Divergent Thinking

What is divergent thinking?

Divergent thinking means generating multiple possibilities in response to a prompt. It is the part of creative work concerned with opening up options.

Divergent thinking skills and tests

Alternative-uses task

In an alternative-uses task, someone lists possible uses for an ordinary object. Researchers may score

• fluency (how many ideas),
• flexibility (how varied they are),
• and originality (how unusual they are).

Scoring matters: generating more ideas can affect an originality score.

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking include verbal and figural forms with different scoring dimensions. Figural scoring includes elaboration, or developing an idea with detail. A score depends on the task and scoring rules, not just the label “creative.”

Remote Associates Test

A standard Remote Associates Test asks for one word linking other words. That task narrows toward an answer, so it is different from asking someone to generate many alternatives.

Why it matters

Creative work needs possibilities worth exploring and judgment about which ones to pursue. A prompt can have constraints and still invite divergent thinking; ideas do not have to be random to be creative.

Runco and Acar (2012) describe divergent thinking as an indicator of creative potential. Doing well on a test is encouraging, but producing useful work in a particular field demands more than a high score.

Divergent versus convergent thinking

Divergent thinking generates alternatives; convergent thinking narrows them toward an answer. For example, a product team might first list several ways to reduce packaging, then compare cost and feasibility. Brainstorming can support the first activity, but generating options is only part of solving the problem.

Similar prompts can be used in classrooms, advertising or research: propose several explanations or designs before choosing what to test. These are examples of application, not proof that an exercise will improve achievement or innovation. The distinction has roots in J. P. Guilford’s work on divergent production.