Psychological Reports, 1976, 38, 1079-1082. @ Psychological Reports 1976
PERSONALITY TRAITS ASSOCIATED W I T H ORIGINALITY A N D ELABORATION BILL KALTSOUNIS Middle Tennessee State University Summary.-Using a multidimensional model of creativity, a study was made of the personality traits that differentiate subjects high on figural originali r ~from those who are low and those high on figural elaboration from those who are low. 196 college undergraduates were administered Figural Form A of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking and Something About Myself questionnaire. Using the upper and lower 27% for an item analysis, 11 items differentiated the high and low original thinkers and 17 items differentiated the high and low elaborators. The findings were interpreted as supporting the idea that somewhat different personality traits are associated with figural originality and elaboration.
Ashton ( 1 9 7 4 ) , using a multidimensional model of creativity, was able to identify certain personality characteristics which differentiated subjects high on figural originality from those who are low and those high on figural elaboration from those who are low. Ashton used Torrance's test of Thinking Creatively With Pictures, Form A and the questionnaire, Whar Kind of Person Are You?. Conflicting results can be accommodated in a multidimensional model of creativity as the principle of orthogonality requires that relevant personality traits would vary with the dimension of creativity being measured. Acceptance of the multidimensional model of creativity requires relinquishing the traditional quest of "the creative person" for the more plebeian yet potentially more productive search for the personality trait related to specific factors of creativity. The present study arose from interest in Khatena's "Something About Myself' test (1971). The construction of this instrument was based on several empirical studies of creative persons and is a kind of synthesis of these studies. The author hypothesized that some of the items might be associated with originality whereas others might be associated with elaboration. PROCEDURE Figural Form A of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1973) was used to identify groups of high and low original thinkers and elaborators. This instrument was chosen because in it the concepts of originality and elaboration are well developed and much research has been done with it. The evidence for test-retest reliability, scoring reliability, and validity are summarized in the norms-technical manual (Torrance, 1966, 1973). Test-retest reliabilities for subjects in Grades K to 12 average about .80; scoring reliabilities for same subjects are consistently above .90; and long-range predictive validity after 12 yr. is .51 for 254 subjects. Torrance describes original thinkers as follows: ". . . they are able to get away from the obvious and common-place and break away from the beaten path. They see
relationships and think of ideas and solutions which are different from others . . ." (Torrance, 1966, p. 8 9 ) . Elaborators are described as follows: ". . . they are able to take an idea or task and spell out the details. They can take a simple idea and "embroider" it or make it fancy and attractive. Their drawings are verg detailed and they are able to develop very detailed or thorough plans for projects . . ." (Torrance, 1966, p. 8 9 ) . The "Something About Myself" questionnaire was chosen because of its strong empirical base (Khatena, 1971). The selection of items for the biographical selfreport was based on previous research and hypotheses relative to correlates of creativity (e.g., Khatena, 1969; Mackinnon, 1961, 1962; Taylor, 1964; Torrance & Khatena, 1970). 100 items were identified as reflecting the personality characteristics of the creative individual, the kind of thinking strategies he employs, and the products which emerge as a result of his creative suivings. These items were then administered to 180 college adults of Marshall University and intercorrelated. When items correlated .30 or better or if one item appeared to provide the same information as another, they were combined into a single item. In this way 100 items were reduced to 50. Items represented three categories of creative functions, namely, personality traits, use of creative thinking strategies, and creative productions. The order of appearance of those items was determined by reference to a table of random numbers. Khatena (1971) reports test-retest reliabilities ranging from .77 to .98 and a variety of evidence with validity coefficients ranging from .18 to .GO. Subjects were 196 college undergraduates enrolled in evaluation and guidance at Middle Tennessee State University. They were randomly chosen from a group of 493, heterogeneous in terms of race, sex, college major, and home background.
RESULTSAND DISCUSSION Employing Flanagan's (1939) method of item analysis, an estimate of the correlation between the items and the criteria of elaboration and originality was obtained based on the proportion of correct responses in the upper and lower 27% on the criteria. Table 1 presents differentiating data for all items having significant biserial coefficients ( P . ~ ~ )It. will be noted that 11 items discriminated for originality and 17 discriminated for elaboration. Examination of the items which significantly differentiated between high and low originality as well as high and low elaboration resulcs in the following characterization of the personality correlates of both originality and elaboration:
. . . self-confidence in matching talents against others, willingness
to take risks, desire to excel, enjoyment of challenging tasks, dislike for doing things in a prescribed way, production of objects.
Recognizable in this description is the common stereotype of the creative person, here supported by empirical data. In addition to the characteristics listed above, the high elaborators may be described as: . . . relating ideas, interest in beautiful and humorous aspects of experiences, producing new formulas or products, resourceful, versatile, having organizational ability, having intellectual curiosity, imaginative, having preference for adventure over routine, working for long periods without getting tired, having ability to produce stories.
PERSONALITY AND ORIGINALITY
1081
TABLE 1 N O ~ A L I Z EBISERIAL D COEFFICIENTS OF CORRELATION (P.os) DBTERMINBD FROM PROPORTIONSOF CORRECTRESPONSES BY UPPER AND LOWHR 27 PERCENTS ON FIGURAL OIUGlNALlrY AND ELABORATION SCORES (N = 196) Items
Originality ( % ) Upper Lower f a t ,
Elaboration ( $6) Upper Lower rat,
Openness to ideas of others Relating ideas Interest in beautiful and humorous aspects Producing new formulas or products Bringing about changes in procedures/ organizations Self-confidence in matching talents against others Resourceful Versatile Willingness to take risks Desire to excel Organizational ability Intellectual curiosity Enjoyment of challenging tasks Imagination Preference for adventure over routine Likes to reconstruct things Dislike for doing things in a prescribed way Critical of other's work Working for long periods without rest Production of objects Awarding of prizes Production of stories while t h e highly original thinkers characterized themselves as:
. . . open to ideas of others, bringing about changes in procedures and organizations, liking for reconstruction of things, being critical of others' work, having received prizes. T h e data suggest that there are indeed certain personality chatacteriscics which are related to specific factors of creativity but are not common across factors. Further studies designed to clarify rhe relationship between personality and type of creative thinking could provide a n important contribution to the understanding and facilitation of creative behavior. REFERENCES ASHTON,P. Personality characteristics associated with originality and elaboration. Psychologicul Reports, 1974, 34, 647-650. FLANAGAN, J. C. General considerations in the selection of test items. Journal o f Educational Psychology, 1939, 30, 674-680.
1082
B. KALTSOUNIS
KHATENA,J. Onomatopoeia and Images: preliminary validity study of a test of original~ t y . Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1969, 28, 235-238. KHATENA,J. Something About Myself: a brief screening device for identifying creatively gifted children and adults. Gifted Child Quarterly, 1971, 15, 262-266. MACKINNON. D. W. Characteristics of the creative erson: implications for the reachinglearning process. In Current is~uer in h i g h 7 education. Washington, D. C.: National Education Association, 1961. Pp. 82-92. MACKINNON,D. W. What makes a person creative! Saturday Review, Feb. 10, 1962, 45 (No. 6 ) , 15. TAYLOR,C. W. Creativity: process and potential. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964. TORRANCE,E P. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: norms-technical mrmual. (Res. ed. ) Lexington, Mass. : Personnel Press, 1966. TORRANCE,E. P. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: norms-technical manud. (Res. ed. ) Lexington, Mass. : Personnel Press, 1973. TORRANCE,E. P., & KHATBNA,J. Technical-norms manual for "What Kind o f Person Are You?". Athens, Ga.: Georgia Studies of Creative Behavior, 1970. Accepted March 23, 1976.
PERSONALITY TRAITS ASSOCIATED W I T H ORIGINALITY A N D ELABORATION BILL KALTSOUNIS Middle Tennessee State University Summary.-Using a multidimensional model of creativity, a study was made of the personality traits that differentiate subjects high on figural originali r ~from those who are low and those high on figural elaboration from those who are low. 196 college undergraduates were administered Figural Form A of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking and Something About Myself questionnaire. Using the upper and lower 27% for an item analysis, 11 items differentiated the high and low original thinkers and 17 items differentiated the high and low elaborators. The findings were interpreted as supporting the idea that somewhat different personality traits are associated with figural originality and elaboration.
Ashton ( 1 9 7 4 ) , using a multidimensional model of creativity, was able to identify certain personality characteristics which differentiated subjects high on figural originality from those who are low and those high on figural elaboration from those who are low. Ashton used Torrance's test of Thinking Creatively With Pictures, Form A and the questionnaire, Whar Kind of Person Are You?. Conflicting results can be accommodated in a multidimensional model of creativity as the principle of orthogonality requires that relevant personality traits would vary with the dimension of creativity being measured. Acceptance of the multidimensional model of creativity requires relinquishing the traditional quest of "the creative person" for the more plebeian yet potentially more productive search for the personality trait related to specific factors of creativity. The present study arose from interest in Khatena's "Something About Myself' test (1971). The construction of this instrument was based on several empirical studies of creative persons and is a kind of synthesis of these studies. The author hypothesized that some of the items might be associated with originality whereas others might be associated with elaboration. PROCEDURE Figural Form A of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1973) was used to identify groups of high and low original thinkers and elaborators. This instrument was chosen because in it the concepts of originality and elaboration are well developed and much research has been done with it. The evidence for test-retest reliability, scoring reliability, and validity are summarized in the norms-technical manual (Torrance, 1966, 1973). Test-retest reliabilities for subjects in Grades K to 12 average about .80; scoring reliabilities for same subjects are consistently above .90; and long-range predictive validity after 12 yr. is .51 for 254 subjects. Torrance describes original thinkers as follows: ". . . they are able to get away from the obvious and common-place and break away from the beaten path. They see
relationships and think of ideas and solutions which are different from others . . ." (Torrance, 1966, p. 8 9 ) . Elaborators are described as follows: ". . . they are able to take an idea or task and spell out the details. They can take a simple idea and "embroider" it or make it fancy and attractive. Their drawings are verg detailed and they are able to develop very detailed or thorough plans for projects . . ." (Torrance, 1966, p. 8 9 ) . The "Something About Myself" questionnaire was chosen because of its strong empirical base (Khatena, 1971). The selection of items for the biographical selfreport was based on previous research and hypotheses relative to correlates of creativity (e.g., Khatena, 1969; Mackinnon, 1961, 1962; Taylor, 1964; Torrance & Khatena, 1970). 100 items were identified as reflecting the personality characteristics of the creative individual, the kind of thinking strategies he employs, and the products which emerge as a result of his creative suivings. These items were then administered to 180 college adults of Marshall University and intercorrelated. When items correlated .30 or better or if one item appeared to provide the same information as another, they were combined into a single item. In this way 100 items were reduced to 50. Items represented three categories of creative functions, namely, personality traits, use of creative thinking strategies, and creative productions. The order of appearance of those items was determined by reference to a table of random numbers. Khatena (1971) reports test-retest reliabilities ranging from .77 to .98 and a variety of evidence with validity coefficients ranging from .18 to .GO. Subjects were 196 college undergraduates enrolled in evaluation and guidance at Middle Tennessee State University. They were randomly chosen from a group of 493, heterogeneous in terms of race, sex, college major, and home background.
RESULTSAND DISCUSSION Employing Flanagan's (1939) method of item analysis, an estimate of the correlation between the items and the criteria of elaboration and originality was obtained based on the proportion of correct responses in the upper and lower 27% on the criteria. Table 1 presents differentiating data for all items having significant biserial coefficients ( P . ~ ~ )It. will be noted that 11 items discriminated for originality and 17 discriminated for elaboration. Examination of the items which significantly differentiated between high and low originality as well as high and low elaboration resulcs in the following characterization of the personality correlates of both originality and elaboration:
. . . self-confidence in matching talents against others, willingness
to take risks, desire to excel, enjoyment of challenging tasks, dislike for doing things in a prescribed way, production of objects.
Recognizable in this description is the common stereotype of the creative person, here supported by empirical data. In addition to the characteristics listed above, the high elaborators may be described as: . . . relating ideas, interest in beautiful and humorous aspects of experiences, producing new formulas or products, resourceful, versatile, having organizational ability, having intellectual curiosity, imaginative, having preference for adventure over routine, working for long periods without getting tired, having ability to produce stories.
PERSONALITY AND ORIGINALITY
1081
TABLE 1 N O ~ A L I Z EBISERIAL D COEFFICIENTS OF CORRELATION (P.os) DBTERMINBD FROM PROPORTIONSOF CORRECTRESPONSES BY UPPER AND LOWHR 27 PERCENTS ON FIGURAL OIUGlNALlrY AND ELABORATION SCORES (N = 196) Items
Originality ( % ) Upper Lower f a t ,
Elaboration ( $6) Upper Lower rat,
Openness to ideas of others Relating ideas Interest in beautiful and humorous aspects Producing new formulas or products Bringing about changes in procedures/ organizations Self-confidence in matching talents against others Resourceful Versatile Willingness to take risks Desire to excel Organizational ability Intellectual curiosity Enjoyment of challenging tasks Imagination Preference for adventure over routine Likes to reconstruct things Dislike for doing things in a prescribed way Critical of other's work Working for long periods without rest Production of objects Awarding of prizes Production of stories while t h e highly original thinkers characterized themselves as:
. . . open to ideas of others, bringing about changes in procedures and organizations, liking for reconstruction of things, being critical of others' work, having received prizes. T h e data suggest that there are indeed certain personality chatacteriscics which are related to specific factors of creativity but are not common across factors. Further studies designed to clarify rhe relationship between personality and type of creative thinking could provide a n important contribution to the understanding and facilitation of creative behavior. REFERENCES ASHTON,P. Personality characteristics associated with originality and elaboration. Psychologicul Reports, 1974, 34, 647-650. FLANAGAN, J. C. General considerations in the selection of test items. Journal o f Educational Psychology, 1939, 30, 674-680.
1082
B. KALTSOUNIS
KHATENA,J. Onomatopoeia and Images: preliminary validity study of a test of original~ t y . Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1969, 28, 235-238. KHATENA,J. Something About Myself: a brief screening device for identifying creatively gifted children and adults. Gifted Child Quarterly, 1971, 15, 262-266. MACKINNON. D. W. Characteristics of the creative erson: implications for the reachinglearning process. In Current is~uer in h i g h 7 education. Washington, D. C.: National Education Association, 1961. Pp. 82-92. MACKINNON,D. W. What makes a person creative! Saturday Review, Feb. 10, 1962, 45 (No. 6 ) , 15. TAYLOR,C. W. Creativity: process and potential. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964. TORRANCE,E P. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: norms-technical mrmual. (Res. ed. ) Lexington, Mass. : Personnel Press, 1966. TORRANCE,E. P. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: norms-technical manud. (Res. ed. ) Lexington, Mass. : Personnel Press, 1973. TORRANCE,E. P., & KHATBNA,J. Technical-norms manual for "What Kind o f Person Are You?". Athens, Ga.: Georgia Studies of Creative Behavior, 1970. Accepted March 23, 1976.
