Can the promise of reward increase creativity?

Two experiments, involving 436 preadolescent schoolchildren, investigated how the explicitness of promised reward affects creativity. In the first study, the nonspecific promise of reward increased the creativity of picture drawing if children had previously received divergent-thinking training (generating novel uses for physical objects). In the second study, promised reward increased the creativity of children's drawings if current task instructions clarified the necessity of creative performance. Promised reward evidently increases creativity if there is currently, or was previously, an explicit positive relationship between creativity and reward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing intellectual performance of culturally different, Inuit children with the WISC--R.

Examined problems in the assessment of intelligence using standardized intelligence tests for 366 Canadian Inuit (Eskimo) children (aged 7 yrs to 14 yrs 11 mo), whose Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R) scores (using the original WISC—R norms) fell below a scaled score of 70. Data indicate that a major factor accounting for the Ss' relatively poor performance was a verbal comprehension factor, with perceptual organization being relatively stronger. It is suggested that tests (e.g., Wechsler), as originally normed are not adequate to assess the intellectual and academic capabilities of children who are socially, culturally, and linguistically different from the children on whom the test was originally normed. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some child-rearing antecedents of criminal behavior in adult men.

Records collected during childhood (ages 5–23 yrs) and coded prior to knowledge of adult behavior provided information about the childhood homes of 201 men. 30 yrs later, information about criminal behavior was collected from court records. Multiple regression and discriminant function analyses indicated that 6 variables describing family atmosphere during childhood—mother's self-confidence, father's deviance, parental aggressiveness, maternal affection, parental conflict, and supervision—accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in number of convictions for serious crimes. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More misgivings about the Matching Familiar Figures Test as a measure of reflection-impulsivity: Absence of construct validity in preadolescence.

As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) performance was assessed in 52 girls and 54 boys at age 11 yrs and related California Child Q-Set evaluations obtained both concurrently and at age 14 yrs. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the relative influence of MFFT latency and error scores in the personality domain were compared. Results show that MFFT latency, by itself, accounted for almost no incremental variance in personality evaluations after error had been partialed out. However, the contribution of MFFT error was appreciable and unique—it was significantly related in many ways to behavior, even after its shared variance with latency had been partialed out. Only for girls were significant MFFT latency-by-error interaction effects observed. It is concluded that the results, consistent with those obtained for the same sample of children 7 yrs earlier and consistent also with the results of many other investigators, are incompatible with the original interpretation of the MFFT. The results are also incompatible with the J. Kagan and S. B. Messer (see record 1975-21125-001) conjecture that developmental changes occur in the meaning of MFFT performance. Evidence is offered for a competence, rather than a conceptual tempo, interpretation of the MFFT. The propriety of continuing to use the MFFT as an index of reflection-impulsivity is strongly questioned. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A creative personality scale for the Adjective Check List.

The Adjective Check List was administered to 7 male and 5 female samples comprising 1,701 Ss. Direct or inferred ratings of creativity were available for all Ss. The samples covered a wide range of ages and kinds of work; criteria of creativity were also varied, including ratings by expert judges, faculty members, personality assessment staff observers, and life history interviewers. The creativity scales of G. Domino (1974) and C. E. Schaefer (1972, 1973) were scored on all protocols, as were G. S. Welsh's (1975) A-1, A-2, A-3, and A-4 scales for different combinations of "origence" and "intelligence." From item analyses a new 30-item Creative Personality Scale was developed that was positively and significantly related to all 6 of the prior measures but that surpassed them in its correlations with the criterion evaluations. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Commentary: Divergent-thinking research and the Zeitgeist.

Commentary on an article by P. J. Silvia et al. (see record 2008-05954-001) which discusses the topic of divergent thinking. More than 40 years have passed since the publication of the Wallach and Kogan (1965) volume, and yet it continues to draw both praise and criticism from researchers in the creativity field. The Silvia et al. (2008) article tilts more strongly to criticism than to praise, and accordingly, one of the editors of this journal (JCK) kindly offered me an opportunity to respond. I do so with some hesitancy, as I am no longer an active divergent-thinking (DT) researcher. This gap in active involvement as a DT researcher was not a severe handicap for me in appraising the Silvia et al. (2008) article. Issues of reliability and validity of DT measures--the central concern of that article--have preoccupied investigators ever since Guilford's (1950) original formulation, a preoccupation that I shared. At the outset, I should state that I consider the Silvia et al. (2008) treatment of those fundamental issues to be methodologically sound. My intent in the present commentary, rather, is to demonstrate that the Zeitgeist at the time of the Wallach and Kogan (1965) study was quite different from that prevailing today. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of validity research on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition.

The Standord-Binet Intelligence Scale—Fourth Edition (SB—4; R. L. Thorndike et al, 1986) represents a significant departure from earlier versions of the scale. In the 5 yrs since its introduction into the field of intellectual assessment, a number of validity studies have been conducted with the SB—4. The results from these construct and criterion-related validity studies suggest that the SB—4 provides as valid a measure of general mental ability as existing tests. Support for the 4 factors hypothesized by the authors of the SB—4 is weaker. Research suggests that the SB—4 is a 2-factor test (Verbal, Nonverbal) for ages 2 through 6 yrs and a 3-factor test (Verbal, Nonverbal, Memory) for ages 7 yrs and older. Studies also suggest that the SB—4 can distinguish between groups of youngsters with differing intellectual abilities (e.g., mentally handicapped, gifted, neurologically impaired) and that the test correlates highly with scores on achievement tests. On the basis of validity information, recommendations for the use of the SB—4 are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A canonical correlation analysis of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability in a sample referred for suspected learning disabilities.

Examined the degree of overlap between the WISC—R and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery in 152 Ss (aged 7 yrs 4 mo to 12 yrs 10 mo) referred for evaluation because of suspected learning disabilities (LD). Analysis yielded 3 significant canonical correlations. The redundancy index showed that approximately 28.6% of the WJTCA subtest variance was predictable from the linear combination of the WISC—R subtests, and approximately 32.7% of the WISC—R subtest variance was predictable from the WJTCA subtests. Analysis of the structure correlations showed that the 1st canonical variates shared a general intelligence factor, the 2nd a perceptual speed factor, and the 3rd a numerical-memory factor. It is suggested that, if these findings are substantiated with a larger sample, the mean-score discrepancy previously found between the WJTCA and the WISC—R for children suspected of having LD is attributable to unique factor structures. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WAIS—R abbreviated forms in the elderly: A comparison of the Satz-Mogel with a seven-subtest short form.

The Satz-Mogel abbreviation of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) was compared with a 7-subtest short form (L. C. Ward, see record 1991-00137-001) in samples of normal and neurologically impaired elderly persons 75 yrs and older. The normals were 130 Ss from the old-age WAIS—R standardization sample, and the brain-damaged group consisted of 40 men with medically diagnosed brain dysfunction (average age 79.5 yrs). The short forms were highly similar in administration times, correlations with the WAIS—R IQs, estimation of the average IQ scores, and in classification of intelligence for both the normal and neurologically impaired Ss. Finally, both short forms correctly estimated significant Verbal IQ–Performance IQ discrepancies about 75% of the time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and change in adult intelligence: I. Analysis of longitudinal covariance structures.

Examines 2 questions of central interest in adult intellectual development—the equivalence of psychometric tests' measurement properties at different ages and the stability of individual differences in intelligence over time. A series of longitudinal factor analyses was performed using the LISREL program to model longitudinal data from K. W. Schaie's (1979, 1983) Seattle Longitudinal Study with individuals aged 20–74 yrs. Ss studied included 162 in Sample 1 and 2,250 in Sample 2. Results indicate complete invariance in the loadings of 5 subtests of the Primary Mental Abilities battery on a general intelligence factor. Individual differences in general intelligence were highly stable over 14-yr epochs, with standardized factor correlations averaging about .9 between adjacent 7-yr testing intervals. Results indicate that most individuals in this relatively select longitudinal sample maintained their relative ordering in intelligence. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's concepts of volume and flotation.

Conducted a pilot study in which children (aged 7–9 yrs and 11–13 yrs) were asked to judge which 1 out of 3 wooden blocks would float (or sink), given weight and volume information for each block relative to a block that was known to float (or sink). Analysis of explanations indicated that judgments may have been based on the size–weight illusion. An experiment exploring the basis of flotation judgments was conducted with 14 children aged 7 yrs 1 mo to 9 yrs 6 mo and 16 children aged 11 yrs 4 mo to 14 yrs 11 mo that involved a test for judgment of volume based on information integration theory. Results show that Ss aged 7–24 yrs accurately judged volume by integrating 3 dimensions—width, depth, and height—according to the multiplicative rule. A rule assessment of their flotation judgments showed no age differences in initial rule, with weight rules being most popular. However, after feedback there were marked age effects; the 7–9 yr olds abandoned their initial rule without finding an alternative, and the 11–24 yr olds were generally able to find the correct flotation rule. It is concluded that children aged 7–24 yrs can judge volume but 7–9 yr olds have difficulty with the concept of flotation, possibly because it requires mental comparison of 2 ratios, a task known to be difficult for 7–9 yr olds. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judging creativity: A method for assessing how and by what criteria it is done.

In 2 experiments with a total of 90 undergraduates, Ss evaluated fictitious protocols that varied in the number and uniqueness of the answers. In Exp I, Ss were instructed to use criteria for creativity; in Exp II, judgments were made according to creativity, intelligence, or gender. Productivity influenced the ratings under all 3 criteria with the largest effect being on intelligence, followed by creativity. Uniqueness had an independent influence on judgments of creativity, a borderline effect on intelligence, and no significant effect on gender. Protocols which had more answers were judged more "masculine." Results indicate that laymen share the same definition of creativity used by psychometricians and that intelligence is semantically different from creativity. It is concluded that the method offers an unobtrusive but objective way of assessing factors that enter into conceptual judgments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Egocentrism and ego resiliency: Personality characteristics associated with perspective-taking from early childhood to adolescence.

Examined the longitudinal relation between ego resiliency and egocentrism in 58 females and 53 males who were assessed independently from 3 to 14 yrs of age. Measures of Level 1 and Level 2 egocentrism were administered to the Ss at 3 yrs of age, and personality evaluations (the California Child Q-Set) were obtained at 3, 4, 7, 11, and 14 yrs of age in the form of Q-sort ratings by independent sets of teachers and examiners. Ss' intelligence was measured with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) when they were 4 yrs of age. The relation between egocentrism and ego resiliency was observed to depend on level of egocentrism and S's sex. For females, both Level 1 and Level 2 egocentrism were negatively correlated with ego resiliency concurrently at 3 yrs of age, but no long-term implications of egocentrism emerged. For males, Level 1 egocentrism was consistently negatively associated with ego resiliency from early childhood into adolescence. However, Level 2 egocentrism displayed no concurrent or any dependable longitudinal relation with ego resiliency. Findings support the usefulness of invoking personality characteristics to explain variations in cognitive-developmental levels among individuals. Possible interpretations of the relation between egocentrism and ego resiliency and the sex differences in the pattern of results are discussed. (72 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increases in depressive symptomatology in the rural elderly: Results from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Depressive symptomatology was examined in a large sample of noninstitutionalized older adults using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data showed age-related increases in mean CES-D scores and increases in the percentage of respondents scoring at or above the cutoff score of 16. Variables collected at baseline in the longitudinal study from 2,032 participants 65 yrs of age and older were significant predictors of depressive symptomatology 3 and 6 yrs later. Baseline CES-D scores accounted for the largest proportion of the variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Speed in test performance in depressed patients.

Compared the performance of 2 groups of nonschizophrenic, nonorganic, psychiatric patients—25 depressed (mean age 41.4 yrs) and 25 nondepressed (mean age 37.8 yrs) Ss—on several tests, including the Quick Test, the WAIS, and 10 speed tests and measures of ambiguous figure reversal rates. The 2 groups of Ss were matched for general psychopathology, sex, age, and education. No difference in the performance on power-cognitive (i.e., intelligence) tests was found. Depressed patients performed more slowly on psychomotor speed tests, confirming an earlier study comparing depressed patients and normal controls. Findings generally confirm those of the 1st author et al (1972) and those of several earlier studies summarized by W. R. Miller (see record 1975-20082-001). (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised intersubtest scatter in brain-damaged patients: A comparison with the standardization sample.

Assessed the validity of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) intersubtest scatter (as measured by the scaled score range and profile variability index) as an indication of cognitive impairment due to brain dysfunction. Ss were 216 brain-damaged men with means for age, education, and Full Scale IQ of 54.54 yrs (SD?=?14.56), 11.58 yrs (SD?=?2.53), and 85.65 (SD?=?11.02), respectively. The scatter indexes for brain-damaged Ss were compared with those of the WAIS—R standardization sample. Results indicate that intersubtest scatter among brain-damaged patients with Full Scale IQs ≤109 is not greater than for "normal" persons with similar IQs. Likewise, the number of patients at different ability levels with abnormal scatter was highly similar to that for the standardization sample. Interpretation of marked intersubtest variability as a sign of brain damage appears unwarranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Bender Gestalt: Use of clinical judgment versus recall scores in prediction of Huntington's disease.

Used Bender-Gestalt recall scores and clinical evaluation of Bender protocols to predict organicity in 2 comparisons in a total of 89 Ss: normals vs premorbids for Huntington's disease and normals vs Ss already affected with Huntington's disease (mean ages, 31 yrs for normals and premorbids and 38 yrs for Huntington's Ss). Mean Bender recall scores significantly discriminated between normals and premorbids. Chi-squares reflecting predictive accuracy were significant for both comparisons using the Bender recall score but were nonsignificant for the predictions by clinical evaluations. Hit rates for the recall score prediction, however, were not much better than those for the clinical evaluation method and were too low for diagnostic evaluation of individual cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the WISC-R for a psychiatric sample.

The WISC-R was factor analyzed for a group of 240 psychiatric patients aged 6–16 yrs. Three factors emerged that were similar to those identified by A. S. Kaufman (see record 1975-21128-001) in the standardization sample—Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom From Distractibility. Findings indicate that the structure of intelligence for normal and emotionally disturbed children is not qualitatively different. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)