Can We Trust Creativity Tests? A Review of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT)

Dr. E. Paul Torrance, “Father of Creativity,” is best known for developing the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The TTCT was developed by Torrance in 1966. It has been renormed 4 times: in 1974, 1984, 1990, and 1998. There are 2 forms (A and B) of the TTCT-Verbal and 2 forms (A and B) of the TTCT-Figural. However, in the scope of this review, only the TTCT-Figural was examined. The TTCT has been translated into more than 35 languages (Millar, 2002). It has become highly recommended in the educational field and is even used in the corporate world. It is the most widely used test of creativity (Davis, 1997) and is the most referenced of all creativity tests (Lissitz & Willhoft, 1985). Basic information is presented, including purposes, content area, norms, reliability, and validity. Strengths and weaknesses of the TTCT, including use of the TTCT in identifying gifted learners and suggestions for further development and improvement, are provided and discussed. “E. Paul Torrance was an international leader in creativity research and was best known for developing the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), which are used in the business world and in education to assess individuals’ capacity for creativity” (“E. Paul Torrance, 87,” 2003, p. B13). Torrance (1966, p. 6) defined creativity as a process of becoming sensitive to problems, deficiencies, gaps in knowledge, missing elements, disharmonies, and so on; identifying the difficulty; searching for solutions, making guesses, or formulating hypotheses about the deficiencies: testing and retesting these hypotheses and possibly modifying and retesting them; and finally communicating the results. The TTCT does not entirely operationalize Torrance’s definition of creativity (Chase, 1985); however, Torrance neither concluded that his tests assess all dimensions of creativity, nor did he suggest that they should be used alone as a basis for decisions (Treffinger, 1985). Torrance (1974) stated that showing a high degree of these abilities on the TTCT does not guarantee a person’s chances of behaving creatively. According to Torrance (Torrance, 1990, 1998; Torrance & Ball, 1984), creative motivation and skills as well as creative abilities are necessary for adult creative achievement to occur. The TTCT-Verbal and the TTCT-Figural are two versions of the TTCT. The TTCT-Verbal has two parallel forms, A and B, and consists of five activities: ask-and-guess, product improvement, unusual uses, unusual questions, and just suppose. The stimulus for each task includes a picture to which people respond in writing (Torrance, 1966, 1974). The TTCT-Figural has two parallel forms, A and B, and consists of three activities: picture construction, picture completion, and repeated figures of lines or circles. For the purposes of this article, only the TTCT-Figural will be discussed. Ten minutes are required to complete each activity. In Activity I, the subject constructs a picture using a pear or jellybean shape provided on the page as a stimulus. The stimulus must be an integral part of the picture construction. Activity II requires the subject to use 10 incomplete figures to make an object or picture. The Creativity Research Journal 2006, Vol. 18, No. 1, 3–14 Copyright © 2006 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Creativity Research Journal 3 This is a version of a paper presented at the 8th Asian-Pacific Conference on Giftedness held in Daejeon, Korea, July 26–30, 2004. Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to Kyung Hee Kim, 313 Porter College of Education Building, Department of Teacher Education, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. E-mail: [email protected] last activity, Activity III, is composed of three pages of lines or circles that the subject is to use as a part of his or her picture (Torrance, 1966, 1974, 1990, 1998; Torrance & Ball, 1984). Torrance (1966) recommended the creation of a game-like, thinking, or problem-solving atmosphere, avoiding the threatening situation associated with testing. His intent was to set the tone so that the expectation that examinees would enjoy the activities was created. Examinees should be encouraged to “have fun” and should experience a psychological climate that is as comfortable and stimulating as possible. Thus, according to the administration of the TTCT in the manual (Ball & Torrance, 1984), administrators of the tests should invite the examinees to enjoy the activities and view the tests as a series of fun activities, thereby reducing test anxiety. The TTCT can be administered as an individual or group test from the kindergarten level through the graduate level and beyond. It requires 30 min of working time, so speed is important, and artistic quality is not required to receive credit (Chase, 1985). Scholastic Testing Service, Inc., holds the copyright for the TTCT and has provided a 1998 norms manual for the test.