| A randomed sample of sixty third and fourth grade subjects from a rural system, a moderately sized system, and a large city school system were studied to determine the relationship of cognitive development and creativity. Torrance Tests for Creative Thinking (Figural Form B) were administered, as well as ten individualy administered Piagetian Conservation Tasks to assess the concrete operational level, and one Piagetian Task to assess the formal operational level.;Data analysis indicated that the randomed sampling of subjects identified as having a high creative index responded more frequently as a conserver on Piagetian conservation tasks than those subjects who did not have a high creative index. These third and fourth grade subjects tended to have equal scores on Piagetian conservation tasks and no statistically significant differences were revealed.;Data analysis of creativity and each Piagetian task revealed statistically significant differences for the displacement task, the conservation of volume task, conservation of distance task, and the pendulum problem task. Nine of the sixty subjects attained the level of formal operations on the pendulum problem task. These subjects also indicated the highest creative index. All members of the group of subjects having the highest creative index scores responded as conservers in the conservation of mass task, the conservation of continuous quantities task, the conservation of number task, the conservation of area task, the conservation of length task, and the conservation of discontinuous quantities task. The high creative group responded either one hundred percent as conservers or the responses were analyzed as showing statistically significant differences.;Analysis revealed that 50% of the subjects in the high creative group responded as operating in the formal operations level on the Piagetian formal operations task, while no member of the lowest group responded as operating in the formal operation task. Further analyses indicated creative index scores were higher for subjects in the large sized school system when compared to the moderately sized system, and the rural school system. |
