The Minnesota Studies of Creative Behavior: National and International Extensions

Abstract

On the basis of over 300 reports by independent investigators and voluminous correspondence from all of the United States and over 36 foreign countries, the author summarizes some of the national and international extensions of the Minnesota (now Georgia) Studies of Creative Behavior. In these extensions, other investigators have used the research instruments and instructional materials developed by the author and his associates. Instruments have been translated into at least seventeen different languages, and one book, Gifted Children in the Classroom, has been published in both Spanish and Japanese. In the judgment of the author, there is little relationship between the kinds of effort that have an impact on research and the ones that influence educational practice. The most popular topic of the research studies collected was the validity of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Unfortunately, most of these studies have been preoccupied with the relationship between measures of creativity and measures of intelligence and school achievement. Nevertheless, these studies did yield a variety of evidence of construct, concurrent, and predictive validity, and test‐retest reliability. The author makes a plea for future investigators to build upon rather than endlessly repeat these studies and make use of the theoretical rationales upon which the instruments and materials have been developed.

Creativity, Intelligence, and Personality

“…In general it seems best to summa rize these studies by saying that DT X intelligence rs vary widely (from zero upward) depending upon the DT tests, the heterogeneity of the sample, and the testing conditions. In a much-cited review, Torrance (1967) summa rized 388 rs involving intelligence measures and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and reported a median r of +.06 for his figural DT tests and +.21 for his verbal DT tests. Guilford (1967) reported average rs of +.22 for his figural DT tests, +.40 for symbolic DT tests, and +.37 for semantic DT tests in a sample of 204 ninth graders but a range of DT X IQ rs from -.04 to +.70.…”

The Torrance Phenomenon: Extended Creative Search for Lord Vishvakarma

“…Having established that the variations that are found in a culture are culturally and not biologically determined, a significant observation was made (Torrance, 1967): "If we are able to establish more firmly that some of our cultural discontinuities are associated with personality disorganisation and decreased mental functioning in certain areas that some of these discontinuities are unnecessary, imaginative teachers, curriculum workers, and administrators should be able to devise and evaluate the effects of changes which will reduce the discontinuities. " To arrive at such a conclusion and suggest such possibilities could become possible only by making cross cultural and cross national research which has provided significant insights indeed.…”

“…Torrance was conscious of the fact that in some cultures a rather severe discontinuity in creative functioning and development at about ages nine and ten (fourth and fifth grades) occurs, but "seldom was any attempt made to quantify and document this discontinuity. Perhaps it was too obvious to require such documentation (Torrance, 1973). In some cultures, development is relatively continuous.…”

“…He has disseminated the germ of creativity through his works and through his person wide and far and deep and lasting." Earlier on the basis of over 300 reports by independent investigators and voluminous correspondence from all of the United States and over 36 countries, Torrance (1967) …”

Creatividad, mapas conceptuales y TIC en educación

“…Torrance (1967), describe el método de la buena pregunta como procedimiento para estimular la creatividad en el aula. Según este método el profesor debería enseñar a los estudiantes cómo se hace una buena pregunta.…”