Creativity Among Adolescents: Assessing the Greater Male Variability Hypothesis and the Effect of Stimulus in Figural Divergent Thinking

Details

Supervisors

Barbot, Baptiste

Faculty

Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences psychologiques, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

In creativity research, there has been a considerable focus on distinguishing general and domain-specific creativity. Yet, the impact of specific stimuli on creativity remains underexplored. Acknowledging that creative potential develops through the “fit” between individual characteristics and task demands, our study delves into two key aspects : (1) investigating the effects of visual stimuli in a Divergent Thinking (DT) task – inspired by The Alternative Uses Test (Guilford, 1967) and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) (Torrance, 1976); and (2) exploring the effect of gender, as an individual feature, on DT scores. Additionally, we assess the Greater Male Variability Hypothesis (GMVH), suggesting that males exhibit greater variability than females in cognitive abilities. Our aim is to unravel the connections between gender, visual stimuli, and DT scores (i.e., fluency, flexibility, and originality). Our research involves 3,589 participants (51.9% girls, 48.1% boys), aged 14 to 19 (M = 15.86). We based our analyses on a longitudinal dataset to assess the participants’ creative potential through a figural DT task conducted in four waves, separated by six months. The DT task presented four stimuli: incomplete circles, squares, shapes, and parallel lines. A multi-correction system for protocol rating was employed to enhance the reliability of the results. Data analyses employ multiple linear regressions with random effects. Our study demonstrates that both visual stimuli and gender have a significant impact on DT scores. However, the specific morphological features of stimuli responsible for score discrepancies remain unidentified. Moreover, our results do not support the GMVH and suggest that gender differences in DT vary across the four stimuli. Challenging conventional notions, we emphasize the need for nuanced explorations of creative dynamics. Limitations and implications are discussed, and, in light of our findings, we propose recommendations for future research.