30 Creativity

Question 1

What is Sternberg’s general definition of creativity?

Answer 1

Ability to produce work that is both novel and appropriate.

Question 2

What is Beghetto and Kaufman’s (2007) typology of Big C, little C and mini C creativity?

Answer 2

Big C –eminent creativity, paradigm-shifting. E.g. Darwin, created entirely new theory.

Little C creativity –creative acts that ordinary people do throughout life.

Mini C - day-to-day problem solving in everyday tasks

Question 3

What 6 implicit definitions of creativity were identified by Sternberg (1985)?

Answer 3

1. Lack of conventionality
2. Integration and intellectuality (put things together in new ways)
3. Aesthetic and imagination
4. Decisional skill and flexibility (gut instinct)
5. Perspicacity
6. Drive for accomplishment and recognition (ability to push yourself)

Question 4

What is Guilford’s idea of Divergent Production?

Answer 4

The ability to generate as many possible answers from the same source.

Question 5

The question “How many uses can you think of for old tyres?” tests what kind of thinking?

Answer 5

Divergent thinking.

Question 6

If you sum all the responses of in a divergent thinking task, what are you measuring?

Answer 6

Ideational fluency.

Question 7

If you sum all the categories of response in a divergent thinking task, what are you measuring?

Answer 7

Flexibility of thinking.

Question 8

If you measure how statistically infrequent a response is in a divergent thinking task, what are you measuring?

Answer 8

Originality.

Question 9

What are the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT)?

Answer 9

Most widely used divergent thinking test. Has verbal and visual components (make pictures from shapes).

Question 10

How are the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking scored?

Answer 10

Ideational fluency - number completed
Flexibility - no of categories
Originality - statistical
Elaboration - amount of detail
Titles - complexity of title

Question 11

Does Divergent Thinking correlate with creative achievement?

Answer 11

Results are mixed. And there are confounds: if you ask people to list their creative achievement, then you’re testing same thing – ability to create lists of ideas.

Question 12

How do artists and non-artists compare on personality traits? What about creative and non-creative scientists? (Feist, 1998)

Answer 12

Correlation of .75 between being an artist and psychoticism, -0.49 with conscientiousness and .47 with openness.

Creative scientists have .49 correlation with confidence and only .30 with psychoticism.

All other correlations are small.

Question 13

What is Eysenck’s threshold hypothesis of creativity?

Answer 13

Creativity is unrelated to intelligence above a threshold of intelligence (approx 120 IQ). Below 120, positive correlation between IQ and creativity. Seems not to be true.

Question 14

What does CHC theory posit as role of divergent thinking in intelligence?

Answer 14

It relates to memory – thinking of different things is remembering.

Question 15

What is the correlation between creativity and intelligence according to latest (2005) metaanalysis?

Answer 15

<100 r = .26
100-120 = .14
120-135 = .26

Disproves threshold hypothesis.

Question 16

What kind of creative thinking is most highly correlated with intelligence?

Answer 16

Flexibility - ability to think of different categories

r = .21

Question 17

What is Wallas’ (1926) four-stage theory of creativity?

Answer 17

1. Preparation - definition of issue, collection of facts
2. Incubation - “sleep on it”
3. Illumination - “Eureka, I’ve got it”
4. Verification - checking, finalising