Creativity and factors affecting creative ability in adulthood and old age

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine effects of age and gender on creativity, as measured by the creativity tests developed by J. P. Guilford. These tests consist of measures of creative ability (application, productivity, and imagination) and thinking ability (fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration). Participants in the study were Japanese adults (age: 25-84 years old; 187 men, 225 women). An Age x Gender ANOVA was conducted on the creativity test scores, with years of education as covariate. No age differences were found on the productivity and application scales of creative ability, or on the fluency and originality scales of thinking ability. Gender differences were found on fluency and productivity, in that the women had higher test scores than the men. The present results suggest that quantitatively measured creative abilities decline with age, whereas qualitative ones are maintained. This indicates a developmental shift in creativity throughout the adult years. Openness to experience and practical problem-solving ability are correlated with the scores on all tests of crativity. These findings suggest that personality and the ability to solve problems in light of one's own subjective and objective experiences may influence mature creativity.