Divergent Thinking:

by Mark A. Runco

The research presented in this volume suggests that divergent thinking is an important component of the creative process. Divergent thinking tests are probably the most commonly used measure of children's potential for creative thinking. There are a number of unanswered questions about children's divergent thinking and creativity which are answered throughout the volume and may be identified as themes in the research. The first theme is that the capacity for divergent thinking may not be normally distributed across all levels of ability (a relevant premise is that creative abilities are not evenly distributed across domains of performance and achievement). A second theme is that divergent thinking is influenced by the conditions under which it is assessed. A third theme of the book is methodological; several chapters explore existing evaluations of divergent thinking tests. A final theme is that divergent thinking is important for both basic and applied research. From the perspective of basic research, the divergent thinking model offers an empirically supported view of a cognitive process. From the applied perspective, divergent thinking can be viewed as one component of giftedness and predictive of several expressions of real-world creativity.

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Vicky Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bedrock reading for anyone interested in the psychology of innovation, creativity and problem-solving. A most excellent compilation of research articles on divergent thinking. In this work, Runco has collected the seminal research studies on divergent thinking up through the close of the 1980s. Consider it a handy pocket guide. I grew up in a time of convergent thinking -- IQ tests where widely touted as "the measure" of one's intelligence based on a measure of one's ability to arrive at or "converge" on a single RIGHT answer by following rules and logic. Post graduate school I ran into the concept of "divergent thinking," the idea that perhaps there was/is a type of intelligence that is more interested in creative thinking; rule breaking in an effort to arrive at novel solutions. Divergent thinking allows one to knit together a lot of disparate ideas and notions into several possible solutions. It is the type of thinking most commonly associated with artists, inventors, writers and entrepreneurs. This essential collection of research opens the door to the idea of divergent thinking as an important problem solving strategy. It heralds the modern research and writings on multiple intelligences and the psychology of flow and creativity.