Poster #29 - From Drawing to Divergent Thinking: Does Culture Matter?

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Cognitive Processes

Integrative Statement

Divergent thinking, defined as the ability to produce a number of unique ideas in response to a problem, has been regarded as a significant component in children’s development of creative outcomes (Ma, 2009; Runco, 1986; 2008). Among several potent predictors of adolescents’ divergent thinking styles, the role of artistic expressions, such as drawings, is unclear in research to date. Drawings act not only as a form of creative expression but can also be a useful source for understanding the development of creative thinking (Kim, 2006). Among a wide array of features characterizing drawings, the current study aimed to investigate the role of central features (focal object) and contextual features (background objects) in adolescents’ drawings in relation to their divergent thinking skills. We pay special attention to culture in studying this question as previous research has identified East Asians’ tendency to include more contextual information in their visual images compared to their Western counterparts (Kitayama et al., 2003; Masuda et al., 2008). Conversely, Westerners typically focus on central objects and exclude background information in visual and artistic presentations (Masuda & Nisbett, 2001). Given that cultural norms may shape adolescents’ thinking style, such that American and Chinese adolescents may incorporate distinct levels of central and contextual features in their drawings, we examined whether the association between drawing features and creative thinking skills is dependent on the cultural context in which adolescents reside. We chose to focus on adolescence, given that this stage of development is characterized by high levels of cognitive flexibility (Steinberg, 2002).
The possible association between divergent thinking and drawing features across cultures was examined in samples of adolescents in the United States and China. An objective assessment, constructed from Torrance Test of Creativity Tasks (TTCT), was administered to a total of 321 American (n = 125) and Chinese (n = 196) adolescents to measure their divergent thinking and expression of drawing features. Drawing features and responses on the divergent thinking assessment were subsequently coded by trained researchers who were blind to the research hypotheses. Trained coders attained high inter-rater agreement (> 90%).
Results indicated that, Chinese adolescents included more central features in their drawings compared to American adolescents, t(319) = -2.94, p < .01. However, the number of contextual features used in drawings did not differ between the two countries, t(319) = 0.79, ns. As presented in Table 1, the strength of the association between contextual features and divergent thinking differed between the two countries, β = .34, p <.05. Simple slope analysis revealed that Chinese adolescents’ inclusion of contextual features in their drawings was positively associated with their divergent thinking skills, t = 4.11, p < .001, whereas the association between contextual features and divergent thinking did not reach statistical significance among American adolescents, t = -.20, ns (see Figure 1).
Findings highlight the relevance of cultural norms in adolescents’ artistic expressions and thinking style, such that contextual features may be particularly relevant for the development of divergent thinking in cultures where contextual sensitivity is emphasized.

Authors

• Katherine Bottinelli, University of California, Riverside
  Presenting Author

• Yena Kyeong, University of California, Riverside
  Non-Presenting Author

• Cecilia Cheung, University of California, Riverside
  Non-Presenting Author