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The measure of creativity

  • Writer: Manan Ambani
    Manan Ambani
  • Feb 6, 2021
  • 8 min read

How do you measure creativity? In many ways, the real challenge to measuring creativity lies in defining it. What is creativity? What is it not? How do you determine whether creativity is present or not?In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most common methods of measuring creativity, and some of the problems often encountered by researchers who use them.What is Creativity?At its most basic level, creativity is a measure of how original an idea is. This is why most creativity measures are based on the notion of novelty – the level of originality of an idea. This is the most basic form of creativity, and therefore the most obvious, but it’s just as problematic as it is useful.There are many problems with the notion of novelty. The biggest problem is that it’s subjective. What is original to me may not be original to you, and vice versa. If you were to define creativity purely in terms of novelty, then you’d be left with a lot of potential for error – what’s novel to me may not be novel to you. This is why creativity researchers use different methods of measurement.Another problem with the notion of novelty is that it’s not something which is made. An idea is not something you create, it’s something that is created. If we say that an idea is creative, then we’re saying that it wasn’t there beforehand. This makes it highly circular – if it weren’t creative, then it would have already been there.This problem is compounded by the fact that, in many cases, an idea that’s considered creative isn’t really. The idea that the earth goes round the sun seems to be a pretty original idea, but it’s not really. It’s not original because it’s not new. It’s a pretty classic example of an intuitive thought – the earth is round. We’ve known this for thousands of years, and it’s not really something that we’ve just recently discovered. So, the idea of creativity is a bit of a paradox.We can try to define creativity in terms of originality, but what we really need is another way of measuring creativity. This is where we can build on the notion of novelty. For the sake of this article, we’ll concentrate on the notion of novelty.How to Measure CreativityIn order to measure creativity, we have to identify something that we can measure, and then measure it. This is because we want to measure the creative process, not the final product.There are a number of different methods of measuring creativity, and they are often used alongside each other.

One of the most common methods of measuring creativity is the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking consists of four different sections – verbal analogies; original analogies; grouping; and free association. Each section has a different aim, and each section is scored.Verbal Analogies: This section is a series of word analogies. There is a series of words which are presented, and you’re asked to choose the one which is most like another word. For example, you might be presented with the following words:

AUSTIN

BANANA

CALIFORNIA

SUNSHINE

You might be asked to choose the one which is most like the word sunshine.

Original Analogies: This section is similar to the verbal analogies section, but instead of having to choose the analogy, you are given a series of word analogies, and you are asked to choose the one which is most original.

Grouping: This section is a series of word analogies which contain two different words which are related in some way. For example, you might be asked to choose the one which is most similar in meaning to the word sunshine.

Free Association: In this section, you are asked to write down any word which comes into your head, and then write down the first word which comes into your head once you’ve written the word down.

For example, you might be asked to write down the word sunshine, and then write down the word moon.

You might be asked to take each section of the test three times.


1. Ability, Interest and Effort

The ability, interest and effort method is a very simple way of measuring creativity, and it is the most common among teachers and students. It is easy to understand and use, and it is simple to record.A student is given a question, and they are asked to come up with as many different answers as possible. It is up to them to come up with the best answers. The teacher then scores the answers, and they keep a record of the best ones.The ability, interest and effort method is very popular in schools because it allows teachers to give students as much as encouragement as possible. It also allows them to see how creative students are.This method is also praised for being effective. It allows students to be as creative as they want to be, and it encourages them to think outside of the box.

2. The Wild and Crazy Eights Method

The wild and crazy eights method is a similar method to the ability, interest and effort method. The only difference is that students are given a list of ideas, and they draw a random number between one and eight.This number is then added to the list of ideas, and the students are asked to come up with as many different answers to the question as possible.The wild and crazy eights method is sometimes used by students who are unable to come up with many different answers. They are usually very creative, but they just need a little encouragement to get started.

3. The Visual Design Method

The visual design method is more of a way of thinking than it is a creative method. It is a very popular method of measuring creativity, and it is used in many different areas of life.When using this method, students are asked to come up with a visual design which answers the question. This could be an image, a drawing or a written statement.The visual design method allows students to think creatively when they are presented with a question. They are then able to use their imagination to come up with a design.

4. The A Beka Book Method

The A Beka book method is similar to the visual design method, but it is designed to be a little more challenging. It is a method that is used in the classroom to encourage students to think creatively.The A Beka book method is designed to be used as a teaching tool. It is a way for students to use their imagination when they are reading a book, and they will come up with their own answers to the questions.The A Beka book method is very popular with students who are not as creative as others. If they are not able to come up with their own answers to the questions, then this method is a good way for them to think outside of the box.


Creativity is, as you might have guessed, very difficult to pin down. There are a number of different methods of measuring creativity, and they are often used alongside each other. We’re going to look at four of the most common methods.Creativity is a difficult thing to measure, and there are a number of different methods used to do so, often alongside each other. We’re going to look at four of the most common methods.

META-ANALYSIS

The meta-analysis method was developed by a mathematician called Robert Sternberg in the 1960s. This is probably the most common method of measuring creativity.To use this method, you have to look at the original research studies into creativity, and then review their results and come to your own conclusions about what they mean.One of the most important things you have to do when you’re doing a meta-analysis is to make sure it is a valid study. That means it has to have been conducted properly and with a random sample of people. It should also be done in a number of places, and the results should be consistent.

META-ANALYSIS RESULTS

Sternberg’s results suggest that the most common method of creativity is the convergent approach, in which the task itself leads you to the answer. This is typically found in tasks that require the individual to combine ideas in a new way, such as the famous remote associates test, in which subjects are asked to come up with a new word for a given word.The divergent approach is also common, but it is more likely to result in the generation of many different ideas. Divergent thinking tasks can include tasks such as the famous Tellegen Absorption Scale, in which subjects are asked to come up with a number of adjectives that describe a person.The third approach is called the integrative approach, and this is the one that is least common. In this case, the individual has to combine ideas that have already been generated in order to come up with a new idea. This is typically found in tasks such as the famous Tower of London test, in which subjects are asked to rearrange a pile of blocks in order of size, smallest to largest.

META-ANALYSIS AND CREATIVITY

The most interesting thing about meta-analysis is what it says about the different types of creativity. This is because it tends to show that most creativity is convergent, and that most divergent thinking is actually a kind of convergent thinking.In order to do this, you have to look at the results of the different studies that have been conducted. If you look at the results of the original studies, then you will find that the divergent tasks tend to be the easiest, as subjects tend to come up with many other ideas.In contrast, the convergent tasks usually require subjects to come up with a single idea, and it tends to be more difficult. What this means is that divergent tasks are easier to do than convergent tasks, but when you look at the results of these tasks, you see that they are essentially the same as convergent tasks.The conclusion is that if you want to measure creativity, then you should measure the easiest tasks, as the results are likely to be the most accurate.

EMPIRICAL METHOD

The empirical method is a method of measurement developed by psychologist Thomas F. Pettigrew. This is a very popular way of measuring creativity, and it is often used alongside the other methods.The idea behind this method is that you take a large number of people and ask them to come up with as many ideas as they can for a particular topic. This is then measured using a number of different tests. The best measure of creativity is the number of ideas generated, and you will also want to consider how creative your subjects are.The most popular measure is the number of ideas generated. You usually want to measure this in terms of the number of unique ideas, as it’s not always clear what is a good idea. This is done by adding up all the ideas that are generated by each subject, and dividing this by the number of subjects.Another measure of creativity is how creative the subjects are. This is usually measured by looking at the average number of ideas generated by each subject. This is calculated by dividing the number of ideas generated by the number of content words in the ideas.

EMPIRICAL METHOD RESULTS

The empirical method tends to show that the most common method of creativity is the convergent approach. In fact, the results are very similar to the results of the meta-analysis, and most of the time, the two methods are very similar.The most important thing to remember about the empirical method is that it is a very good way of measuring the number of ideas generated by each person. This is because it is done in a standardized way, but it is less useful for measuring creativity itself.

EMPIRICAL METHOD AND CREATIVITY

The results of the empirical method are very similar to the results of the meta-analysis. This means it is very useful for measuring the number of ideas generated in a task, but it is less useful for measuring the quality of the ideas.The meta-analysis method tends to show that most creativity is convergent in nature, which is consistent with the general view of human creativity. This can be a bit of a problem, as it means that many people are forgetting the importance of divergent thinking.One thing that the meta-analysis and the empirical method have in common is that they tend to show that creativity is a very ordinary human activity. This is not a bad thing, but it does mean that it is not something you can teach people.Creativity also tends to be very difficult to measure, which is why there are so many different ways of doing so.


If you’re interested in measuring creativity, then you will probably want to use a combination of the different methods.

 
 
 

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