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Guilfords Structure of Intellect
Guilfords Structure of Intellect
Five content dimensions (broad areas of information to which the human intellect applies operations) :
1. Cognition : the ability to understand, comprehend, discover, and become aware of information
2. Memory recording : the ability to encode information
3. Memory retention : the ability to recall information
4. Divergent production : the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem; creativity
5. Convergent production : the ability to deduce a single solution to a problem; rule-following or problem-
solving
6. Evaluation : the ability to judge whether or not information is accurate, consistent, or valid
Guilford’s original model was composed of 120 components, because he
combined Visual and Auditory content in a common Figural Content and he combined Memory
Recording and Memory Retention in a common Memory Operation. Guilford’s model is an open system such
that it allows for newly discovered categories to be added in any of the three directions.
Guilfords Structure of Intellect has few supporters today, but Joy Paul Guilford is considered as one of the
founders of the Psychology of Creativity. He emphasized the distinction between convergent and divergent
thinking. In 1976 he introduced the developed model of Divergent Thinking as the main ingredient of
creativity. Guilford appointed the following characteristics for creativity :
Fluency : the ability to produce great number of ideas or problem solutions
Flexibility : the ability to simultaneously propose a variety of approaches to a specific problem
Originality : the ability to produce new, original ideas
Elaboration : the ability to systematize and organize the details of an idea in a head and carry it out
Peter Nilsson uses the following example to measure the creativity of people based on Guilford’s concept of
divergent production :
Creativity Measurement
Links to additional informations about the Guilfords Structure of Intellect and about the measurement of
creativity are provided in the following list :