Interdependencies between openness and creativity of fifth graders

Abstract

Openness to experience has become of special interest in the field of creativity research. Theoretical frameworks consider openness as one important individual feature that contributes to creative outcomes. Empirical results support this assumption, showing openness to be positively related to various creativity measures. However, studies on the relationship between creative outcomes and openness mainly focus on adults and differ in their operationalization of creativity. The present study analyzes the relationship between openness and different creativity measures in late childhood using a holistic measure to assess creative potential as well as divergent thinking tasks scored for ideational fluency and flexibility. Accounting for interdependencies over the 5th school year, the results show that (a) comparable with previous findings, there are low cross-sectional correlations between openness and creativity, and (b) openness and creativity develop independently in the period considered. Only divergent thinking slightly affects openness 1 year later (β = .084, p < .01). The study extends existing research by including childhood development. The results suggest that the relationship between creativity and openness consolidates with age. Implications for creativity research and the educational context are discussed while considering the limitations of the study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)