The Development of Problem Solving Capacities in the Domain of Technics: Results from a Cross-Cultural Longitudinal Study

Abstract

AbstractA longitudinal study with three yearly points of measurement was carried out in order to investigate the individual basis of creative achievement in the technical domain. This cross-cultural investigation included elected parallel samples of German and Chinese high school students in grades five and seven with subsamples of male and female subjects of high intelligence and average intelligence. The test battery included several scales for measuring convergent and divergent aspects of reasoning and knowledge. Cultural differences in convergent (favoring the Chinese sample) and divergent reasoning (favoring the Germans) were found. Highly intelligent subjects scored higher than subjects of average intelligence in most scales. Age and sex-specific trends in the development of abilities and activities related to technical creativity were observed in both cultures with gender differences being more pronounced in Germany. Cultural differences in the conceptions of creativity as well as further implicati...