Creative style and achievement in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Holly White

doi:10.1016/J.PAID.2010.12.015

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Creative style and achievement in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Holly White

2011, Personality and Individual Differences

https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PAID.2010.12.015

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3 pages

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that adults with ADHD perform better on some measures of creativity than non-ADHD adults (White & Shah, 2006). The present study replicated previous findings using a standardized measure of creativity (the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, Goff & Torrance, 2002) and extended previous research by investigating real-world creative achievement among adults with ADHD. Results indicated that adults with ADHD showed higher levels of original creative thinking on the verbal task of the ATTA and higher levels of real-world creative achievement, compared to adults without ADHD. In addition, comparison of creative styles using the FourSight Thinking Profile (Puccio, 2002) found that preference for idea generation was higher among ADHD participants, whereas preference for problem clarification and idea development was greater among non-ADHD participants. These findings have implications for real-world application of the creative styles of adults with and without ADHD.

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Adults with ADHD excel in original creative thinking and real-world creative achievement compared to non-ADHD adults.
The study utilized the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA) to measure divergent thinking.
Creative achievement was assessed using the Creativity Achievement Questionnaire across 10 distinct domains.
ADHD participants showed a higher preference for ideation, while non-ADHD participants preferred clarification and development.
Participants included 60 undergraduate students, with ADHD participants averaging 20.1 years old and non-ADHD participants averaging 19.9 years old.

Personality and Individual Differences 50 (2011) 673–677 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Personality and Individual Differences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid Creative style and achievement in adults with attention-deﬁcit/hyperactivity disorder Holly A. White a,⇑, Priti Shah b a University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA b University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Previous research has suggested that adults with ADHD perform better on some measures of creativity Received 22 June 2010 than non-ADHD adults (White & Shah, 2006). The present study replicated previous ﬁndings using a stan- Received in revised form 5 December 2010 dardized measure of creativity (the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, Goff & Torrance, 2002) and Accepted 13 December 2010 extended previous research by investigating real-world creative achievement among adults with ADHD. Available online 13 January 2011 Results indicated that adults with ADHD showed higher levels of original creative thinking on the verbal task of the ATTA and higher levels of real-world creative achievement, compared to adults without ADHD. Keywords: In addition, comparison of creative styles using the FourSight Thinking Proﬁle (Puccio, 2002) found that ADHD Adult preference for idea generation was higher among ADHD participants, whereas preference for problem Creative achievement clariﬁcation and idea development was greater among non-ADHD participants. These ﬁndings have Creativity implications for real-world application of the creative styles of adults with and without ADHD. Divergent thinking Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Hyperactivity/impulsivity Inattention Inhibitory control 1. Introduction characterize real-world creativity, we measured creative problem solving style preference using the FourSight Thinking Proﬁle (Puc- Attention deﬁcit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsy- cio, 2002). Together, these two measures allow us to go beyond chological disorder, marked by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and previous studies that have focused on short, laboratory-based mea- hyperactivity, beginning in childhood and persisting into adult- sures. Our second objective was to replicate previous ﬁndings hood (e.g., Castellanos, Sonuga-Barke, Milham, & Tannock, 2006). (White & Shah, 2006) using a standardized measure of divergent ADHD may contribute to functional impairment in academic, voca- thinking, the Abbreviated Torrance Test of Creativity for Adults tional, and social situations (e.g., Kessler et al., 2006). On the ﬂip (Goff & Torrance, 2002). In the sections that follow, we ﬁrst review side, one beneﬁt of ADHD may be exceptional creativity (e.g., previous research in this area, and then discuss the rationale for Weiss, 1997). Indeed, empirical studies suggest that individuals the present study. with ADHD have relatively high divergent thinking ability (White & Shah, 2006) and may be less inﬂuenced by contextual constraints during creative activities (Abraham, Windmann, Siefen, Daum, & 1.1. Uninhibited imaginations: why ADHD may enhance creativity Gunturkun, 2006). Collectively, these ﬁndings suggest that individ- uals with ADHD may excel at tasks or in situations that require A key impairment in ADHD is deﬁcient inhibitory control, which divergent, unconstrained thinking. However, it is not clear whether makes it difﬁcult to focus attention on relevant aspects of the task or not the advantage observed on laboratory measures extends to at hand (e.g., Clark et al., 2007; Nigg, 2001). However, studies of creative achievement in real life. Thus, the present study measured non-ADHD individuals suggest that low inhibitory control is possi- creative achievement in ADHD and non-ADHD adults in several bly advantageous for divergent thinking (e.g., Carson, Peterson, & different domains, using the Creativity Achievement Questionnaire Higgins, 2003; Fiore, Schooler, Linville, & Hasher, 2001). One expla- developed by Carson, Peterson, and Higgins (2005). To further nation for the relationship between divergent thinking and poor inhibition is that low inhibition may actually facilitate divergent ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Eckerd College, Department of Psychology, thinking because concepts and ideas are less likely to be inhibited 4200 54th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, Florida 33711, USA. Tel.: +1 727 864 in working memory. Conversely, convergent thinking tasks that 8427. require an individual to ignore competing ideas or partial solutions E-mail address: whiteha@eckerd.edu (H.A. White). may beneﬁt from greater inhibitory control (Fiore et al., 2001). 0191-8869/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.12.015 674 H.A. White, P. Shah / Personality and Individual Differences 50 (2011) 673–677 Indeed, in previous research (White & Shah, 2006) adults with 2. Method ADHD performed better on the Unusual Uses Task (a measure of divergent creative thinking), but scored lower on the Remote Asso- 2.1. Participants ciates Test (a measure of convergent creative thinking), compared to non-ADHD adults. Moreover, creative differences between Participants were 60 undergraduate students at the University adults with and without ADHD were partially mediated by differ- of Memphis, selected from a large introductory psychology course ences in inhibitory control (White & Shah). over two semesters. ADHD participants (N = 30) were 17 males and 13 females, age M = 20.1, ACT M = 22.3, and non-ADHD par- 1.2. Creative achievement in adults with ADHD ticipants (N = 30) were 14 males and 16 females, age M = 19.9, ACT M = 21.9. Of the 30 participants in the ADHD group, 15 were To be useful in real-world contexts, creative ability must gener- taking stimulant medication for the treatment of ADHD at the alize outside the laboratory. In non-ADHD individuals, there is a time of the study. positive correlation between divergent thinking and actual crea- tive achievement (e.g., Carson et al., 2003; Guilford, 1957; Tor- 2.2. Participant recruitment and selection procedure rance, 1988). On the other hand, some models of creativity suggest that both the ability to diffuse attention and generate ideas To recruit participants for the ADHD and non-ADHD groups, and the ability to focus attention and work within certain con- we ﬁrst administered a questionnaire to approximately 600 stu- straints are necessary for achievement (Finke & Bettle, 1996; Finke, dents enrolled in introductory psychology as part of a large pre- Ward, & Smith, 1992). In theory, adults with ADHD may show less screening session in which multiple researchers were screening/ real-world creative achievement than one might predict on the ba- recruiting participants for various studies. In total, each student sis of divergent thinking measures; whether the ADHD-advantage completed approximately ﬁve surveys/questionnaires in exchange generalizes to real-world creativity remains an empirical question. for extra-credit. The questionnaire we administered contained items from Barkley and Murphy’s (1998) Current Symptoms Scale 1.3. Overview of the present study and questions asking whether the individual had ever been clin- ically diagnosed with ADHD/ADD, and if so, whether ADHD/ADD To investigate creative achievement and creative style in adults status had been conﬁrmed (either by initial diagnosis or follow- with and without ADHD, we used the Creativity Achievement up care) by a clinician within the past six months. We also asked Questionnaire, (CAQ; Carson et al., 2005). The CAQ measures crea- whether the individual had a parent and/or sibling diagnosed tive achievement in 10 domains: drama, humor, music, visual arts, with ADHD/ADD. Lastly, we asked the student to provide contact creative writing, invention, scientiﬁc discovery, culinary arts, info if s/he wished to participate in a future study. To minimize dance, and architecture. As such, it allows for assessing creativity response bias, students were not to provide identifying info on within different domains, as well as in general. This is consistent surveys unless they wished to be contacted for future studies. with the literature suggesting that there are domain-speciﬁc and On the basis of this pre-screening, students were invited to par- domain-general aspects of creativity (Ward, Smith, & Finke, ticipate in the study. Of the approximately 600 students, 37 (6%) 1999). For each domain, individuals report their level of achieve- reported a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD and scored above the clinical ment (e.g., no talent or training, some training, national recogni- threshold of the Current Symptoms Scale. Of these individuals, tion, etc.). This levels-approach takes into account the fact that 34 participated in the experimental session, but four were ex- training is a relatively low indication of accomplishment (Ludwig, cluded from the ﬁnal sample due to comorbid learning disability 1995) and recognition by local and especially national experts is an (2), anxiety disorder (1), and bipolar disorder (1). To recruit partic- indication of much greater expertise (Amabile, 1982). Finally, the ipants for the non-ADHD/ADD control group, we randomly se- CAQ is sensitive to individual differences in inhibitory control (Car- lected from the remaining surveys and contacted those son et al., 2003). We expected that adults with ADHD in the pres- individuals who scored below the clinical threshold on the Current ent study would score higher in overall level of creative Symptoms Scale and reported no personal or family history of achievement than adults without ADHD. ADHD/ADD. Of the 31 individuals in the original control group, To further characterize real-world creativity in ADHD and non- one participant was excluded from the ﬁnal sample due to history ADHD adults, we used the FourSight Thinking Proﬁle (Puccio, of major depression. To check reliability of self-reported ADHD/ 2002), a self-report assessment of preferred creative style that is ADD symptoms, we administered a second, similar self-report geared toward real-life creative problem solving (DeCusatis, 2008; measure, the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales, Screening Version Puccio, 2002). FourSight identiﬁes four problem-solving styles: Clar- (Conners, Erhardt, & Sparrow, 1999) during the experimental ses- iﬁer, Ideator, Developer, and Implementer (Puccio). Clariﬁers prefer sion. All participants qualiﬁed for inclusion based on the CAARS- to deﬁne and structure the problem space, Ideators prefer to gener- S:SV (ADHD and non-ADHD participants scored in the clinical ate ideas, Developers prefer to elaborate upon or reﬁne ideas and and non-clinical ranges, respectively). solutions, and Implementers prefer to incorporate a reﬁned idea into a ﬁnal product or solution (Puccio). Research suggests that the clar- iﬁcation and development stages of problem solving require conver- 2.3. Materials gent thinking, while the ideation or ‘‘brainstorming’’ stage involves divergent thinking (Brophy, 2001). Thus, we expected that adults 2.3.1. Current and childhood ADHD symptoms rating scales with ADHD in the current study would show greater Ideator prefer- The current and childhood ADHD symptoms rating scales (Bark- ence on the FourSight, while adults without ADHD would demon- ley & Murphy, 1998) are brief, self-report screening questionnaires strate greater Clariﬁer and Developer preferences. for assessment of adult ADHD. Questionnaire items reﬂect diagnos- Finally, to further validate our previous ﬁndings of creative diver- tic criteria for ADHD as per the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric gent thinking in adults with ADHD (White & Shah, 2006), we com- Association, 1994). These scales have high reliability (coefﬁcient al- pared adults with and without ADHD on the Abbreviated Torrance phas for inattention items and hyperactive-impulsive items are .92 Test for Adults (ATTA), a standardized and well-accepted measure and .91, respectively), and scale validity is indicated by signiﬁcant of divergent creative thinking. We predicted that adults with ADHD correlations between self-report and spouse/parent ratings would score higher on the ATTA relative to non-ADHD adults. (Edwards, Barkley, Laneri, Fletcher, & Metevia, 2001).

Creative style and achievement in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

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