Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0005-5992-080X

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Michael Spezio

Reader 2

Stacey Wood

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Vivienne J Swenson

Abstract

Children today spend increasing amounts of time engaged with digital media, raising questions about how screens may displace developmental experiences that support creativity. Although research suggests that unstructured play and even mild boredom can facilitate divergent thinking, few studies have directly compared unstructured, self-directed play with passive screen use in early childhood. The present study proposes an experimental design to examine whether 20 minutes of unstructured play leads to higher creativity scores on the Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM) than an equivalent period of passive screen engagement among children ages 3–5. Using matched-group assignment based on demographic, cognitive, and social–emotional characteristics, participants will be randomly assigned to an unstructured-play condition or a passive screen-use condition. Play behaviors during the manipulation will be coded using the Play Observation Scale (POS), and creativity will be assessed immediately afterward using TCAM fluency, originality, and imagination scores. It is hypothesized that children in the unstructured-play condition will demonstrate higher creativity scores and that cognitively complex play behaviors—constructive, symbolic, and rule-based play—will positively predict creativity. By integrating research on media use, boredom, and play, this study aims to clarify how contemporary childhood environments shape early creative thought and to inform practices that promote healthy cognitive development.

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