ERIC Number: ED036937
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1970-Jan
Reference Count: 0
Correlates of Problem-Solving Flexibility.
Greenberger, Ellen; And Others
Problem solving flexibility (PSF), an ability commonly assessed in creativity batteries, was studied in a sample of middle class children (grades 1 through 3, average IQ 114), tested on questions resembling Guilford's consequences procedure. An hypothesis linking PSF with alertness to and interest in the environment was generally supported, more strongly for boys than for girls. Children high on PSF had better recall for novel information and were rated higher on curiosity by their teachers. Boys who were high on PSF show what Neumann and Helson have called a patriarchal pattern of intrusive, active, assertive personality characteristics. The pattern for girls was somewhat more subdued, but still suggested responsiveness to novelty and diversity of experience. PSF was associated positively but weakly with IQ, was negligibly related to test anxiety, and was positively correlated with school achievement. The relations of creativity to cognitive, personality, and motivational variables were also surveyed. (Author/JD)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Achievement Need, Age Differences, Anxiety, Cognitive Processes, Creative Thinking, Creativity, Creativity Research, Curiosity, Family Structure, Individual Characteristics, Intelligence Differences, Learning, Memory, Motivation, Problem Solving, Sex Differences, Siblings
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD. Center for the Study of Social Organization of Schools.