The ability of children to think divergently has little to do with scores they attain on tests of intelligence. This non- relationship is also true in adulthood. The most creative are not necessarily the most intelligent. Comparisons of creativity in identical and fraternal twins show the genetics has little influence of creative behaviour. It appears creative thinking is a skill that can be enhanced by experience.
Research on family environments reveal that parents of creative children value non-conformity, emphasize intellectual curiosity and freedom of exploration, and are highly accepting of their children's individual characteristics. Personality studies reveal characteristics of creative children and adults who are broad in their interests, attracted to complexity, and are unconcerned about complying with conventional social norms. Classroom research shows that children in traditional facts and memory classrooms exhibit less creative behaviour than those from non-traditional open classrooms, which offer more choice and hands-on experience.
Research is turning away from trying to identify general attributes of creativity, and is looking more toward domain specific abilities that are fostered and developed through a supportive environment, and perhaps through some portion of natural ability. Inevitably, if you asked a musician, an artist, a computer programer, or perhaps a gymnast, they will tell you they owe their ability and creative expression in their particular area to supportive parents or teachers, and lots of practice. Results from studies of specific abilities suggest that the best way to foster creative behaviour is to provide children from an early age with systematic training aimed at thorough mastery of a particular domain. Other instructional techniques that have been shown to foster divergent thinking include modeling, direct instruction in question asking, and make- believe play.
Creativity in Language
Perhaps one of the most "unobvious" acts of creativity is the use of language. Beyond early childhood the use of language, both recognizing it and producing it, is a highly automated ability. The nature of language is such that the vast majority of utterances produced or heard are done so for the first time. Most of what we hear and speak are created rather than recalled from memory. Language is stored as knowledge of speech sounds, of word patterns, and of rules for creating words and stringing them together. Having developed these automated skills and knowledge, language use becomes almost entirely subconscious and almost entirely creative.
