Janet K. Sawyers

Predicting Imaginative Play in Preschool Children

as original problem solving with ideational fluency as an essential component (Guilford, 1956, 1967; Mednick, 1962; Wallach & Kogan, 1965). These investigators and others (Getzels and Jackson, 1962; Torrance, 1974) developed measures of original problem-solving based on ideational fluency. These measures are frequently used in research designed to validate the aforementioned formulations of creativity (Milgram, Milgram, Rosenbloom, & Rabkin, 1978; Ward, 1968, 1969). In these tests the verbal and visual stimuli are considered the problems and the subjects’verbal responses the solutions. Considerable evidence for the

Stimulus Specificity in the Measurement of Original Thinking in Preschool Children

Summary A patterns task consisting of six stimuli, three presented in two-dimensional form and three presented in three-dimensional form were administered to 47 preschool children. The three-dimensional patterns task generated a greater number of responses than the two-dimensional task. Moreover, the two-dimensional task was related to intelligence whereas the three-dimensional task was not. In the second phase of the study the greater fluency elicited by the three-dimensional pattern task was found to be a function of the added dimension and not of the specific stimuli used. The implications of the findings for Mednicks response hierarchy formulation and the creativity-intelligence distinction are discussed. The findings demonstrate the importance of developing measures of original thinking which are specifically appropriate for use with preschool children.

The Effects of Training on the Quality of Family Child Care for Those Associated with and Not Associated with Professional Child Care Organizations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether training differentially affected family child care providers who were and who were not members of professional child care associations. Twenty-two providers participated in a three-month child care training program. Observers rated the quality of provider child care before and after the training. Results indicated that those who were not members of family child care organizations were rated as significantly improved after training, but those who were members of family child care associations were not.

Familiar versus Unfamiliar Stimulus Items in Measurement of Original Thinking in Young Children

Two sets of stimuli on the Unusual Uses task varying in familiarity were presented to 78 preschool-age subjects. Familiar items yielded greater ideational fluency than unfamiliar ones and generated both more popular and unusual responses. The importance of increased fluency is discussed in relation to Mednicks response hierarchies and the distinction between creativity-intelligence.

Locus of Control and Ideational Fluency in Preschool Children

The correlation of locus of control and ideational fluency was examined for 15 preschool children whose mean age was 51.9 mo. Original responses on a battery of ideational fluency tasks correlated .55 with locus of control scores.

Teachers' Creativity, Playfulness, and Style of Interaction with Children.

Abstract: This investigation examined the relationships among a teachers creative thinking, playfulness, and degree of sensitivity in their interactions with preschool children during play. These variables were operationally defined as scores on measures of ideational fluency, playful disposition, and quality of self‐reported play interaction. The Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure, the Adult Behavior Inventory, and the Play Interaction Scale were administered to 46 students and 37 teachers of three‐ and four‐year old children. The Play Interaction Scale, developed for this study, was based on environmental components identified in earlier research as facilitative of play. Subjects indicated the frequency with which they might respond in a structured, elaborative, or unstructured manner to 20 vignettes describing the play of children. Results indicated that the expected positive relationships among creativity, playfulness, and an elaborative teaching style were found only for the students. The pre...

Creativity and achievement in design coursework

Abstract: Findings from this investigation with 81 college students indicate that ideational fluency is a valid predictor of student achievement in an interior design course. Both original and popular ideational fluency as measured by the Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure were related to the course grade, design criteria scores, and the final project grade. Very few studies have found such a clear relationship between performance on any measure of creativity and actual performance in a course. The results suggest that the MSFM is a valuable tool for use in conjunction with other criteria in admissions screening for an interior design program.

The Stability of Original Thinking in Young Children

Findings from the longitudinal study demonstrate that original thinking in young children (N = 33, 75 to 98 mo.) is relatively stable between 4 and ages 7 and 8. The stability of original thinking (r = .54) was comparable to the stability of 1Q ( r # .44) over the same period of time. Original thinking defined as the ability to generate unusual ideas was shown to be distinct from intelligence as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-Revised. An order effect in the response sequence such that popular responses occur early and original later, reported in an earlier study with young children, was also replicated.

Original Thinking in Israeli Preschool Children

Original thinking, as measured by the Wallach and Kogan Creativity Battery, was examined in 41 Israeli preschool children. A larger proportion of original responses was generated by these preschoolers than by older children or adolescents. Original thinking was unrelated to Wechsler preschool intelligence scores. Quantity and originality of ideational output were strongly related. A more marked order effect — popular responses occurring earlier and original responses later in the response sequence — was found in high original subjects than in low. These findings duplicate those found with preschool children in the United States and indicate that the Guilford-Mednick conceptualization of original thinking has validity beyond a given Western society.

Influence of exposure on preschoolers' art preferences

Two studies investigated (a) the art preference of young children for realistic, stylized, and abstract styles; and (b) the influence that exposure to art has on these style preferences. In the first study, 41 preschool children (19 females, 22 males) were individually administered an art style preference task comprised of nine prints, three of each style, of well known paintings. Both color and subject matter variables were controlled. A rank ordering of responses indicated a preference for abstract over realistic and stylized paintings. A second group of preschoolers (22 females, 20 males) were administered the preference task both before and following exposure to a painting ranked as one of the least preferred in the previous study. The three treatments were (a) classroom exposure, (b) home exposure, or (c) exposure through classroom discussion about the painting and the artist. Analyses revealed that all three types of exposure increased preference for the selected painting as well as preference for other paintings in that style. The importance of providing opportunities for young children to experience art is discussed in relation to capabilities of young children, as indicated by the results of the two studies.