THE EFFECT OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ON CHILDREN'S CREATIVITY

doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.1984.tb00040.x

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Wiley InterScience

Human Communication Research

Volume 11 Issue 1, Pages 109 - 120

Published Online: 17 Mar 2006

Published on behalf of the International Communication Association

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THE EFFECT OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ON CHILDREN'S CREATIVITY

MARK A. RUNCO ¹ KATHY PEZDEK ²

¹ Mark A. Runco is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. ² Kathy Pezdek is an associate professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate School. This research was supported by a grant to Kathy Pezdek from the National Institute of Education (NIE G-81–0049). We thank Ariella Lehrer and Allan Ribbler for their assistance conducting this study and thank Patricia Greenfield for the use of her media materials. We also appreciate critical comments on this manuscript by Robert Albert and Edward Teyber. Correspondence should be sent to Kathy Pezdek, Psychology Department, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA 91711.

ABSTRACT

The literature on creativity posits that creative abilities are stable and relatively impervious to short-term interventions. Several studies have, however, reported differential effects of media on children's imaginative play and thinking. The results of these studies are difficult to interpret owing to their reliance on nonstandardized measures of creativity. The present study examines the relative effects of television versus radio on children's creativity. Third and sixth graders were presented a story on television or radio and were then given an adapted version of the "Just Suppose" test of divergent thinking developed by Torrance (1974). Responses were scored in terms of ideational fluency, flexibility, and originality. The results indicated that the two media did not have a differential effect on children's creativity.

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1468-2958.1984.tb00040.x About DOI