability to engage spontaneously in intuitive explorations. This conclusion may nuance the phenomenon known in the literature as the 4 th grade slump in creative thinking.