Wallach Kogan Creativity Test

Have you ever been to an art exhibition or a museum? If you have, you might recall being amazed at seeing so many unique and beautiful artworks. Each artwork showcased in exhibitions possesses its distinctiveness, even if they share a common theme. Similarly, no two songs are the same. Each song has its tune and lyrics, making it different from others. How do people produce new and innovative ideas that stand out? The answer is- creativity.

American Psychological Association (2018) defines creativity as the ability to produce original and novel ideas, theories, or work. Human creativity is the driving force behind groundbreaking innovations that shape the world. However, creativity is not limited to world-changing ideas. We use it to solve daily life problems as well. Remember, English classes? We were always forced to write lengthy essays during tests. Here, with the help of creativity, we somehow always powered through these essays by transforming old information into a completely new essay. 

What are Creativity Tests? 

In the last few decades, psychology saw a shift from a narrow definition of intelligence to a focus on emotional intelligence and creativity. The growing body of literature presents sufficient evidence against only relying on IQ tests to measure a person’s capabilities. Creativity tests were invented to fulfil the growing need to study creative processes scientifically. Creativity tests aim to assess the traits and qualities that makeup creativity.

Most creativity tests used today are based on Guilford’s theory of creativity, where he introduced the terms divergent and convergent thinking (Encyclopedia.com, n.d.). Divergent thinking works on the principle of creativity and involves brainstorming as many ideas as a person can. Convergent thinking is the complete opposite and involves narrowing down ideas to one solution. Most currently popular creativity tests are based on this theory. In this article, we discuss a popular creativity test named the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test. 

What is the Wallach Kogan Creativity Test? 

The Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test is a popular and widely used creativity test developed in the 1960s by Michael A. Wallach and Nathan Kogan (Wallach & Kogan, 1965). It was developed to measure creative thinking, particularly divergent thinking, introduced by Guilford. This test is highly regarded in the realms of creativity research and education, providing valuable insights into how individuals think outside conventional boundaries. The test aims to measure different components of divergent thinking which include: 

• Fluency: It refers to the capacity to generate numerous ideas or solutions within a small timeframe.
• Flexibility: Flexibility involves generating a variety of ideas and solutions for a particular problem. 
• Originality: It is the ability to be able to develop unique and novel ideas and solutions to a variety of problems. 
• Elaboration: Elaboration refers to the ability to provide detailed descriptions and organize ideas systematically. 

Component of Wallach Korgan Creativity Tests: 

The Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test typically comprises several tasks designed to elicit creative responses. These tasks fall into three main categories: Instances, Alternate Uses, and Similarities. 

1. Instances: Participants are asked to generate as many examples as possible within a given category. For example, they might be asked to list as many round objects as they can recall. The main aim is on the quantity and variety of responses rather than on a single correct answer to judge divergent thinking. 
2. Alternate Uses: This task requires participants to think of different and unique ways to use a common object. For instance, the participant might be asked to think of various ways to use a paper towel roll. This aims to encourage participants to explore unconventional functions and perspectives. It gives us an idea of their ability to generate innovative ideas (Runco, 2014). 
3. Similarities: In this part of the test participants are asked to identify similarities between two seemingly unrelated objects or concepts. For example, they might be asked to give similarities between a cat and a tree. The aim here is to encourage associative thinking and the ability to connect ideas even when they might not be immediately obvious. 

Scoring the Wallach Korgan Creativity Test: 

Scoring the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test involves assessing the fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration of responses: 

• Fluency: The number of relevant answers provided by the individual is calculated to judge the fluency of the individual. For example, if the person gives five ideas to the problem posed, then five would be recorded. 
• Flexibility: The number of different categories or types of ideas generated is used to calculate the flexibility of the individuals. For instance, if a person is asked to name a round thing, and the person replies with, moon, planets, wheel and plate, then a score of three would be given as the first two belong to the same category. 
• Originality: The uniqueness or rarity of the responses is compared with a normative sample. The score given depends on how novel the response is. For example, if the person has answered that more than 15 % of people have already answered, the response would be considered unoriginal and would be scored less, while if the answer is given by only 1% it would be deemed unique and given the highest score. 
• Elaboration: The amount of detail provided in the responses. For example, if the person is asked about a truck would be equal to zero, while a petrol truck driving down the highway would be given one. 

The shift to focus from IQ to creativity and emotional intelligence has been warmly welcomed by many psychologists. Due to the simple nature of administration and tasks the Wallach Korgan Creativity Test continues to be an important tool to study creativity. However, due to its subjective nature, the test is vulnerable to bias making critics question its validity. Despite, this limitation, this test is a popular tool for measuring and identifying creative potential in both children and adults from varying cultures. It has withstood the test of time and continues to be one of the most important assessments to study creativity. 

FAQs

1. Who uses the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test? 

The test is commonly used in educational and psychological research settings to study creativity in both children and adults. However, it can also be used in industrial and organizational settings to evaluate the creative potential of employees. 

2. What does the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test Measure? 

WKCT is designed to measure divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the ability to brainstorm and produce multiple solutions to a problem. The root of divergent thinking lies in creativity and thinking out of the box. 

3. Can the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test be used on children? 

Yes, WKCT can be used to assess creativity in both adults and children. It was initially designed to measure creativity in children. Due to the simple nature of tasks, the test can be conducted on younger participants. 

4. How is the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test different from other creativity tests?

The key factor that separates WKCT from other creativity tests such as the Torrence Tests of Creativity is its focus on only divergent thinking. Other creativity tests often focus on convergent and divergent thinking, while WKCT only focuses on divergent thinking. Its simple language and the nature of tasks make it a popular choice among researchers.