Synthetic and analytic thought: Similarities and differences among art and science students

Evidence is presented suggesting that differences as well as similarities exist between the thought processes of art and science students during the insight phase of problem solving. The nature of these thought processes was investigated at different time periods throughout the creative process with 122 students in art and science. Half of the subjects solved tasks corresponding to their orientation, and the other half solved problems not of their orientation. This allowed an evaluation of the variance attributable to task, as opposed to orientation. After solving the task, subjects completed the Feelings and Thoughts Questionnaire (FTQ) and a battery of personality inventories, including the NEO Personality Inventory, the Adjective Check List, and the Experience Inquiry. The FTQ is a self‐report inventory in which subjects rate lists of adjectives describing the thoughts and emotions that occurred before, during, and after the insight. Internal consistency and convergent validity were established for the two scales of the FTQ namely the Synthetic and Analytic Thought Scales. Comparisons indicated that art students tended to receive higher scores than science students on the Synthetic Thought Scale, especially after the insight. The nature of the art and science task did not contribute to variance in mode of thinking scores. The findings suggest that a differentiated view of the thought processes involved in artistic and scientific creativity is needed.