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One‐Year‐Olds Think Creatively, Just Like Their Parents
Author(s) -
Hoicka Elena,
Mowat Rachael,
Kirkwood Joanne,
Kerr Tiffany,
Carberry Megan,
Bijvoetvan den Berg Simone
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12531
Subject(s) - psychology , creativity , developmental psychology , life span , adaptation (eye) , psychological intervention , child development , creative thinking , social psychology , gerontology , medicine , neuroscience , psychiatry
Creativity is an essential human ability, allowing adaptation and survival. Twenty‐nine 1‐year‐olds and their parents were tested on divergent thinking (DT), a measure of creative potential counting how many ideas one can generate. Toddlers' and parents' DT was moderately to highly correlated. Toddlers showed a wide range of DT scores, which were reliable on retesting. This is the first study to show children think divergently as early as 1 year. This research also suggests 1‐year‐olds' DT is related to parents', opening up future research into whether this relationship is due to genetics and/or social learning at its emergence. Understanding DT at its emergence could allow for interventions while neurological development is most plastic, which could improve DT across the life span.