Relational Reasoning and Divergent Thinking: An Examination of the Threshold Hypothesis With Quantile Regression

• In Event: Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Students' Learning Strategies and Interventions

Abstract

Relational reasoning (RR) and divergent thinking (DT) are two critical, but poorly understood, antecedents of creative problem solving. The threshold hypothesis (TH) is the dominant explanation for the relation between RR and DT, and posits that RR fundamentally supports DT, but only up to a point. In this study, quantile regression was used to test the TH among RR and two separate dimensions of DT: originality and fluency. Results generally supported the TH in regards to originality, with RR being significantly positively related to originality, but only in students at or below the median of the originality distribution. The TH was not upheld for fluency, which was only significantly predicted by RR at 9th decile of the fluency distribution.

Author

• Denis Dumas, University of Denver