Page 4 University Daily Kansan Friday. April 28,196
Creativity Testing PerplexesStudents
By Dorothy Burton
Tell how a person inside a bubble will get out.
Describe the unusual uses of a tin can.
DESCRIBE the action in a still photograph and tell what will happen next.
These requests, made in a creativity test given to scholarship hall students, led to comments ranging from complaints that questions were "ridiculous" to observations that they were "a lot of fun."
Robert Dentier, assistant director of the KU bureau of child research, recently administered the test to 239 KU students from nine scholarship halls as part of a research study in creativity.
The tests given are designed to determine the social conditions which may restrict or facilitate creative performance in the individual. Each participant was tested for two hours. Anxiety, conformity and social problems were also tested.
FOUR DIFFERENT methods of testing were used. They were: routine testing, such as students experience in most classroom work; facilitative conditioning, where cooperation and encouragement are given the student; indifferent conditioning, where the experimenter stresses that it is unimportant how the student answers the questions; and restrictive conditioning, where the students are told that the tests are important and that they will be penalized for wrong answers or wrong interpretation.
"Our hypothesis," Mr. Dentler said, "was that the spirit of cooperation increases the frequency of creative responses. We are thinking of creativity as something more than intelligence. It is a new solution to a problem, transforming the known into something new, or inventing new thinking for present problems."
"We chose the scholarship halls." Mr. Dentler said, "for four reasons. First, we wanted small living units; second, we thought we could find a greater portion of students with higher ability; third, scholarship hall residents are good test takers because they have had a greater number of such tests, and fourth, about half of the dorms are women's and the other half are men's."
Some student responses to the tests are as follows:
"THIS IS one of the first systematic studies of social creativity," Mr. Dentler said. "If we find our hypothesis is correct," he continued, "we plan to make a more precise study bringing the problem down to the student-teacher level and finding out what type of assignments and test questions produce the most creativity in the student.
Joyce Sayre, Southwest City, Mo,
freshman, said, "The tests were differen-
t than anything I'd ever taken.
They were well-planned; however,
I had had some of the questions be-
fore on other tests."
Carol Tholstrup, Concordia freshman, said, "I thought the tests were a lot of fun. They were completely different than any test I had ever taken. Some of the questions seemed childish and most were designed to make you use your imagination."
Robert Eberly, Salina sophomore
said, "The tests were given informally and the testor didn't seem very enthusiastic, so we weren't very serious. As we voted in the hall that all hall residents take the tests, the boys opposed to taking the tests were very hostile. The questions themselves didn't lead to any seriousness."
JANETH MAUK, Overland Park sophomore, said, "I didn't learn much from the tests. We were treated indifferently so we just had a lot of fun taking the tests and didn't take it seriously. It was mainly a test of your imagination and left a lot of room for individual thinking."
Harold Massie, Frankfort sophmore, said, "The questions really made you think. Some of the questions were almost silly. You were asked to dream up things. It was all very interesting."
Betty Ann Kell, Kansas City, Kan. sophomore, said, "It was the most relaxing test I have taken."
Applications for memberships and chairmanships of 1962 senior class committees are available in Room 127, Strong Hall. The applications must be returned to the same place by May 8. All students who intend to be graduated in 1962 are eligible.
Class of '62 Forms Available
Student Engineer Wins Top Award
Norman Luther, Lawrence senior, was awarded first prize for an original paper presented with those of engineering students from five other schools in a competition sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is now eligible for the ASME national competition in June.
Another KU senior, Larry Oline of Lawrence, was awarded fourth prize.
Schools participating were KU, Kansas State University, the University of Nebraska, the University of Arkansas, Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma.
Senior Class Scheduled For Career Plan Test
Second-semester seniors at the University of Kansas will receive questionnaires next week for one of the first comprehensive studies ever made of why, when and how college seniors make their career plans.
KU seniors will be among 40,000 graduates at 135 colleges and universities who will be asked to take part in the nationwide research program, which is expected to yield information on the relationship between college experience and career aims and goals.
SPECIFIC GOALS of the project are to provide a national estimate of the number of college students in this year's graduating class who plan to go on to graduate studies or directly into business, farming and other occupations; and to determine the influences that prompted them to make their choices.
Roughly two-thirds of the KU senior class will be given question-aires, either through the mail or in their classes. They will have until May 15 to complete the questionnaire, which consists of 62 questions. Individuals may request the results, which will be tallied next fall.
THE STUDY is being carried out by the National Opinion Research Center, a non-profit research organization affiliated with the University of Chicago.
KU field representative for the study is Marian E. Warriner, wife of Dr. Charles K. Warriner, associate professor of sociology.
URGING THAT seniors return their filled-out questionnaires, she said, "Even though the sample of 40,000 students has been drawn by the best probability sampling techniques available, the response rate is very important. It will be a major factor in determining the validity of the findings. Each case which is not completed makes the ones which we do get less trustworthy as a sample of all American students."
When my father called me the "King of Lethargy," I thought it a compliment, a reference to a Greek god, until I looked it up. —Robert Devine
LUCKY STRIKE PRESENTS:
DEAR DR. FROOD:
DR. FROOD'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A little learning can be a dangerous thing—especially in a multiple-choice exam.
DEAR DR. FROOD: I have calculated that if the population explosion continues at its present rate, there will be a person for every square foot of earth by the year 2088. What do you think of that?
Statistics Major
DEAR STATISTICS: Well, one thing's sure, that will finish off the hula-hopers—once and for all.
DEAR DR. FROOD: I have been training our college mascot, a goat. He has learned how to open a pack of Luckies, take out a cigarette, light up and smoke. Do you think I can get him on a TV show?
Animal Husbandry Major
DEAR ANIMAL: I'm afraid not. To make TV nowadays, you've got to have an act that's really different. After all, there are millions of Lucky smokers.
DEAR DR. FROOD: I am a full professor—and yet I stay awake nights worrying about my ability to teach today's bright young college students. They ask questions I can't answer. They write essays I don't understand. They use complicated words that I've never heard before. How can I possibly hope to win the respect of students who are more learned than I am?
Professor
DEAR PROFESSOR: I always maintain that nothing impresses a troublesome student like the sharp slap of a ruler across his outstretched palm.
DEAR DR. FROOD: You can tell your readers for me that college is a waste of time. My friends who didn't go to college are making good money now. And me, with my new diploma? I'm making peanuts!
DEAR ANGRY: Yes, but how many of your friends can do what you can do—instantly satisfy that overpowering craving for a peanut.
Angry Grad
DEAR DR. FROOD: Could you give a word of advice to a poor girl who, after four years at college, has failed to get herself invited on a single date?
Miss Miserable
DEAR MISS: Mask?
THE RECRUITERS ARE COMING! THE RECRUITERS ARE COMING! And here's Frood to tell you just how to handle them: These representatives of big business are, on the whole, alert fellows. They may be aware that college students smoke more Luckies than any other regular. Let them know that you know what's up—offer them a Lucky, then tap your cranium knowingly. Remember—today's Lucky smoker could be tomorrow's Chairman of the Board.
CHANGE TO LUCKIES and get some taste for a change!
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Product of The American Tobacco Company - "Tobacco is our middle name"