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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

Dialectical thinking and creativity among young adults: a postformal operations perspective.

Chao-Chin Yang¹, Chin-Shen Wan, Wen-Bin Chiou

¹National Kaohsiung Hospitality College.

Psychological Reports

|April 21, 2010

Summary

Dialectical thinking in young adults is positively linked to creativity, while formal thinking shows a negative correlation. This suggests advanced cognitive skills enhance creative performance.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Post-Piagetian theories explore advanced cognitive development beyond formal operations.
Understanding the relationship between cognitive styles and creative potential is crucial for educational and psychological research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between dialectical thinking and creative performance in early adulthood.
To examine how formal and dialectical thinking styles relate to divergent thinking abilities.

Main Methods:

Utilized a modified Social Paradigm Belief Scale to assess formal and dialectical thinking in 454 young adults (ages 23-40).
Employed the Divergent Thinking Test to measure creative performance across dimensions like fluency, originality, and elaboration.
Conducted planned contrasts and multiple discriminant analysis with cross-validation.

Main Results:

Dialectical thinking scores positively correlated with Divergent Thinking Test scores.
Formal thinking scores negatively correlated with Divergent Thinking Test scores.
Participants demonstrating dialectical thinking outperformed those with formal thinking across all six creativity dimensions.

Conclusions:

Dialectical thinking is significantly associated with enhanced creative performance in young adults.
The findings support the hypothesis that postformal thinking abilities are linked to higher creativity.
Cognitive development, particularly dialectical reasoning, plays a key role in fostering creativity.