Children's Original Thinking: An Empirical Examination of Alternative Measures Derived From Divergent Thinking Tasks

Children's creative potential is often assessed using cognitive tests that require divergent thinking, such as the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT; E. P. Torrance, 1974, 1976, 1990). In this study the authors investigated the effect of various scoring systems on the originality index, evaluating the high intercorrelation of fluency and originality measures found in the TTCT scoring system and the applicability of TTCT scoring norms over time and across age groups. In 3 studies, the originality of elementary school children was measured using TTCT norms and various sample-specific scoring methods with the TTCT Unusual Uses of a Box test as well as social-problem-solving tasks. Results revealed an effect of scoring technique on creativity indices as well as on the reliability of originality scores and the relationship between originality and other ability measures. The usefulness of the various measures for understanding children's original thinking are discussed.     

Measuring creative thinking: An activity‐based approach

The primary objective of this exploratory study was to test activity‐based behavioral measures of creative thinking with a sample of Hong Kong fifth‐grade school children, and also to determine the concurrent validity between activity‐based measures of creative thinking and standard divergent thinking tests. Altogether five creative thinking abilities were measured using the behavioral techniques and the children's scores for fluency, flexibility, and originality were compared with those from the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The construct‐related validity among all the different abilities on the behavioral measures was also calculated. Contrary to previous assertions about the lack of creativity among Chinese populations, the Hong Kong children demonstrated their ability to use a number of creative thinking features in order to solve problems. No construct validity was found between the different measures of creativity except between originality and fluency. Possible reasons for this are reviewed. The TTCT and the behavioral techniques were found to have some concurrent validity in relationto fluency and originality on the Verbal Tests. There was no correlation for flexibility. The advantages of using activity‐based measurements of creative behavior are discussed.     

Assessment of Creative Thinking Across Cultures Using the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT): Translation and Validity Issues

As part of a project to translate and administer the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) to Turkish elementary and secondary students, 35 professionals were trained in a full-day workshop to learn to score the verbal TTCT. All trainees scored the same 4 sets of TTCT verbal criterion tests for fluency, flexibility, and originality by filling out specially designed forms to allow item analysis of each of the criterion responses. This analysis outlines a protocol to monitor the responses of scorers at the item level, not a level of analysis that is normally performed on the TTCT. The results of item level analyses for fluency and flexibility data from the 35 trainees reveal new information about translation, training, and scoring. Based on these results, this article makes the case for item-level analysis for cross-cultural applications to prevent artificially congruent scores that will not predict accuracy in future scoring.     

父母教养方式对初中生创造思维的影响:自我概念的中介作用*

采用父母教养方式评价量表、田纳西自我概念量表和托兰斯创造性思维测验(中文版),测量了429名初中生的父母教养方式、自我概念与创造思维,并对其关系进行考察。结果发现:(1)父亲温暖、理解显著正向预测初中生的创造思维,父亲惩罚、严厉显著负向预测初中生的创造思维,母亲教养方式与之呈现出相似的预测模式;(2)自我概念在父亲惩罚、严厉与独创性间起中介作用;(3)在自我概念的三个维度中,只有自我认同在父母温暖、理解/父母惩罚、严厉与创造思维间起中介作用。作者着重探讨了父母惩罚、严厉,自我概念与创造思维的关系以及对父母教养子女的启示。     

Domain Specificity in Creativity Testing: A Comparison of Performance on a General Divergent‐Thinking Test and a Parallel,Content‐Specific Test

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which domain‐specific components, such as content and type of task, influence divergent thinking and creativity by comparing the performance of 112 ninth‐grade students on two parallel divergent‐thinking tests. The Verbal Forms of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) represented the domain‐independent measures, while two forms of a Creativity in History Test (CHT), whose items corresponded closely to those of the TTCT, served as the content‐specific measures. The results indicated that both content‐specific and task‐specific factors have significant effects on divergent‐thinking and creative performance. Implications concerning the definition of creativity as a construct and its measurement are discussed.     

A Comparative Study of Creative Thinking of American And Japanese College Students

Cross-cultural differences in creative thinking were assessed for 51 American and 54 Japanese college students. The American college students showed statistically significantly higher scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) figural test than the Japanese college students. No gender differences were found in either culture. Performance on the TTCT did not correlate with the performance on broad academic aptitude/achievement measures for either culture.     

Negro Responses to Certain Intelligence Test Items

Fifty-eight female undergraduate students were administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Figural form B, and the Washington Sentence Completion Test in order to investigate the hypothesis of a positive relationship between creativity and ego development. A Spearman rank order correlation coefficient was computed for ego development and each TTCT creativity factor (fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration), as well as a total composite creativity score. All creativity scores correlated with ego development at the .01 level, except for originality, which correlated at the .05 level. Results were discussed in terms of Maslow's theories concerning highly developed persons, and possible preconscious aspects of the creative process. Conclusions were drawn, and recommendations for further research were made.     

A Latent-Variable Modeling Approach to Assessing Reliability and Validity of a Creativity Instrument

ABSTRACT: A multiple-choice paper-and-pencil test was developed based on the constructs from the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The rationale of this new instrument was to shorten the amount of time required for the administration and scoring of creativity tests. This instrument was translated into Spanish and administered along with the TTCT and the Villa and Auzmendi Creativity Test (VAT) to 2,270 students in Spain. Teachers' ratings of student creativity were also obtained. Using a traditional concurrent validation approach from an earlier study, we found low but significant correlations between the scores of the four subscales of the new test and the same subscales of the VAT and TTCT, as well as the students' academic achievement measures. In terms of reliability, mostly moderate (internal consistency) reliability coefficients were found for the new test. As an alternative to the traditional approach, this study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) with multiple indicators to examine the validity and reliability of the new creativity test. The results indicated that substantial improvements in the validity and reliability estimation over the traditional approaches can be made by using SEM with multiple indicators.     

The Effects of Affect Manipulation and Information Exposure on Divergent Thinking

This study examined how affective states and exposure to diverse information influence figural divergent thinking using a pretest-posttest design. A total of 148 participants were divided into 4 conditions: positive affect, negative affect, information, and control. In the positive and negative affect conditions, participants respectively listened to the elation and depression statements of the Velten procedure. In the information condition, participants listened to the neutral statements of the Velten procedure. In the control condition, participants listened to word-processing instructions. Divergent thinking was measured using the figural form of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), and affect was measured using a mood questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted using the TTCT, mood, and state-trait anxiety premeasures as covariates; the TTCT, mood, and state-trait anxiety postmeasures as the dependent variables; and treatment condition as the independent variable. Results showed a significant effect of condition on posttreatment TTCT scores, F(3, 140) = 3.37, p = .0203; mood, F(3, 140) = 7.44, p = .0001; and state anxiety, F(3, 140) = 6.27, p = .0005. Comparison tests showed that the information exposure treatment resulted in significantly higher TTCT scores than the control condition, indicating that exposure to diverse information can enhance divergent thinking. Results further indicated that, although the positive affect manipulation was effective in enhancing mood and reducing state anxiety, it did not enhance divergent thinking scores. The negative affect manipulation did not appear to be effective. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.     

Effects of a play program on creative thinking of preschool children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a play program in the creative thinking of preschool children. The study used a repeated measures experimental pretest-posttest design with control groups. The sample included 86 participants aged 5 to 6 years (53 experimental and 33 control participants). Before and after administering the program, two evaluation instruments were applied: The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1990) and Behaviors and Traits of Creative Personality Scale (Garaigordobil & Berrueco, 2007). The program consisted of a weekly 75-minute play session throughout the school year. ANOVA results showed that the program significantly increased the verbal creativity (fluency, flexibility, originality), graphic creativity (elaboration, fluency, originality), and behaviors and traits of creative personality. In the pretest phase, there were no differences in the creativity of boys and girls, and the program stimulated a similar level of change in both sexes. The discussion focuses on the importance of implementing creative programs with preschool children.     

Don't Be So Hard on Yourself: Self-Compassion Facilitates Creative Originality Among Self-Judgmental Individuals

Self-compassion is a multifaceted state of potential utility in alleviating the self-critical tendencies that may undermine creative expressions among certain individuals. To investigate this idea, 86 undergraduates were randomly assigned to control or self-compassion conditions, following which creative originality was assessed by a version of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The manipulation was hypothesized to facilitate creative originality particularly among individuals who are prone to critical self-judgment, as assessed by a trait measure. This interactive hypothesis was supported: Self-judgmental individuals displayed lower levels of creative originality in the control condition, but equal levels of creative originality in the self-compassion condition. Results are discussed in the context of theories of creative potential, self-compassion, and chronic tendencies toward self-criticism.     

发散思维的序列位置效应：创新想法动态产生机制的新视角

发散思维的序列位置效应是指随着时间的推移, 单位时间内想法生成的数量逐渐降低, 但想法的独创性逐渐升高的现象。联想理论和执行控制假说分别侧重对序列位置效应的个体差异和认知加工过程进行解释。神经影像学研究表明, 在想法产生的整个阶段序列位置效应依赖于默认网络后部和突显网络的持续增强激活和协同合作; 在想法产生的后期阶段, 颞-顶区域alpha能量值以及执行控制网络与默认网络的协同模式增强。未来研究需要结合语义和神经动态分析等技术, 对序列位置效应的特异性机制、动态加工机制以及影响因素进行深入探究, 从而为解构创新思维的动态过程提供新的视角。     

Awe Enhances Creative Thinking: An Experimental Study

Awe is a complex emotion characterized by feelings of vastness and a need for accommodation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the experience of awe impacts on peculiar dimensions of creative potential in terms of creative thinking. Fifty-two university students were exposed both to an awe-inducing 3D-video and to a neutral one in a within-subject design. After each video, participants reported the intensity and type of perceived emotion and completed two verbal tasks of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT; Torrance, 1974). A direct causal relationship between awe and creative thinking was tested using generalized linear model. Results showed that awe affected key creative thinking components—fluency, flexibility and elaboration measured by the product improvement test—compared to the neutral stimulus. Implications of these findings for future research and limitations are discussed.     

The creative thinking and ego functioning of children

Abstract:

One hundred highly creative children and 100 uncreative children were selected from a sample of 1,450 fifth‐ and sixth‐grade children. They were identified with the the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Comparisons revealed significant differences in terms of quantity and quality of primary process content. The creative children gave not only more primary process ideation, but the quality was (a) significantly more libidinal than aggressive, (b) more regressive (greater DD), and (c) showed more effective use of regression in the service of the ego (calculated by using the popular response to score defense effectiveness). There were no sex differences in the TTCT scores or the primary process content, but girls gave more libidinal content and boys gave more aggressive content.     

Reliability and Validity of a Newly Constructed Multiple-Choice Creativity Instrument

An alternative method for testing creativity was investigated. A multiple-choice paper-and-pencil test called the Abedi–Schumacher Creativity Test (CT) was developed in an attempt to shorten the amount of time required for the administration and scoring of creativity tests. This instrument was translated into Spanish and was administered with the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and the Villa and Auzmendi Creativity Test (VAT) to 2,270 students in Spain. Teacher ratings of student creativity were also examined. Significant but low correlations were found between the 4 CT subscale scores and the students' academic achievement measures and TTCTsubscale scores. The reliability coefficient of the CT subscale scores was at an acceptable level; however, the correlation coefficients between the CT and the TTCT and VAT were moderate or higher. The results of this study have influenced further modification of the CT test items.     

The Creativity Crisis: The Decrease in Creative Thinking Scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was developed in 1966 and renormed five times: in 1974, 1984, 1990, 1998, and 2008. The total sample for all six normative samples included 272,599 kindergarten through 12th grade students and adults. Analysis of the normative data showed that creative thinking scores remained static or decreased, starting at sixth grade. Results also indicated that since 1990, even as IQ scores have risen, creative thinking scores have significantly decreased. The decrease for kindergartners through third graders was the most significant.     

Gender,creativity, depression,and attributional style in adolescents with high academic ability

The present study examined the relationship among gender, creativity, depression, and attributional style among high-achieving adolescents. One hundred twenty-eight eighth-and ninth-grade high-achieving students completed the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Children's Attribution Style Questionnaire — Revised (KASTAN-R CASQ). The results indicate that there were gender differences only on the verbal component of the TTCT, with females scoring significantly higher. For both sexes, there was a significant relationship between figurai creativity and a depressogenic attributional style. However, for females, high verbal creativity was associated with low levels of depression and a positive attributional style.The authors wish to acknowledge Monica Harris and Mike Nietzel for their helpful comments, and the Fayette County Public School System, especially Ben Oldham, for their cooperation and assistance.     

The Factor Structure of the Figural Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: A Meta-Confirmatory Factor Analysis

To investigate the factor structure of the Figural Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Figural TTCT), a meta-confirmatory factor analysis was performed. A sample of 33 correlation matrices from 26 studies (N_individuals = 6,982) was included in the meta-analysis. Four different factor models previously presented in the literature were tested to determine which model fits the data best. The results supported a 2-factor structure model in which fluency and originality subscales loaded on the innovative factor; elaboration, abstractness of titles, and resistance to premature closure subscales loaded on the adaptive factor. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Is What You See What You Really Get? Comparison of Scoring Techniques in the Assessment of Real-World Divergent Thinking

In recent years, the social sciences have seen a resurgence in the study of divergent thinking (DT) measures. However, many of these recent advances have focused on abstract, decontextualized DT tasks (e.g., list as many things as you can think of that have wheels). This study provides a new perspective by exploring the reliability and validity evidence for several methods for scoring real-world DT tasks (i.e., tasks situated within a real-world problem or situation). The results suggest a combination of objective and subjective scoring methods may be optimal for originality scoring for contextualized DT tasks, which stands in contrast to recent research suggesting the objective, percentage scoring technique may be optimal for scoring originality on abstract tasks.     

Minding the Dreamer Within: An Experimental Study on the Effects of Enhanced Dream Recall on Creative Thinking

Several studies have found an association between frequency of dream recall and creativity. We tested the hypothesis that training individuals to increase dream recall by means of a daily dream log would increase scores on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). One hundred twenty‐five participants completed a baseline measure of creativity (TTCT, figural version) as well as of dream recall, dissociation, thinness of psychological boundaries, mindful‐attention awareness, and well‐being. Participants were randomly allocated to two groups: the experimental group (n = 55) received a daily dream log; while the control group (n = 32) received a similarly phrased log registering memories of a vivid episode from the previous day. After 27 days, all participants completed follow‐up measurements identical to those at baseline. A non‐randomized non‐intervention group (n = 35) was used to test for practice effects on the TTCT. There was significant selective increase for the “creative strengths” component, which was only observed in the experimental group. There were significant correlations between creativity and dissociation as well as between creativity and thinness of psychological boundaries. Enhanced dream recall through daily dream logging fosters aspects of creativity. Associations between creativity, dissociation, and thinness of boundaries, suggest that increased awareness to dreams increases creativity through a “loosening” of stereotyped thinking pattern.