Flashcards for PSYC5016 Personality, Individual Differences and Psychometrics: Creativity I

Course Title: PSYC5016 Personality, Individual Differences and Psychometrics: Creativity I

Instructor: Anna Barnett

Focus: This course delves into the multifaceted nature of creativity, exploring its psychological underpinnings, individual variations, and methods of measurement. The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how creativity is assessed, the challenges associated with its measurement, and the theoretical frameworks that elucidate this complex construct.

Key Reading for Week 10

Main Text: Barbot, B., Hass, R.W. & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2019). "Creativity Assessment in Psychological Research: (Re)Setting the Standards." Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 13(2), 233-240.

Topics Covered: This week focuses on the intricacies of measuring creativity, highlighting the challenges faced by researchers in developing standardized assessment techniques. The reading discusses various methodologies and the importance of establishing stringent standards for creativity assessment to enhance the validity and reliability of findings in psychological research.

What is Creativity?

Definitions:

• Torrance (1975): Defined creativity as a set of abilities, skills, and motivations that are essential for effective problem-solving. He emphasized the role of divergent thinking as a critical component.

• Vernon (1989): Described creativity as the capacity to produce ideas or products that are highly evaluated, which underscores the subjective nature of creativity and its reliance on societal standards.

• Feldhusen & Goh (1995): Offered a more nuanced definition, framing creativity as a complex mix of motivational factors, serendipity, and tangible end products that emerge from the creative process.

• Feist (1998): Asserted that creative thought must possess qualities of novelty and utility, suggesting that true creativity cannot exist without these two key dimensions.

• Sternberg & O'Hara (2000): Reinforced the notion that creativity is defined by both novelty and usability, reiterating that creative outputs must be assessed against criteria of originality and functionality.

Challenges in Definition: Despite extensive research, there remains no universally accepted definition of creativity. This ambiguity often leads to confusion, as creativity is frequently linked to concepts of originality and usefulness, which can vary greatly across cultural contexts.

Theories of Creativity

Four P Framework (Rhodes, 1961): A foundational model exploring the various aspects of creativity:

1. Person: Investigates individual characteristics, such as personality traits and cognitive styles, that influence creative potential.

2. Process: Focuses on the cognitive mechanisms involved in creative thought and how they can be fostered in individuals.

3. Product: Examines the outputs of creative endeavors, including artistic works and innovative solutions, and their impact on society.

4. Place: Considers environmental and contextual factors, such as cultural influences and social settings, that facilitate or inhibit creative expression.

Types of Creativity

Big C vs. Little c:

• Big C: Refers to eminent and transformative creativity exemplified by renowned figures like Mozart and Einstein, whose works have profoundly influenced their respective fields.

• Little c: Involves everyday creativity and practical problem-solving, as seen in common activities like cooking or doodling, illustrating that creativity exists in a multitude of contexts and is accessible to everyone.

The Four C Model of Creativity (Kaufman & Beghetto, 2009): This model expands the understanding of creativity into various developmental stages:

• Mini-c: Represents personal insights and novel ideas that occur during the learning process, often leading to individual growth and understanding.

• Pro-c: Encompasses creativity at a professional level, characterized by rigorous practice, skill development, and achievement within specific domains.

Measurement of Creativity

Psychometric Assessments:

• Divergent Thinking Assessment: This form of assessment measures the variety and originality of ideas generated by an individual.

  • Examples include the Unusual Uses Test, Consequences Test, and Word Association Test, which evaluate different aspects of creative thinking.

• Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT): Relies on expert evaluations to gauge the creativity of produced works, enhancing objectivity in assessment.

• Self-report Methodologies: These involve surveys and questionnaires that assess personal creative behaviors, such as the Biographical Inventory of Creative Behaviors, providing self-reported insights into an individual's creative capabilities.

Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking

• Divergent Thinking: Characterized by the generation of multiple solutions and promotes brainstorming and idea generation. It is crucial for the creative process as it encourages exploration.

• Convergent Thinking: Involves identifying the single best solution to a problem, effective in structured situations where specific answers are sought, often contrasting with the expansive nature of divergent thinking.

Assessments for Divergent Thinking

• Unusual Uses Test: Participants are asked to identify different potential uses for a commonplace object to evaluate their creative thinking.

• Consequences Test: This task requires individuals to predict the outcomes of hypothetical situations, assessing forward-thinking and imaginative reasoning.

• Remote Associations Test: Engages participants in finding connections between seemingly unrelated words, a hallmark of creative cognition.

• Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT): A widely utilized instrument for assessing creativity across various age groups, incorporating elements of both divergent thinking and self-assessment.

Issues with Creativity Assessment

• Divergent thinking, while an essential component of creativity, does not always correlate with creative achievement, highlighting the complexity of measuring creativity accurately.

• Many existing assessments may lack depth in evaluating the evaluative aspects of creativity, which are necessary for comprehensive understanding.

• It's important to distinguish between domain-specific creativity, which pertains to particular fields, and domain-general creativity, which encompasses broader creative capacities across disciplines.

Future Directions in Creativity Research

• The field is rapidly evolving, influenced by advancements in neuroscience and the emergence of digital assessment tools.

• There is a growing need for standardized measures that can reliably assess creativity across various domains to enhance the applicability of research findings.

• Future research should consider a multi-faceted approach to measuring creativity potential and achievement, integrating various methodologies and theoretical perspectives.

Conclusion

Importance of Creativity Measure: Understanding and effectively measuring creativity is essential for evaluating individual differences in creative potential, with applications in fields such as education, psychological evaluation, and recruitment.

Ongoing Research: Research is actively exploring innovative frameworks and methodologies aimed at comprehensively capturing the diverse contexts of creativity measurement, ensuring that assessments keep pace with the evolving understanding of this intricate construct.