Creativity (?) in Young Children*

As a gregarious species, we gain substantial benefits when we are liked by others and able to convince others of the value of our ideas. Understanding and managing others relies upon many complex cognitive processes working in unison, starting with our ability to understand facial expressions, language, and emotions, and ending with the responses we choose to deliver and strategies we elect to pursue. Some people consistently deliver responses that serve their social goals, whilst others flounder in the same waters. In this thesis I explore individual differences in the ability to respond flexibly and appropriately.The two social processes I chose to study in this thesis are humour and persuasion. Humour is a universally attractive quality, and thus a reliable way to win the favor of others. Similarly, persuading others of the value of ourselves and our ideas is the goal of many of our most important and high-stakes interactions, ranging from business deals to romantic love.I predicted that differences in the ability to be funny and persuasive would be explained by the capacity to engage in divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the ability to generate multiple diverse solutions to problems. Logically, good divergent thinkers should be able to generate a broader range of social strategies when they decide that their current approach is unlikely to be effective, and hence should be more persuasive and humourous.I conducted a total of four studies to test this prediction. In the first study, first year psychology students provided a measure of divergent thinking and written measures of humour and persuasiveness. In the second and fourth study, university friendship groups and college residents provided a measure of divergent thinking and rated each other on humour and persuasiveness. In the third study, Ni-Vanuatu males provided similar measures of divergent thinking and peer rated social effectiveness, as well as friendship nominations I used to calculate social network popularity.Due to inconsistent results between studies, I collapsed studies one, two and four into a combined sample (N = 630) and found that divergent thinking is associated with the ability to produce persuasive written texts and, to a lesser degree, with the ability to produce humourous texts. I also found divergent thinking to be tentatively associated with peer-evaluations of humour and persuasiveness. These relationships emerged independently of measures of intelligence and personality.

Recent neuropsychological data have suggested that visual imagery and visual stimulus processing may share some common cortical processing areas. Because imagery involves the recreation of sensory images, it could be the case that the quality of the sensory inputs may determine the usefulness of imagery in problem solving. This study investigated whether a relation exists between sensory status and divergent thinking ability. A sample of 1,461 participants was tested for visual acuity, color discrimination ability, stereopsis, and pure tone hearing ability. Two measures of divergent thinking involving alternate uses of familiar objects also were taken. Individuals with moderate deficits in visual acuity and stereopsis (which are the abilities that will most profoundly affect relevant aspects of the images for these divergent thinking tasks) performed significantly worse. Performance of those with moderate color discrimination or auditory deficits (both irrelevant to manipulating the images) was indistinguishable from those without such deficits. Thus poor visual acuity and stereopsis may reduce success in divergent thinking tasks because the effectiveness of imagery in achieving novel solutions is reduced when stored images are lacking in details.

The creativity research community is in search of a viable cognitive measure providing support for behavioral observations that higher ideational output is often associated with higher creativity (known as the equal-odds rule). One such measure has included divergent thinking: the production of many examples or uses for a common or single object or image. We sought to test the equal-odds rule using a measure of divergent thinking, and applied the consensual assessment technique to determine creative responses as opposed to merely original responses. We also sought to determine structural brain correlates of both ideational fluency and ideational creativity. Two-hundred forty-six subjects were subjected to a broad battery of behavioral measures, including a core measure of divergent thinking (Foresight), and measures of intelligence, creative achievement, and personality (i.e., Openness to Experience). Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes (e.g., thalamus) were measured using automated techniques (FreeSurfer). We found that higher number of responses on the divergent thinking task was significantly associated with higher creativity (r = 0.73) as independently assessed by three judges. Moreover, we found that creativity was predicted by cortical thickness in regions including the left frontal pole and left parahippocampal gyrus. These results support the equal-odds rule, and provide neuronal evidence implicating brain regions involved with “thinking about the future” and “extracting future prospects.”

Computers will soon be an integral part of the classroom and home environment of children, yet there are unanswered questions concerning their effects on young children's cognition; Particularly salient are largely unsubstantiated claims concerning the cognitive benefits of computer programming. This study assessed the effects of computer programming on children's cognitive style (reflectivity, divergent thinking), metacognitive ability, cognitive development (operational competence, general cognitive measures), and ability to describe directions. Eighteen 6-year-old children were pretested to assess receptive vocabulary, impulsivity/reflectivity, and divergent-thinking abilities. The children were then randomly assigned to one of two treatments, computer programming or computer-assisted instruction (CAI), that lasted 12 weeks. Posttesting revealed that the programming group scored significantly higher on measures of reflectivity and on two measures of divergent thinking, whereas the CAI group showed no significant pre- to posttest differences. The programming group outperformed the CAI group on measures of metacognitive ability and ability to describe directions. No differences were found on measures of cognitive development. The increasing acceptance of the critical necessity for children to become computer literate is leading to an increased prominence of computers in the home and school environment. Yet there are unanswered questions regarding the effects of computer use on children's thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of computer programming on 6-year:old children's cognitive style, metacognitive abilities, cognitive development, and ability to describe directions. Seymour Papert, one of the creators of the computer language Logo and a leading exponent of the use of computer programming to expand children's intellectual power, based his ideas on the theories of Piaget, with whom he studied. Papert (1980) has argued that the most beneficial is what he calls Piagetian learning, or learning without being taught. He has proposed that computer programming environments can create conditions under which intellectual models take root, conditions in which young children can master

Several theories posit that creative people are able to generate more divergent ideas. If this is correct, simply naming unrelated words and then measuring the semantic distance between them could serve as an objective measure of divergent thinking. To test this hypothesis, we asked 8,914 participants to name 10 words that are as different from each other as possible. A computational algorithm then estimated the average semantic distance between the words; related words (e.g., cat and dog) have shorter distances than unrelated ones (e.g., cat and thimble). We predicted that people producing greater semantic distances would also score higher on traditional creativity measures. In Study 1, we found moderate to strong correlations between semantic distance and two widely used creativity measures (the Alternative Uses Task and the Bridge-the-Associative-Gap Task). In Study 2, with participants from 98 countries, semantic distances varied only slightly by basic demographic variables. There was also a positive correlation between semantic distance and performance on a range of problems known to predict creativity. Overall, semantic distance correlated at least as strongly with established creativity measures as those measures did with each other. Naming unrelated words in what we call the Divergent Association Task can thus serve as a brief, reliable, and objective measure of divergent thinking.

An important aspect of working with older adults is maintaining their sense of wellbeing. One of the key elements influencing healthy ageing is high cognitive functioning. According to the recent studies, divergent thinking (DT) is associated with cognitive reserve. Thus, DT may be a way to promote mental health and active ageing, delaying age-related cognitive decline. Assuming the positive impact of training on DT efficacy, an original cognitive training program aimed at enhancing DT was proposed for participants of the University of the Third Age. A pretest and post-test were conducted to measure the level of trained functions. The indicators of the variables studied were the number of Unique Designs from the Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT) as a measure of figural DT, the score of the Test for Creative Thinking – Drawing Production (TCT-DP) and the number of alternative uses for objects as a measure of verbal DT. Preliminary results showed that the training was effective in enhancing verbal DT performance.

Improv experience promotes divergent thinking, uncertainty tolerance, and affective well-being

The current research is aimed to know the effectiveness of education is typical Som SWOM Model of Educational and educational cluster Roberts Roberts Cluster Model of Education in the development of divergent thinking skills beyond knowledge.The study population was selected from first-grade students in secondary Euphrates of the General Directorate for Educational Baghdad Karkh / 1, the first experimental group taught according to (model educational Som) and The second experimental group taught according to (Roberts cluster model of education).Verified equal groups by group of variables and the two samples appeared equal in these variables.The search tool has the researcher adopted a measure of divergent thinking (Ola Rafi Hamid 2011) and also has adopted a measure (Abu Riash, 2007) to measure skills beyond knowledge, the results showed the Superiority of the first experimental group taught in accordance with the (educational model Som) in both posttest in the development of divergent thinking and in the posttest in variable skills beyond the knowledge upon the second experimental group (Roberts cluster model of education) and according to the results it has beevn reached to conclusions.

The present research aims to delve into the association between openness to experience and divergent thinking (DT), addressing the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal, emotion suppression and mindfulness. The study was carried out with 111 young adults who filled in the Big Five Questionnaire, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Participants also performed at the Alternative Uses Task. Results showed that cognitive reappraisal mediated the association between openness to experience and all measures of DT (fluency, flexibility and originality). In addition, mindfulness mediated the interplay between openness to experience and DT only when fluency and flexibility were the dependent variables. No significant results were found using emotion suppression as the mediator. These findings yield theoretical and practical implications about the role of emotional strategies in pursuing the ability to generate divergent ideas. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the relationship between the cognitive dimensions of creativity and Future Time Perspective (FTP) and to explore the usefulness of a real‐world measure of divergent thinking. The sample consisted of 135 female undergraduate students with a mean age of 19 years. Creativity was measured using Guilford's Consequences and FTP was measured using the Future Problem‐Solving Task (FPST). Consequences is a fantasy oriented assessment and the FPST is a realistically oriented assessment. Results showed that Consequences and the FPST were moderately correlated. These findings suggest that both creativity and practicability play important roles in an adolescent's ability to solve real‐world future problems. Implications center on the appropriateness and utility of employing real‐life problems in creativity problem‐solving tasks for adolescents.

This mixed methods study examines the relationship between visual arts education pedagogical approaches and the development of creative thinking abilities among secondary school students. The research was conducted across 28 schools involving 64 art teachers and 1,847 students over two academic years. The study assessed multiple dimensions of creativity including fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration, examining how different instructional approaches influenced creative development. Quantitative data from standardized creativity assessments and portfolio evaluations were complemented by qualitative observations and interviews exploring the creative process and student experiences. Findings reveal that inquiry-based and studio-centered pedagogical approaches significantly outperformed traditional technique-focused instruction in fostering creative thinking, with effect sizes of 0.52 standard deviations for divergent thinking measures. The research identifies critical pedagogical elements including open-ended problem framing, iterative experimentation, reflective practice, and supportive classroom climate as key contributors to creative development. Results demonstrate that visual arts education, when implemented with creativity-focused pedagogy, cultivates transferable creative thinking skills applicable beyond artistic domains. The study contributes theoretical insights regarding the mechanisms of creative development and offers practical guidance for art educators seeking to maximize creativity outcomes.

Is metacognitive ability a predictor of creative performance? Previous studies have produced conflicting findings. To clarify whether this relationship exists, the current study used eye tracking techniques and vocal thinking reports to explore creativity differences in individuals with different levels of metacognitive ability. One hundred and twelve participants completed the Metacognitive Ability scale, and were divided into two groups (with thirty participants in each group) based on their metacognition scores (the highest and lowest 27% of metacognitive ability scores). Then, participants in both groups completed two creative thinking tasks (AUT and CCRAT) while their eye behaviors were recorded by eye tracking. The results showed that participants with high metacognitive ability were better at divergent thinking, as evidenced by greater fixation and saccade counts, as well as smaller saccade amplitudes in the AUT task. In addition, Bayesian analyses provide anecdotal evidence that participants with high metacognitive ability tended to be better at convergent thinking. Furthermore, eye tracking results demonstrated that they exhibited longer fixation duration and more fixation count on the materials in the CCRAT task. These findings reflect an important role of metacognition in creative thinking, especially in divergent thinking.

: An effort was made to construct two structurally similar risk-taking tasks in order to evaluate inter-task consistency of individual differences. Only the mode of response differed between tasks. In one task, subjects chose their preferred bet within each of a number of pairs of bets. In the other, they set selling prices for these same bets. A measure of the subject's preference for 'long shot' gambles was obtained from each response. Reliable individual differences were found for each measure. However, the inter-measure correlation was relatively low considering the high degree of similarity between tasks. It is argued that the two response modes triggered different methods of processing information about probabilities and payoffs in a way that perturbed individual differences and reduced inter-task consistency. Information-processing considerations may be one important component of the situation specificity prevalent in risk-taking behavior. These results imply that high correlations are unlikely between risk-taking measures in structurally different settings or between risk-taking and other behaviors. (Author)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 crystallized the concern for accountability in education. National testing was mandated as a way to improve the “broken” educational system. Publicly funded early education programs were not spared from such testing. While the positive effects of high-quality early education on children’s later school achievement is well demonstrated, too many early care and educational settings in the United States are of minimal or poor quality. Accountability is clearly important for increasing the quality of our early childhood programs, however, it is not yet evident how best to formulate a standard of accountability that reflects the body of knowledge we have gained concerning how young children learn. In this report, we propose two major thrusts designed to bring about a more scientifically informed accountability system: reconceptualizing the ways in which we think about the validity of our test instruments, and reconceptualizing markers of development from products of learning (performance standards) to processes of learning. We introduce the term “empirical validity” to draw attention to the fact that assessments should be built on current empirical work in the various developmental domains. This report focuses on the domains of language and literacy, two areas of major concern for the Federal Head Start program and for which there is an abundance of current research. This body of knowledge provides many examples illustrating how an emphasis on process rather than product can be vital for improving the quality of education. For example, although vocabulary is centrally important and psychometrically adequate tests of early vocabulary exist, these tests do not measure essential aspects of word learning that have been identified as predictive of later language and reading success in early language learning literature. Our case study of language and literacy illustrates how today’s developmental science offers a new knowledge that can be strategically incorporated in assessments for empirically valid testing of children’s competencies. The same argument for “empirically valid” and evidence-based assessments applies to other domains of cognitive growth and to socio-emotional development. The future of preschool assessment would be well served by attention to primary research that focuses on the processes of learning. In this report, we also suggest that one possible avenue for progress in assessment would center on integrative and dynamic assessment techniques that would comprehensively capture the nature of children’s learning, minimize validity concerns related to context and culture, and evaluate how competencies in different developmental domains interact for optimal learning. To bridge the gap between science and policy, developmental scientists and test developers are urged to work together to create innovative ways to chart the developmental processes that support learning and progress toward social maturity in ways designed to ensure that research findings are continuously reflected in current assessments.

A new model is presented to assess divergent thinking from a neurocognitive perspective. Evidence is presented showing its sensitivity to capture differences in divergent thinking. This observational interview-based study used a two-dimensional matrix (grid) composed of dimensions derived from neuropsychology and cognitive science theory. Each category (grid cell) is related to a particular cognitive operation that putatively is mediated by one or more functional/anatomical brain regions. Using the coding matrix, data were obtained from 30 middle school students through interviews and think-aloud responses to questions. Students were videotaped while viewing rich pictorial material and responses were coded and characterized for divergent production using 10 coefficients: higher category responses, detail, spontaneous generation, perspective switching, category switching per probe, category switches per utterance, different switches, detail per switching ratio, new subjects, higher category responses and reasoning. Reliability was obtained by interobserver concordance and Cohen's kappa coefficients were calculated for the cognitive and brain functional references dimensions (.90 and .91, respectively). Individual differences were expressed as variations in divergent thinking, providing a convenient way of assessing divergent thinking that may be related to creative thinking in education. This model may have heuristic value beyond research on creativity by providing a theoretical framework to guide further research on the cognitive correlates of divergent thinking with brain functional modules by correlating brain imaging data with concurrent interview data gathered by use of the model.