Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-16T23:01:00.470Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reading Skills, Creativity, and Insight: Exploring the Connections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2014

Catalina V. Mourgues ,
David D. Preiss  and
Elena L. Grigorenko
Catalina V. Mourgues*
Affiliation:
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile)
David D. Preiss
Affiliation:
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile)
Elena L. Grigorenko
Affiliation:
Yale University (USA)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Catalina V. Mourgues. Escuela de Psicología. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Av. Vicuña Mackenna, 4860. Macul, Santiago (Chile). E-mail: cvmourgu@uc.cl
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Studies of the relationship between creativity and specific reading disabilities have produced inconclusive results. We explored their relationship in a sample of 259 college students (age range: 17 to 38 years-old) from three Chilean universities. The students were tested on their verbal ability, creativity, and insight. A simple linear regression was performed on the complete sample, and on high- and low-achievement groups that were formed based on reading test scores. We observed a significant correlation in the total sample between outcomes on the verbal ability tasks, and on the creativity and insight tasks (range r =. 152 to r =. 356, ps <.001). Scores on the reading comprehension and phonological awareness tasks were the best predictors of performance on creativity and insight tasks (range β = .315 to β = .155, ps <.05). A comparison of the low- and high-scoring groups on verbal ability tasks yielded results to the same effect. These findings do not support the hypothesis that specific reading disability is associated with better performance on creative tasks. Instead, higher verbal ability was found to be associated with higher creativity and insight.

Keywords

creativityinsightverbal abilitycollege students
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 17 , 2014 , E58
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ash, I. K., & Wiley, J. (2006). The nature of restructuring in insight: An individual-differences approach. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 13, 66–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03193814 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bacon, A. M., & Handley, S. J. (2010). Dyslexia and reasoning: The importance of visual processes. British Journal of Psychology, 101, 433–452. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/000712609X467314 Google Scholar
Bacon, A. M., Handley, S. J., & McDonald, E. L. (2007). Reasoning and dyslexia: A spatial strategy may impede reasoning with visually rich information. British Journal of Psychology, 98, 79–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/000712606X103987 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowden, E. M., & Jung-Beeman, M. (2003a). Aha! Insight experience correlates with solution activation in the right hemisphere. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 10, 730–737. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03196539 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowden, E. M., & Jung-Beeman, M. (2003b). Normative data for 144 compound remote associate problems. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 35, 634–639. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03195543 Google Scholar
Chakravarty, A. (2009). Artistic talent in dyslexia – a hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 73, 569–571. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2009.05.034 Google Scholar
Cunningham, J. B., & MacGregor, J. N. (2008). Training insightful problem solving: Effects of realistic and puzzle-like contexts. Creativity Research Journal, 20, 291–296. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10400410802278735 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, R. D, & Braun, E. (1994). The gift of dyslexia: Why some of the smartest people can't read and how they can learn. New York, NY: Perigee Books, Penguin Group.Google Scholar
Ehardt, K. (2009). Dyslexia, not disorder. Dyslexia, 15, 363–366. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dys.379 Google Scholar
Everatt, J. (1997). The abilities and disabilities associated with adult developmental dyslexia. Journal of Research in Reading, 20, 13–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.00016 Google Scholar
Everatt, J., Steffert, B., & Smythe, I. (1999). An eye for the unusual: Creative thinking in dyslexics. Dyslexia, 5, 28–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0909(199903)5:1<28::AID-DYS126>3.0.CO;2-K 3.0.CO;2-K>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Göbel, S. M., & Snowling, M. J. (2010). Number processing skills in adults with dyslexia. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 1361–1373. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17470210903359206 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ingesson, S. G. (2006). Stability of IQ measures in teenagers and young adults with developmental dyslexia. Dyslexia, 12, 81–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dys.306 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jiménez, J. E., Gregg, N., & Díaz, A. (2004). Evaluación de las habilidades fonológicas y ortográficas en adolescentes con dislexia y adolescentes buenos lectores [Assessment of sublexical and lexical processing of Spanish young adults with reading disabilities and young adult normal readers]. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 27, 63–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1174/021037004772902105 Google Scholar
Karen, K., & Howard, F. (2011). Dyslexic and entrepreneur: Typologies, commonalities and difference. Proceedings from AGSE 2011: The 8th International Entrepreneurship Research Exchange (pp. 1023–1036). Melbourne, Australia: Swinburne University of Technology.Google Scholar
Keenan, J. M., & Meenan, C. E. (2012). Test differences in diagnosing reading comprehension deficits. Journal of Learning and Disabilities, 47, 125–135. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022219412439326 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ketabi, S., Zabihi, R., & Ghadiri, M. (2012). Bridging theory and practice: How creative ideas flourish through personal and academic literacy practices. International Journal of Research Studies in Psychology, 2, 61–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.5861/ijrsp.2012.182 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knoblich, G., Ohlsson, S., Haider, H., & Rhenius, D. (1999). Constraint relaxation and chunk decomposition in insight problem solving. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 25, 1534–1555. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0278-7393.25.6.1534 Google Scholar
Kuncel, N. R., Hezlett, S. A., & Ones, D. S. (2004). Academic performance, career potential, creativity, and job performance: Can one construct predict them all? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86, 148–161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.1.148 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
La France, E. D. B. (1997). The gifted/dyslexic child: Characterizing and addressing strengths and weaknesses. Annals of Dyslexia, 47, 163–182.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11881-997-0025-7 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leonard, C. M., & Eckert, M. A. (2008). Asymmetry and dyslexia. Developmental Neuropsychology, 33, 663–681. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/87565640802418597 Google Scholar
Logan, J. (2008). Are we teaching potential entrepreneurs in the best way to enhance their career success? (AGSE working paper). London, UK: Cass Business School, City University.Google Scholar
Manzi, J., Bosch, A., Bravo, D., Del Pino, G., & Pizarro, R. (2010). Validez diferencial y sesgo en la predictividad de las pruebas de admisión a las Universidades Chilenas (PSU) [Differential validity and slant on the predictability of the admission tests to the Chilean Universities (PSU)]. Revista Iberoamerica de Evaluación Educativa, 3(2), 29–48.Google Scholar
Parrila, R., Corkett, J., Kirby, J. R., & Hein, S. (2003). Adult Reading History Questionnaire – Revised. (Unpublished questionnaire). Edmonton, Canada: University of Alberta.Google Scholar
Rack, L. (1981). Developmental dyslexia and literary creativity: Creativity in the area of deficit. Journal of Learning and Disabilities, 14, 262–263. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002221948101400506 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schneps, M. H., Brockmole, J. R., Sonnert, G., & Pomplun, M. (2012). History of reading struggles linked to enhanced learning in low spatial frequency scenes. PLoS ONE, 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035724 Google Scholar
Shaywitz, S. E. (1998). Dyslexia. The New England Journal of Medicine, 338, 307–312. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199801293380507 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaywitz, S. E., & Shaywitz, B. A. (2008). Paying attention to reading: The neurobiology of reading and dyslexia. Development and Psychopathology, 20, 1329–1349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579408000631 Google Scholar
Tafti, M. A., Hameedy, M. A., & Baghal, N. M. (2009). Dyslexia, a deficit or a difference: Comparing the creativity and memory skills of dyslexic and nondyslexic students in Iran. Social Behavior and Personality, 37, 1009–1016. http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2009.37.8.1009 Google Scholar
Tarver, S. G., Buss, B. R., & Maggiore, R. P. (1979). The relationship between creativity and selective attention in LD boys. Learning Disability Quarterly, 2, 53–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1510839 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torrance, E. P., & Torrance, J. P. (1978). Future problem solving: National interscholastic competition and curriculum project. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 12, 87–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1978.tb00163.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Velásquez, M., Cornejo, C., & Roco, Á. (2008). Evaluación de la competencia lectora en estudiantes de primer año de carreras del área humanista y carreras del área de la salud en tres universidades del Consejo de Rectores [Reading comprehension assessment in first-year students of humanistic and health programs of study offered by three Rectors' Council universities]. Estudios pedagógicos (Valdivia), 34, 123–138.Google Scholar
Vinegrad, M. (1994). A revised adult dyslexia checklist. Educare, 48, 21–23.Google Scholar
von Károlyi, C. (2001). Visual-spatial strength in dyslexia: Rapid discrimination of impossible figures. Journal of Learning and Disabilities, 34, 380–391. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002221940103400413 Google Scholar
von Károlyi, C., & Winner, E. (2004). Dyslexia and visual spatial talents: Are they connected? In Newman, T. M. & Sternberg, R. J. (Eds.), Students with both gifts and learning disabilities: Identification, assessment, and outcomes. (pp. 95–117). New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
von Károlyi, C., Winner, E., Gray, W., & Sherman, G. F. (2003). Dyslexia linked to talent: Global visual–spatial ability. Brain and Language, 85, 427–431. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0093-934X(03)00052-X CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wallach, M. A., & Kogan, N. (1965). Modes of thinking in young children: A study of the creativity-intelligence distinction. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.Google Scholar
Wang, A. Y. (2012). Exploring the relationship of creative thinking to reading and writing. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7, 38–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2011.09.001 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, L. C., & Yang, H. M. (2011). The comparison of the visuo-spatial abilities of dyslexic and normal students in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32, 1052–1057. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2011.01.028 Google Scholar
West, T. (1997). In the mind’s eye: Visual thinkers, gifted people with dyslexia and other learning difficulties, computer images and the irony of creativity. New York, NY: Prometheus Books.Google Scholar
West, T. (2008). It is time to get serious about the talents of dyslexics. Perspectives on Language and Literacy, 34(3), 9–11. Retrieved from http://www.wheelerschool.org/ftpimages/362/download/download_group10333_id317440.pdf Google Scholar
Winner, E., von Karolyi, C., Malinsky, D., French, L., Seliger, C., Ross, E., & Weber, C. (2001). Dyslexia and visual-spatial talents: Compensation vs deficit model. Brain and Language, 76, 81–110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/brln.2000.2392 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolff, U., & Lundberg, I. (2002). The prevalence of dyslexia among art students. Dyslexia, 8, 34–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dys.211 Google Scholar