The relationship of selected temperament characteristics to creative potential in preschool children

Abstract

The relationship of selected temperament characteristics and ideational fluency in preschool children was explored in this study. The subjects were 58 children (31 boys and 27 girls) who ranged in age from 46‐72 months, with a mean age of 57 months. The children were given the Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure to assess creative potential. The parents filled out the Behavioral Style Questionnaire, a measure of preschool children's temperament. Regression analyses revealed that distractibility and adaptability were related to original scores on the patterns subtest of the MSFM, with a multiple r of 0‐40, (p < 005). Temperament was shown to be related to original scores only on those tasks involving tactile manipulation of visible stimuli, but was related to total popular responses. Analyses revealed that distractibility, adaptability, and threshold yielded a multiple r of 0‐37, (p, < 0‐05) with total popular scores on the MSFM.