Long in the tooth for creativity? Differences in divergent thinking between young and older adults

Abstract

Young and older adults require creative skills in their daily lives to solve problems professionally and personally. The capacity for creative thinking is influenced by various changes that occur throughout the life cycle. The objectives of this study include testing the measurement invariance of the PIC-A test and exploring whether significant differences in creative thinking exist between young and older adults. 210 young adults and 131 older adults participated in the study (341 subjects in total). First, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with the full sample, followed by CFAs for each age subgroup. Subsequently, a multi-group of measurement invariance routine was tested with configural, metric and scalar invariance. The 2-factor CFA model for the full sample showed adequate fit (χ2=42.537; df =13; p<.001, CFI =0.967; RMSEA = 0.082 [.055–0.109]; SRMR = 0.050) although the Graphic Originality test did not exhibit a significant loading on the Graphic Creativity Factor and was not removed from the model for consistency with the original scale. The model fit indices for the young adult and older adult groups were acceptable. Results showed age-related differences in both narrative and graphic creativity, with higher scores in the young adult group. Finally, the study provides hypothetical explanations for differences in divergent thinking performance in light of theories such as inhibition, assimilationaccommodation, and socioemotional theory. For example, the role of potential distractors, the old adults reduced tendency to take risks, or their preference for practical and emotionally satisfying responses when solving problems.