Do tests of divergent thinking have an experiential bias?
Abstract
Divergent thinking (DT) tests are widely used as an estimate of creativity. However, tests of DT may be biased by experience. Scores from these tests may depend on the amount and types of experiences of examinees. This investigation was designed to determine the degree to which personal and social experiences influence DT scores. Two different tasks were administered: Uses task and Problem Generation (PG). Fluency and originality scores were calculated for each. Analyses indicated that the impact of experience was similar in the PG and Uses tasks. Personal and social experience explained 44% and 30% of fluency scores for PG and Uses tasks, respectively, and 65% of originality scores for both PG and Uses. The differences between uncorrected scores (all ideas, including those reflecting experience) and corrected scores (where ideas tied to personal or social experiences were eliminated) were statistically significant, with the largest discrepancy in Uses fluency and lowest in Uses originality. Findings supported the claim that divergent thinking tests may depend heavily on experience. Alternatives for using DT tests without an experiential bias are discussed.
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Episodic memories are sometimes drawn upon during divergent thinking.
“episodic memories are sometimes drawn upon during divergent thinking (Gilhooly et al. 2007;Runco and Acar 2010;Storm and Patel 2014);”
From Neural Mechanisms of Episodic Retrieval Support Divergent Creative Thinking (2019) · cites this paper as Runco and Acar 2010
Episodic memory processes have typically been characterized as not very relevant for, or even a hindrance to, creative output.
“such processes have typically been characterized as not very relevant for, or even a hindrance to, creative output.”
From Neural Mechanisms of Episodic Retrieval Support Divergent Creative Thinking (2019) · cites this paper as Runco and Acar 2010
Some researchers have suggested that episodic retrieval is not very relevant for, and may even be a hindrance to, creative output.
“Third, researchers have tended to downplay the role of episodic memory in divergent thinking and some have suggested that episodic retrieval is not very relevant for, and may even be a hindrance to, creative output (Gilhooly et al. 2007;Runco and Acar 2010;Fink et al. 2015).”
From Neural Mechanisms of Episodic Retrieval Support Divergent Creative Thinking (2019) · cites this paper as Runco and Acar 2010
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Silvia, P. J., Beaty, R. E., & Nusbaum, E. C. (2013) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2013.05.004 · Cited by 247 · see citing works
Naming unrelated words predicts creativity
Olson, J. A., Nahas, J., Chmoulevitch, D., Cropper, S. J., & Webb, M. E. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2022340118 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Neural Mechanisms of Episodic Retrieval Support Divergent Creative Thinking
Madore, K. P., Thakral, P. P., Beaty, R. E., Addis, D. R., & Schacter, D. L. (2019) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhx312 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
- Authors
- Runco, M. A., & Acar, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Georgia (US)
- ORCID
- Runco, Mark A.
- Venue
- Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts
- Published
- 2010-08
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 144-148
- ISSN
- 1931-3896 (ISSN-L)
- 1931-390X
- OpenAlex
- W2032580418
- Cited by
- 92
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 9 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 3.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology of Aesthetics Creativity and the Arts (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Creativity in Education and Neuroscience
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Design Education and Practice
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Psychological and Educational Research Studies
- Keywords
- divergent thinking, creativity assessment, fluency, originality, problem generation, personal experience, social experience
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