ARE SOME COGNITIVE STYLES MORE CREATIVELY PRODUCTIVE THAN OTHERS

The conceptual similarities among several taxonomies of cognitive styl e were examined, and common themes emerged concerning their expected c ontributions to creative output. In the first of two studies, 626 adul ts from a range of creative occupations, including undergraduates, com pleted a measure of their quantity of creative output in several domai ns and their dominant cognitive style out of eight options. In the sec ond, 277 undergraduates reported the extent to which they engaged in a ny of the eight styles along with the same indicator of creative outpu t. Results showed substantial positive correlations between innovator, synthesizer, and planner styles with productivity, with negative and null relationships for other styles. Furthermore, creative output was highest for people who engaged in a wide repertoire of cognitive style s. It is recommended that creativity training or enhancement programs continue to allocate time to repertoire developement.