The effects of age on divergent thinking and creative objects production: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Age-related changes in divergent thinking and creative objects production were investigated in 150 native Italian speakers, divided into six age groups, each one comprised 25 participants: young (20–29), young adult (30–39), middle aged (40–49), adult-old (50–59), old (60–69), and old-old (70–80). Two tasks were used: the alternative uses task, which measures divergent thinking, and the creative mental synthesis task, which measure the ability to create objects belonging to specific categories. Results showed that the peaking of performances at both tasks is reached before 40 years, and declines thereafter. The analysis also showed that divergent thinking and creative objects production stabilize after 40 years and decline after 70 years, especially the ability to create objects. These results reveal that creative thinking might be preserved across years.

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