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Convergent and Divergent Measurement of Creativity in Children NICHD

Author(s):
Ward, William C.
Publication Year:
1971
Report Number:
RB-71-40
Source:
ETS Research Bulletin
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
19
Subject/Key Words:
National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Association (Psychology), Convergent Thinking, Creativity, Divergent Thinking, Elementary School Students, Remote Associates Test

Abstract

Fourth through sixth grade children were given two kinds of creativity measures--divergent measures in which the child named all the ideas he or she could that met a simple requirement, and convergent measures, adaptations of Mednick's Remote Associates Test, in which he attempted to find one word which was associatively related to each of three others. Divergent and convergent measures shared little variance, and the latter were strongly correlated with IQ and achievement. Moreover, convergent items requiring production of the correct association were strongly related to items requiring only recognition. It was argued that in children Remote Associates performance depends on evaluative abilities rather than the size of the associative repertoire. (Author)

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