Divergent thinking

Divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It is often used in conjunction with convergent thinking, which follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct" solution. Divergent thinking typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing manner, such that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion. Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are drawn. After the process of divergent thinking has been completed, ideas and information are organized and structured using convergent thinking.[1]

Psychologists have found that a high IQ alone does not guarantee creativity. Instead, personality traits that promote divergent thinking are more important. Divergent thinking is found among people with personalities which have traits such as nonconformity, curiosity, willingness to take risks, and persistence.[2] Additionally, researchers at Vanderbilt University found that musicians are more adept at utilizing both hemispheres and more likely to use divergent thinking in their thought processes.[3]

Activities which promote divergent thinking include creating lists of questions, setting aside time for thinking and meditation, brainstorming, subject mapping / "bubble mapping", keeping a journal, creating artwork, and free writing.[1] In free writing, a person will focus on one particular topic and write non-stop about it for a short period of time, in a stream of consciousness fashion.[1]

See also

Nicolas P. Rougier's rendering of the human brain.png Thinking portal

References

  1. ^ a b c "Strategies of Divergent Thinking". University of Washington. http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/imdt.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-06. 
  2. ^ Wade, Carole; Tavris, Carol (2008). Inviation to Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson - Prentice Hall. pp. 258. ISBN 0-13-601609. 
  3. ^ "Musicians use both sides of their brains more frequently than average people". PhysOrg.com. 2008-10-02. http://www.physorg.com/news142185056.html. Retrieved 2009-08-06. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • divergent thinking — noun thinking that moves away in diverging directions so as to involve a variety of aspects and which sometimes lead to novel ideas and solutions; associated with creativity • Syn: ↑out of the box thinking • Ant: ↑convergent thinking • Hypernyms …   Useful english dictionary

  • divergent thinking — divergent think·ing thiŋk iŋ n creative thinking that may follow many lines of thought and tends to generate new and original solutions to problems compare convergent thinking divergent think·er ər n …   Medical dictionary

  • divergent — adjective a) Growing further apart; diverging. Divergent thinking and transformations are, of course, no novel phenomena. They have always occurred in the translation process, but perhaps we have not been fully aware of them, or have not been… …   Wiktionary

  • divergent thinker — noun a thinker who moves away from the problem as stated and often has novel ideas and solutions • Hypernyms: ↑thinker * * * noun see divergent thinking …   Useful english dictionary

  • thinking — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 using your mind to think ADJECTIVE ▪ deep, hard, serious ▪ This topic requires a lot of deep thinking. ▪ good ▪ Yes, I ll email her instead that …   Collocations dictionary

  • Divergent question — A divergent question is a question with no specific answer, but rather exercises one s ability to think broadly about a certain topic. In education Popular in inquiry education, divergent questions allow students to explore different avenues and… …   Wikipedia

  • divergent — adj. Divergent is used with these nouns: ↑path, ↑thinking, ↑view …   Collocations dictionary

  • Convergent and divergent production — are the two types of human response to a set problem that were identified by J.P. Guilford (1967). Guilford observed that most individuals display a preference for either convergent or divergent thinking. Others observe that most people prefer a… …   Wikipedia

  • Design thinking — refers to the methods and processes for investigating ill defined problems, acquiring information, analyzing knowledge, and positing solutions in the design and planning fields. As a style of thinking, it is generally considered the ability to… …   Wikipedia

  • convergent thinking — noun thinking that brings together information focussed on solving a problem (especially solving problems that have a single correct solution) • Ant: ↑divergent thinking • Hypernyms: ↑thinking, ↑thought, ↑thought process, ↑cerebration,… …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”