Reframing Convergent and Divergent Thought for the 21st Century

Abstract: Convergent thought is defined and measured in terms of the ability to perform on tasks where there is a single correct solution, and divergent thought is defined and measured in terms of the ability to generate multiple different solutions. However, this characterization of them presents inconsistencies, and despite that they are promoted as key constructs of creativity, they do not capture the capacity to reiteratively modify an idea in light of new perspectives arising out of an overarching conceptual framework. Research on formal models of concepts and their interactions suggests that different creative outputs may be projections of the same underlying idea at different phases of this kind of 'honing' process. This leads us to redefine convergent thought as thought in which the relevant concepts are considered from conventional contexts, and divergent thought as thought in which they are considered from unconventional contexts. Implications for the assessment of creativity are discussed.