Age and Creativity: Implications for Education and Teachers

Alpaugh, Patricia K.; Renner, Vivian; Birren, James E.

doi:10.1080/03601277.1976.12049514

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The quality ratio neither increases nor decreases with age nor does it assume some curvilinear form. These outcomes are valid for both artistic (e.g., Simonton, 1977a) and scientific (e.g., Simonton, 1985b) modes of creative contribution (see also Alpaugh, Renner, & Birren, 1976, p. 28). What these two results signify is that if we select the contribution rather than the age period as the unit of analysis, then age becomes irrelevant to determining the success of a particular contribution.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Age and outstanding achievement: What do we know after a century of research?

Simonton

1988

Psychological Bulletin

354

278

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This article examines, in four sections, the substantial literature on the longitudinal connection between personal age and outstanding achievement in domains of creativity and leadership. First, the key empirical findings are surveyed, with special focus on the typical age curve and its variations across disciplines, the association between precocity, longevity, and production rate, and the linkage between quantity and quality of output over the course of a career. Second, the central methodological issues are outlined, such as the compositional fallacy and differential competition, in order to appraise the relative presence of fact and artifact in the reported results. Third, the more important theoretical interpretations of the longitudinal data are presented and then evaluated for explanatory and predictive power. Fourth and last, central empirical, methodological, and theoretical considerations lead to a set of critical questions on which future research should likely concentrate. For centuries, thinkers have speculated about the association between a person's age and exceptional accomplishment: Is there an optimal age for a person to make a lasting contribution to human culture or society? When during the life span can we expect an individual to be most prolific or influential? It comes as no surprise, then, that one of the oldest topics in life span developmental psychology is the relation between age and achievement. Perhaps the earliest investigation into this matter may be found in Beard's (1874) Legal Responsibility in Old Age. Yet research did not really attain notable proportions until Harvey C. Lehman devoted around three decades to the subject. Most of his principal findings are summarized in his 1953 book, Age and Achievement (Lehman, 1953a; see also Lehman, 1962). Among his numerous results was the tendency for achievement, however gauged and no matter what the endeavor, to be a curvilinear, single-peak function of age. This central conclusion provoked some controversy, led largely by Wayne Dennis (e.g., Dennis, 1954d, 1956a, 1958, 1966) but reinforced by sociologists as well (e.g., S. Cole, 1979; Zuckerman & Merton, 1972). Although interest in this subject waned for a decade or so, and Lehman's contributions suffered some neglect and misunderstanding (Romanuik & Romanuik, 1981), psychologists have once again been drawn to this critical issue (see,

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Age and outstanding achievement: What do we know after a century of research?

Simonton

1988

Psychological Bulletin

354

278

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“…Students apparently benefitted in several positive ways from art class attendance, including finding self-confidence that made them feel better mentally and physically and learning to use their daily leisure time in a productive manner. These factors can give qualitative meaning to the lives of the elderly and may contribute to longevity (Alpaugh et al, 1976).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Creative activity extending throughout life apparently facilitates the ability to cope with developmental problems across the adult life span, and may constitute a vital aspect of successful aging in our constantly changing world (Alpaugh, Renner, & Birren, 1976). Although an increasing number of older adults are turning to the arts for leisure-time activity, they apparently find that few visual arts programs planned for elderly citizens consider more than their recreational needs or demonstrate any concern for the quality of their artistic experience (Fitzner, 1980;Hoffman, 1980).…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Older Adult Art Students: Descriptive Data for Community Program Planning

Davisson

Rush

Fitzner

1982

Educational Gerontology

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“…In the most comprehensive discussion of creativity available to date, Alpaugh, Renner, and Birren (1976) have cited studies that detail marked tendencies toward cautiousness, preference for clarity over ambiguity, and lower scores on several of Guilford's creativity factors. For example, in a study by Okun and DiVesta (1976) it was found that, on a series of word tasks, the elderly, compared to college-age students, selected tasks that involved fewer risks and were less likely to raise their level of aspiration following success.…”

Section: Creativitymentioning

confidence: 97%

On Teaching Art to the Elderly: Research and Practice

Jones¹

1980

Educational Gerontology

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There is a growing need for information on teaching art to the elderly and only a few studies that deal specifically with the topic. This paper discusses findings from studies in the psychology of aging and relates them to similar findings reported in the literature of adult education and art education to generate guidelines for the teaching of art. Suggestions are made for approaching the elderly student as a single type and for accommodating for the wide differences within the group.

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Age and Creativity: Implications for Education and Teachers

Cited by 20 publications

References 40 publications

Age and outstanding achievement: What do we know after a century of research?

Age and outstanding achievement: What do we know after a century of research?

Older Adult Art Students: Descriptive Data for Community Program Planning

On Teaching Art to the Elderly: Research and Practice

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