Britannica: Could you briefly explain the Torrance test and how it is used to measure creativity?
Kim: Dr. E. Paul Torrance developed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) in 1966 and the test has been updated five times, in 1974, 1984, 1990, 1998, and 2008. The TTCT appears in almost 40 different languages. Educators and corporate entities use and reference the TTCT more than any other creativity test in the world. The TTCT predicts creative achievement better than any other creativity test or divergent thinking test, and based on my extensive analyses, I have concluded that the TTCT is more than just a divergent-thinking test: it is the best creativity test currently available. The TTCT gives a profile of test results on several subscales (different than tests like the IQ test, which gives a single measure of intelligence).
Creative is not synonymous with artistic, and the TTCT measures creativity on many other levels than artistic ability. Western people tend to think of creativity as artistic ability, whereas Eastern people tend to think of creativity as scientific ability. Eastern people think of artistic ability as a separate construct from creativity. Since the TTCT is not just a measure of artistic ability, it leads to the question of what does the TTCT measure? The TTCT measures the creative mind more broadly; it measures creative potential in many diverse areas such as art, literature, science, mathematics, architecture, engineering, business, leadership, and interpersonal relationships.
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