An empirical verification of Mednick’s associative theory of creativity

Abstract

According to Mednick’s (1962) theory of creativity, high-creative (HC) persons have flatter associative hierarchies than low-creative (LC) persons. The implication is that HC Ss should show less difference in the learning of strong and weak associates than LC Ss. To test this, 30 Ss were given a PA list with both strongly and weakly associated stimulus-response pairs, followed by a test of creativity. The results supported Mednick’s hypothesis: HC Ss showed less of a learning difference between strong and weak pairs than did LC Ss. © 1973, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.