Creativity and the Finding and Solving of Real-World Problems

Authors

Shawn M. Okuda, Claremont Graduate University
Mark A. Runco, University of Georgia
Dale E. Berger, Claremont Graduate UniversityFollow

Student Co-author

CGU Graduate

Document Type

Article

Department

Behavioral and Organizational Sciences (CGU)

Publication Date

1991

Disciplines

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Divergent thinking tests have been criticized for their low correlations with real-world performance. The primary objective of this study was to ascertain whether real-world problems are more predictive of creative accomplishments than problems contained in standard divergent thinking tasks. A second objective was to examine the relationship between performance on problem-finding tasks and traditional problem-solving tasks. Four tasks were administered to 77 elementary school students, with a check list of creative activities that was used as a criterion measure. Correlational results indicated that the real-world problem-finding measure was more predictive of creative accomplishments than standard divergent thinking tasks and the real-world problem-solving task. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the real-world problem-finding task added significantly to the prediction of creative activities, beyond the prediction from the other tasks.

Rights Information

© 1991 SAGE Publications

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

DOI

10.1177/073428299100900104

Recommended Citation

Okuda, S. M., Runco, M. A., and Berger, D. E. (1991). Creativity and the finding and solving of real-world problems. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 9, 45-53. doi:10.1177/073428299100900104