Divergent thinking in four-year-old children: An analysis of thinking processes in performing the Alternative Uses Task

The present study examined the divergent thinking (DT) processes of four-year-old children, as part a longitudinal project that investigates development DT in children. Following similar approach used with adults, children were encouraged to report on their through interactive dialogues while performing widely task, Alternative Uses Task (AUT). Content analysis children’s utterances revealed generated uses mostly based automatic, bottom-up associative and occasionally effortful, top-down executive processes. Using (multilevel) regression analysis, we found (1) both predicted fluency scores AUT, whilst only process Performing mental operations stimulus uniquely originality; (2) at age four years already showed serial order effect originality responses, indicating increased later particular use was series mentioned uses; (3) effects characterized occurrence These results suggest increasing depends involvement effortful Especially mentally isolating properties or parts objects subsequent recombination these into new structured whole might be key characteristic generate original ideas.