Patricia A. Haensly

Creativity and Intelligence

Consideration of the relationship between creativity and intelligence during this past half-century has occupied the attention of psychologists with varied perspectives (e.g., Cattell, 1963a; Coler, 1963; Guilford, 1950, 1959, 1968, 1981; MacKinnon, 1962; Roe, 1951, 1963; Terman, 1954, 1955; Torrance, 1960, 1967). Scientists working in a variety of other disciplines from genetics to engineering (see Simonton, 1984, 1985; Taylor & Barron, 1963) also have been intrigued by the contribution of intelligence to creative discovery and invention. And philosophers from Aristotle and Plato to Immanuel Kant, Brand Blanshard, and Jacques Maritain (citing here only those of Western civilization) (Rothenberg & Hausman, 1976) have pondered the origin of creativity and its relationship to rational thought. Professionals and lay people alike are fascinated by the topic, and, even more so, by the consequences of applying creative effort and/or intelligent action, and by the implications for their nurturance and educability. This chapter will provide a brief overview of past perspectives regarding the nature and extent of a relationship between creativity and intelligence and will propose and support a view of the two phenomena as integrated in optimal mental performance.

Training in Analogical Reasoning

Two experiments involving a componential approach to analogy training were conducted. The analogy training was organized in two phases: a short-term intensive phase, and an extended period of intermittent instruction. In Experiment 1, direct effects of analogy training and the far transfer to inferential comprehension were assessed for fourth graders of average reading ability. Results demonstrated a significant, positive effect for training on students’ performance of verbal analogy problems of the form A:B::C:?, but no significant effect on students’ inferential comprehension. In Experiment 2, direct effects and near transfer of training were examined. Subjects in Experiment 2 were gifted eighth graders and average-ability tenth graders. Results demonstrated both significant direct effects on students’ performance of verbal analogies of the form A:B::C:? and near transfer to verbal analogies of the form A:B::?:?. Implications for in-class training and for reading/language arts instruction are discussed.

Foot preference behavior during early childhood

Abstract Inquiry into the genesis of foot laterality has become a topic of scientific interest in recent years due to the potential utility of foot preference behavior measures in neuropsychological testing both in the cognitive and motor domains. With the goal of expanding the developmental perspective, this study examined foot (and hand) preference behavior in 205 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Results indicated that although the majority of children displayed a preference for one foot over the other (dominance), a large portion exhibited nonestablished (mixed) behavior. The distribution of foot preference behaviors remained relatively stable over the cross-sectional period, suggesting that foot laterality may emerge after the fifth year of life in roughly one-third to one-fourth of the population. Previously reported suggestions that foot preference is established before hand dominance was not supported by these findings, nor were differences in the degree of laterality found between the sexes.

The Chart Essay: A Strategy for Communicating Research Findings to Policymakers and Practitioners

The greatest impact of research stems from clearly communicating research findings to policymakers and practitioners. Chart essays are an effective communication technique for this purpose. They (a) link specific research questions to real policy decisions and practical applications and (b) arrange the answer to each question in a chart that highlights actual research data gathered in the field. A study on extracurricular activities is used to illustrate how this technique translates the methods-oriented report into a form that can be readily understood and implemented by practitioners and policymakers.

The Professional Productive Process and its Implications for Gifted Studies

The emphasis in many gifted and talented programs indicates a new focus on the end results of independent investigations by students (Renzulli, 1977, 1982). A major concern in implementing this type of program is how to assist students in selecting and developing meaningful products which can communicate the results of these independent studies to real audiences at as professional a level as the student’s ability permits. The manner in which successful professionals view their products and audiences is thus a reasonable model for gifted students who are capable of high level attainment. Therefore, a study of the work of professionals was conducted by the authors; the study was designed to examine in detail the production and communication of projects and selection and role of audiences. A questionnaire which focused on the manner in which professionals had achieved their most satisfying and successful results was used to obtain the information for this study. The content of the questions ranged from how the product or service was conceived to how a potential recipient for that product or service was determined. Information on the steps in the process, such as the source of inspiration, new skills required and learned, and the overcoming of obstacles was also reported. Respondents to the questionnaire had achieved eminence at the local, state and/or national level and represented the following fields: Communication (Journalism and Public Relations), Liberal Arts (Psychology, Anthropology, History and Political Science), Fine Arts (Architecture, Art, Writing), Science (Engineering, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Medicine, Oceanography, Marine Biology), Education (Veterinary Medicine, Health, and Educational Psychology), and Business Administration and Management. The projects described included products such as books, journals, television programs, and speechmaking; scientific discoveries and engineering designs; workshops, personnel training, and specific content in teaching; initiation of a new school and formation of a consortium of colleges; establishment of commercial ventures such as a retail food

Task Commitment and Giftedness.

The concept of task commitment should be an integral part of gifted education programs. Gifted students need support for productive risk taking to develop this trait and to create products.

Holistic Synthesis in the Social Studies: A New Approach to Enrichment.

The social sciences discipline relies heavily on five of the six levels of Blooms Taxonomy — knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis and evaluation — generally termed left brain functions. Synthesis is often neglected because it is difficult to implement. A holistic approach can direct the synthesis process so that the “big picture” is experienced and visualized, and meaningful integration of previously analyzed components can be accomplished. Holistic synthesis provides an alternative to traditional instruction, supplying the stepping stone to more effective problem solving in the social sciences

Book Reviews: Arnold, Karen. (1995). Lives of Promise: What Becomes of High School Valedictorians. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., hardcover only ,

tion through grade ranking an emptv promise? Is it possible that outstandingly creative life successes often have come not to those who so diligently sought the grade-point carrot, but to those youth who merely tolerated the system, or even dropped out of the race, if not during high school, during <.<>ll<.ge?> But I digress need to look first at the wealth of underhing messages conveyed in Karen Arnold’s rendition of Lives of Promise as she and her colleague followed the stories of life after valedictory success tor these 81 midwestern youth over the next 15 years of college attempts and carly actuhhooc) tasks, What are the issues examined by Arnold and salient messages extracted from her and Denny’s own markedly persistent pursuit of the valedictorians’ stories that might make you eager to react this ;<>li<iii<? In separate chapters Arnold focuses on nine areas of inquiry, intricately weaving the warp of descriptive narrative and philosophical perspectives with the woof of 18 selected case examples and quotations. In succession, Arnold addresses what being school smart involves, the valedictorians’ views of success in life after high school, the nature of early years of college and the &dquo;little fish in a big pond&dquo; syndrome (i.e., the larger competitive pool), contingency planning as a major gender issue for women but not men, variations in success channels from college to career, critical encounters in the transition between adolescence and adulthood, the reality of the thirty-something years, and the frustrations valedictorians experienced with their previously held belief in achievement as an appropriate life mission. She tops her list with the issue of whether high school valediction fulfills its presumed promise in individuals’ lives as a gateway to eminence or actually distracts from the realitv of adulthood.

29.95, 330 pp., ISBN 0-7879-0146-6:

The effect of a dissonance procedure on equilibration to formal operations was examined by assessing 30 third-grade subjects on response level to a lever-balancing task after training on simple balance and proportional tasks. Typical Piagetian responses were used as indicators of stage level. Subjects who indicated conservation of volume and lack of formal operations for the lever-balance task were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (a) a dissonance procedure, (b) information only, and (c) no information. An immediate posttest for generalization of learning and a delayed posttest for stabilization were administered. Subjects from all groups indicated advanced levels of response which remained through delayed posttests. It was concluded that interaction of the subjects with the measuring instrument was sufficient to facilitate equilibration which masked effect of the dissonance procedure. A more interactive dissonance procedure, elimination of the pretest on balance, and more information on the progression toward the proportionality schema at this age level are suggested.