Duke University Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for ... more Duke University Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, which provided funds toward the production of this book. It took me a long time to come up with a page of acknowledgments for my first book. But the list of people I feel obliged to thank grows as my research broadens, and I realize that the older I get, the more people I am indebted to. This is a good feeling. Several scholars have read parts of the manuscript in different stages and offered me their valuable comments and criticisms. They include Sandra Luft,
Two studies investigated the effects of cognitive and school environmental factors on adolescents... more Two studies investigated the effects of cognitive and school environmental factors on adolescents' creative performance. The first study tested the effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on creativity among 89 high school students. The second study tested the effects of evaluation type and cognitive style on creativity among 92 high school students. Study 1 found main effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on creativity. The interaction between expected evaluation and cognitive style was statistically significant. Under an experimental condition of expected evaluation, field-dependent adolescents performed more creatively (i.e., higher originality) than those without expected evaluation. Study 2 uncovered main effects of expected evaluation type and cognitive style on creativity but no interactions between expected evaluation type and cognitive style. Adolescents performed better on the dimension of flexibility in a controlling evaluation condition, compared with adolescents in informational evaluation condition, and field-independent adolescents showed more fluency and originality than field-dependent adolescents. Together, this research provides a better understanding of the effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on adolescents' creative performance. Implications for further research are discussed.
Building on previous research showing a negative relationship between conservatism and creativity... more Building on previous research showing a negative relationship between conservatism and creativity, the present investigation focused specifically on religiosity in the context of the United States. Because of the association between conservatism and religiosity, creativity might have a negative association with religiosity, too. To this end, individuallevel and regional data were matched by linking responses to psychometric measures such as Attitudes and Values toward Creativity to regional data such as church attendance. These analyses controlled other regional variables including education, diversity, and socio-economic status. Two-level analyses with individual data at Level 1 and county data at Level 2 indicated that people from more religious locations held less positive attitudes and values toward creativity and rated their environment as less creative. On the other hand, creative personality, ideational behavior and creative achievement were not significantly related to religiosity. Those analyses provided evidence that creativity and religiosity have a negative relationship in terms of people's attitudes and values toward creativity as well as their perceptions of environment for creativity. Findings were discussed in terms of types of religiosity and other socio-cultural variables.
Background: A concern for scientific rigor has directed most recent research on creativity toward... more Background: A concern for scientific rigor has directed most recent research on creativity towards the study of unambiguous expressions of talent. This is problematic for educators and anyone else who is interested in children's creative potential. Focus of discussion: Creative potential should be the primary concern for educators. Theories of and methods used for enhancing creativity which focus on actual performance are misleading and may not help with the fulfillment of potential. Suggestions: Potential is not always obvious, but educators and others working with children should consider defining creativity in literal terms, as thinking or problem solving that involves the construction of new meaning. This in turn relies on personal interpretations. These are personal and new for the individual, not on any larger scale. This approach is consistent with the educational premise "to understand is to invent," and it allows educators to target students' self-expression. The emphasis is thus on the individual, the self. Equally significant for educators is that this view posits that creativity is widely distributed. Virtually every individual has the mental capacity to construct the personal interpretations that are involved. Conclusion: Creativity is something we can find in every child, not just the gifted or highly intelligent.
Joseph Campbell is the mythographer of the last century who has congenially opened the mythologic... more Joseph Campbell is the mythographer of the last century who has congenially opened the mythological universe to both scholars and to a wide range of people searching for pathways to enlighten their lives. His elixir of life was to help people “see myth as a reflection of the one sublime adventure of life, and then to breathe new life into it” (Campbell, 2003, p. xiv). The hero’s journey is his gift, his “ultimate boon” (Campbell, 2008, p. 29) for the human condition and social world. It represents a universal motif which runs through virtually all kinds of change, transformation, and growth. The main objective of this special issue of the Journal of Genius and Eminence is to explore the multi-faceted potential of the hero’s journey and perhaps shed new light on it. The introduction gives an overview of Campbell’s ultimate boon and a summary of each of the 12 articles that follow. Distinguished scientists and outstanding practitioners have joined this journey in tribute to Campbell a...
Duke University Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for ... more Duke University Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, which provided funds toward the production of this book. It took me a long time to come up with a page of acknowledgments for my first book. But the list of people I feel obliged to thank grows as my research broadens, and I realize that the older I get, the more people I am indebted to. This is a good feeling. Several scholars have read parts of the manuscript in different stages and offered me their valuable comments and criticisms. They include Sandra Luft,
Two studies investigated the effects of cognitive and school environmental factors on adolescents... more Two studies investigated the effects of cognitive and school environmental factors on adolescents' creative performance. The first study tested the effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on creativity among 89 high school students. The second study tested the effects of evaluation type and cognitive style on creativity among 92 high school students. Study 1 found main effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on creativity. The interaction between expected evaluation and cognitive style was statistically significant. Under an experimental condition of expected evaluation, field-dependent adolescents performed more creatively (i.e., higher originality) than those without expected evaluation. Study 2 uncovered main effects of expected evaluation type and cognitive style on creativity but no interactions between expected evaluation type and cognitive style. Adolescents performed better on the dimension of flexibility in a controlling evaluation condition, compared with adolescents in informational evaluation condition, and field-independent adolescents showed more fluency and originality than field-dependent adolescents. Together, this research provides a better understanding of the effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on adolescents' creative performance. Implications for further research are discussed.
Building on previous research showing a negative relationship between conservatism and creativity... more Building on previous research showing a negative relationship between conservatism and creativity, the present investigation focused specifically on religiosity in the context of the United States. Because of the association between conservatism and religiosity, creativity might have a negative association with religiosity, too. To this end, individuallevel and regional data were matched by linking responses to psychometric measures such as Attitudes and Values toward Creativity to regional data such as church attendance. These analyses controlled other regional variables including education, diversity, and socio-economic status. Two-level analyses with individual data at Level 1 and county data at Level 2 indicated that people from more religious locations held less positive attitudes and values toward creativity and rated their environment as less creative. On the other hand, creative personality, ideational behavior and creative achievement were not significantly related to religiosity. Those analyses provided evidence that creativity and religiosity have a negative relationship in terms of people's attitudes and values toward creativity as well as their perceptions of environment for creativity. Findings were discussed in terms of types of religiosity and other socio-cultural variables.
Background: A concern for scientific rigor has directed most recent research on creativity toward... more Background: A concern for scientific rigor has directed most recent research on creativity towards the study of unambiguous expressions of talent. This is problematic for educators and anyone else who is interested in children's creative potential. Focus of discussion: Creative potential should be the primary concern for educators. Theories of and methods used for enhancing creativity which focus on actual performance are misleading and may not help with the fulfillment of potential. Suggestions: Potential is not always obvious, but educators and others working with children should consider defining creativity in literal terms, as thinking or problem solving that involves the construction of new meaning. This in turn relies on personal interpretations. These are personal and new for the individual, not on any larger scale. This approach is consistent with the educational premise "to understand is to invent," and it allows educators to target students' self-expression. The emphasis is thus on the individual, the self. Equally significant for educators is that this view posits that creativity is widely distributed. Virtually every individual has the mental capacity to construct the personal interpretations that are involved. Conclusion: Creativity is something we can find in every child, not just the gifted or highly intelligent.
Joseph Campbell is the mythographer of the last century who has congenially opened the mythologic... more Joseph Campbell is the mythographer of the last century who has congenially opened the mythological universe to both scholars and to a wide range of people searching for pathways to enlighten their lives. His elixir of life was to help people “see myth as a reflection of the one sublime adventure of life, and then to breathe new life into it” (Campbell, 2003, p. xiv). The hero’s journey is his gift, his “ultimate boon” (Campbell, 2008, p. 29) for the human condition and social world. It represents a universal motif which runs through virtually all kinds of change, transformation, and growth. The main objective of this special issue of the Journal of Genius and Eminence is to explore the multi-faceted potential of the hero’s journey and perhaps shed new light on it. The introduction gives an overview of Campbell’s ultimate boon and a summary of each of the 12 articles that follow. Distinguished scientists and outstanding practitioners have joined this journey in tribute to Campbell a...
One short view (video, link below) on why we need creativity. There is also this:
Runco, M. A... more One short view (video, link below) on why we need creativity. There is also this:
There was a Creativity Crisis claim in 2011, using longitudinal data showing decreases in creativ... more There was a Creativity Crisis claim in 2011, using longitudinal data showing decreases in creativity test scores, the explanation being mostly educational. A second Creativity Crisis was described in 2015 and blamed the internet (and in particular pressures online to conform). New data suggest a 3rd Creativity Crisis. It is a direct result of the extreme conservatism that is now so apparent. It has led to a creativity crisis because 1. Apparently millions of people favor conservatism, as evidenced by policies now being supported by the Federal government (e.g., Trump and the Republican Congress); 2. Data show conservatism to be strongly but negatively related to several indicators of creativity; and 3. Creativity plays a huge role in innovation, advance, progress, and growth, on both individual and societal levels. This same empirical research also uncovered a positive relationship between Diversity and creativity. More diversity, more creativity. More conservatism, less creativity.
Trump's First 100 Days Demonstrate that Quantity does not Guarantee Quality. The White House list... more Trump's First 100 Days Demonstrate that Quantity does not Guarantee Quality. The White House list of what he accomplished in the first 100 days is moderately long, but severely lacking in quality. It shows that he is no Public Servant but is instead running a Presidency for Personal Profit. Social Scientists have long been aware of the fact that productivity can be misleading. In Trump's case, it is counter-productivity. Most of what he is doing is harmful, not progress.
This blog was originally published on the website,
www.creativitytestingservices.com
It covers... more This blog was originally published on the website, www.creativitytestingservices.com
It covers some of the difficulties with educating for creativity.
This blog, originally posted at www.creativitytestingservices.com, focuses on education for creat... more This blog, originally posted at www.creativitytestingservices.com, focuses on education for creativity, and the unknowns.
This blog, originally published in 2014 on the site
www.creativitytestingservices.com, covers t... more This blog, originally published in 2014 on the site
www.creativitytestingservices.com, covers the topic of Enhancing and Educating (for) creativity. There is a chapter going into the same topic in Runco's 2014 textbook on creativity (Elsevier, 2014).
CTS announced computer scoring of various creativity tests in April 2016. A few research papers h... more CTS announced computer scoring of various creativity tests in April 2016. A few research papers have also been published to demonstrate the validity of these methods. This is a blog that announced the computer testing at CTS.
Call for papers, Special issue of the Journal of Genius & Eminence,
focused on Joseph Campbell's ... more Call for papers, Special issue of the Journal of Genius & Eminence, focused on Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey
Uploads
Papers by Mark Runco
Runco, M. A. (2015). The real creativity crisis.
Creativity and Human Development. Published 27 January,
http://www.creativityjournal.net/index.php/component/k2/item/268-the-real-creativity-crisis#.VP9ot2d0y71 or
http://creativityjournal.net/index.php/contents/articles/item/268-the-real-creativity-crisis#.VS5QIvnF-Sp
1. Apparently millions of people favor conservatism, as evidenced by policies now being supported by the Federal government (e.g., Trump and the Republican Congress);
2. Data show conservatism to be strongly but negatively related to several indicators of creativity; and
3. Creativity plays a huge role in innovation, advance, progress, and growth, on both individual and societal levels.
This same empirical research also uncovered a positive relationship between Diversity and creativity. More diversity, more creativity. More conservatism, less creativity.
www.creativitytestingservices.com
It covers some of the difficulties with educating for creativity.
www.creativitytestingservices.com, covers the topic of Enhancing and Educating (for) creativity. There is a chapter going into the same topic in Runco's 2014 textbook on creativity (Elsevier, 2014).
focused on Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey