Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Four concepts that help to separate creative thinking from the idea of ex nihlo are. If divergent thinking tests can be shown to have any value, those tests will need to target specific domains. Divergent thinking an overview sciencedirect topics. Divergent thinking is the process of thinking that explores multiple possible solutions in order to generate creative ideas its a straight forward process that focuses on figuring out. Divergent thinking may be an important creativityrelevant skill in some, possibly many, domains, but because creativity varies by domains, so must divergent thinking. The goal of divergent thinking is to focus on a subject, in a freewheeling way, to think of solutions. Divergent thinking refers to the way the mind generates ideas beyond proscribed expectations and rote thinkingwhat is usually referred to thinking outside the box, and is often associated with creativity. Divergent thinking typically occurs in a spontaneous, freeflowing manner, such that many ideas are generated in a random. Five years later, when they were aged 8 to 10 years, those at genius level had dropped to 50%. Divergentthinking test an overview sciencedirect topics.
Divergent thinking medical definition merriamwebster. Learn divergent thinking with free interactive flashcards. Definition of terms for the purpose of this study, the following terms were used as defined. Definition of divergent thinking in the dictionary.
Convergent thinking is a term coined by joy paul guilford as the opposite of divergent thinking. Results showed divergent thinking rose in those who reflected on this compared with mundane tests. The impact of physical exercise on convergent and divergent. Choose from 19 different sets of divergent thinking flashcards on quizlet. It generally means the ability to give the correct answer to standard questions that do not require significant creativity, for instance in most tasks in school and on standardized multiplechoice tests for intelligence. The process of figuring out a concrete solution to any problem is called convergent thinking. The differences between convergent and divergent thinking in information processes.
Every person can be distinguished from the other by the way he thinks. In an abundance of enthusiasm generated postsputnik 1, the convergent style of thinking was rapidly equated with typical intelligence. Tests of dt are useful estimates of the potential for creative problem solving. Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring. According to anne manning, coinstructor of creative thinking. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word divergent thinking. It is not the objective of this paper to invalidate any definition of creativity, but only to investigate it within the design case, identifying the general lack of emphasis. Guilford thus associated divergent thinking with creativity. Apr 07, 20 psychology definition of divergent thinking. A cognitive process a mode of critical thinking in which a person generates many unique, creative responses to a single question or problem. Creative problem solving and design thinking epale.
Divergent thinking definition of divergent thinking at. American psychologist, 59th president of the american psychological association the main contribution to what is known. How convergent and divergent thinking foster creativity iqtype reasoning is only one slice of the creativity pie. Clinical psychological and educational services are offered in assessment, psychotherapy, curriculum design, school consultation and teacher inservice. Young children learn in different ways, with some benefiting from convergent teaching methods more than divergent methods. Divergent thinking definition of divergent thinking by the. In this lesson, you will learn to define divergent thinking and be given two examples of divergent thinking that are used in everyday situations. In mathematics education, divergent thinking, creativity, and play may play a key. Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. Learning about individual childrens learning abilities offer a preschool teacher the knowledge on how lessons should be structured to offer stronger convergent or divergent learning for individual children. Pdf designing spaces for creativity and divergent thinking. Divergent thinking and the innovation funnel ideo u.
While convergent thinking proceeds mainly along known and proximate principles of association, divergent thinking follows channels of remote association. Apr 29, 2015 when it comes to problem solving and idea generation, two ways are commonly cited, namely divergent and convergent thinking strategies. When it comes to problem solving and idea generation, two ways are commonly cited, namely divergent and convergent thinking strategies. The creative process doesnt always take you directly to the best solution but, by encouraging a variety of possible solutions, new. Given the challenge of operationalizing this definition to measure.
In an abundance of enthusiasm generated postsputnik 1, the convergent style of thinking. Pdf divergent thinking dt tests are very often used in creativity. Divergent thinking is the process of thinking that explores multiple possible solutions in order to generate creative ideas. Worse still, the blight of convergent thinking isnt restricted to medical students and clinicians. Information about divergent thinking in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. Divergent thinking and the design process semantic scholar.
Difference between divergent thinking and convergent thinking. Following divergent thinking, the ideas and information will be organized using convergent thinking. In this video, filipe takes you through what each of those entails and how to use them as a. This means generating lots and lots of options before you evaluate them. Divergent thinking is the process of thinking that explores multiple possible solutions in order to generate creative ideas its a straight forward process that focuses on figuring out the most effective answer. Innovative solutions to complex challenges, this constant switch between modes of idea generation divergent thinking and idea analysis convergent thinking prevents many teams. The sun 2018 some aspects of creativity didnt change much during the age range tested, notably the fluency and flexibility of responses in the verbal divergent thinking task.
Defining divergent thinking the word divergent is partly defined as tending to be different or develop in different directions. It is often used in conjunction with convergent thinking, which follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one correct solution. Divergent thinking as an indicator of creative potential article pdf available in creativity research journal 241. In fact, it is also a type of thinking very common in children, where joy, imagination, and a fresh perspective make their reasoning more free. In the spirit of divergent thinking, it depends on how you interpret my questions and the many possible answers you can see. Convergent and divergent thinking a pedagogical approach for classrooms. Thinking that formulates new solutions to problems. Brendan boyle, ideo toy lab founder we sat down with ideo toy lab founder brendan boyle to talk about getting comfortable with divergent thinking and moving from ideation to real innovations in the marketplace. Nov 17, 2017 convergent vs divergent thinking, differences. This chapter presents the basics of divergent thinking, covering theoretical support and an overview of the different kinds of dt tests and the various scoring methods. The goal of divergent thinking is to focus on a subject, in a freewheeling way, to think of solutions that may not be obvious or predetermined. Divergent thinking is the process of generating multiple ideas to maximize the range of possible solutions, applications, examples, etc. This paper will work to present an overall, more inclusive definition of creativity and clarify it in.
This paper will work to present an overall, more inclusive definition of. Pdf divergent thinking dt tests are very often used in creativity studies. Divergent thinking definition and meaning collins english. Fuel creativity in the classroom with divergent thinking.
It is a spontaneous, fluid, nonlinear mental approach based on curiosity and nonconformity. Guide your groups thinking process to new heights of productivity one of the simplest, most valuable skills a brainstorm facilitator can develop is the ability to read the direction in. Brainstorming, free writing, keeping a journal and mindmapping are examples of divergent thinking. Mar 18, 2018 divergent thinking, or lateral thinking, is about generating multiple creative solutions to the same problem. Divergent thinking is an important aspect of creative thinking. While the former is to a larger extent concrete, the latter is more abstract. Divergent thinking is not synonymous with creative thinking, but the research presented in this volume suggests that divergent thinking is an important component of the creative process. Convergent thinking is most effective in decision making tasks while divergent thinking is needed in figuring out probable options. Author of a threedimensional model of the intelligence and the concept of the divergent thinking.
Such brainstorming techniques are used during divergent thinking. Divergent thinking definition of divergent thinking by. What is clear, however, is that we need more divergent thinking, not less. Clinical psychological and educational services are offered in assessment, psychotherapy, curriculum design, school consultation and. Pdf a variation account of divergent thinking researchgate. Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate. It typically occurs in a spontaneous, freeflowing, nonlinear manner, such that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion. Assessing associative distance among ideas elicited by tests of divergent thinking.
Joy paul guilford one of the founders of the psychology. Innovative solutions to complex challenges, this constant switch between modes of idea generation divergent thinking and idea analysis convergent thinking prevents many teams from succeeding in the creative thinking process. Synonyms for divergent thinking in english including definitions, and related words. The approach one takes to find the solution to a problem can be categorized into convergent and divergent thinking. Several extensive batteries are available but most research relies on one or two specific tests rather than a complete battery. An analysis of convergent and divergent teaching on high school students understanding of selected lighting principles by. Divergent thinking dt plays a critical role in many creative efforts. Convergent thinking medical definition merriamwebster. According to guilford, creative thinking involves more of divergent thinking. Divergent thinking dt tests are probably the most commonly used measures of creative potential. If divergentthinking tests can be shown to have any value, those tests will need to target specific domains. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here.
How convergent and divergent thinking foster creativity. Divergent thinking is a longer process as compared to convergent thinking. This is different from convergent thinking which attempts to find a single, correct answer to a problem. Divergent thinking involves artistry which is associated with the right brain while convergent thinking encompasses logical reasoning which employs the left brain. Located in providence, ri serving the needs of gifted children, adolescents and their families. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to look at how convergent and divergent instruction affect student leaming regarding selected principles of lighting. Dec 02, 20 divergent thinking is taken to represent a style of thinking that allows many new ideas being generated, in a context where more than one solution is correct. Using the imagination through creative or divergent thinking during the. Divergent thinking seeks understanding the problem from multiple perspectives and generating multiple solutions. Divergent thinking, also referred to as lateral thinking, is the process of creating multiple, unique ideas or solutions related to a problem that you. One of the founders of the psychology of creativity. During problem solving, it is assumed that divergent thinking leads to original and innovative ideas. Synonyms for divergent thinking in english interglot.
The probably best example is a brainstorming session, which has the aim of generating as many ideas on a particular issue as possible. One of the early definitions of a creative product is a novel work that is. Mar 18, 2014 defining divergent thinking the word divergent is partly defined as tending to be different or develop in different directions. However, divergent thinking views concepts less rigidly. The secret to creating new ideas is to separate your divergent thinking from your convergent thinking. The goal of this stage of the process is to define a problem statement for the. Pdf on jun 19, 2017, leonid dorfman and others published a variation account. This book chronicles how a nation created as a confederation of sovereign states populated by a free people whose liberty was to be guaranteed by the federal government was converted into a country controlled by a fascist central government populated by serfs. A longitudinal study of kindergarten children measured 98% of them at genius level in divergent thinking. After another five years, the number of divergent thinking geniuses had fallen further still. Seeking as many options as possible fan divergent thinking 15. Divergent thinking is taken to represent a style of thinking that allows many new ideas being generated, in a context where more than one solution is correct.
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