children are tending to grow up more narrow-minded, less intellectually curious, and less open to new experiences.” EVERDAY CURIOSITY 7 Kim, K.H. (2011): The Creativity Crisis: The Decrease in Creative Thinking Scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, Creat Res J, 23:4, 285-295 DOI 10.1080/10400419.2011.627805 The Creativity Crisis: The Decrease in Creative Thinking Scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking Kyung Hee Kim School of Education, The College of William and Mary The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was developed in 1966 and renormed five times: in 1974, 1984, 1990, 1998, and 2008. The total sample for all six normative samples included 272,599 kindergarten through 12th grade students and adults. Analy- sis of the normative data showed that creative thinking scores remained static or decreased, starting at sixth grade. Results also indicated that since 1990, even as IQ scores have risen, creative thinking scores have significantly decreased. The decrease for kindergartners through third graders was the most significant. Research shows that intelligence is increasing (Ceci, 1991; Ceci & Williams, 1997; Dickens & Flynn, 2001). Based on the test norms of the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler tests, Flynn (1984) concluded IQs have increased in the United States over the decades of the last century, which is now called the Flynn effect. Flynn (2007) later concluded IQs have increased worldwide during the past century; IQs on the Raven’s Matrices and on the Similarities subtest of the Wechsler Intelli- gence Scale for Children (WISC) have gained by about 25 points; and IQs on the WISC Arithmetic, Infor- mation, and Vocabulary subtests have gained by about 3 points. Flynn (2007) explained the increase in IQs in terms of reduced inbreeding, improved nutrition, or increased affluence around the world. Contemporaneous with the increase in IQs are increases in the average scores on the Scholastic Assess- ment Test (SAT, formerly called the Scholastic Aptitude Test). The SAT is one of the most widely used tests for making high-stakes decisions about educational oppor- tunities, placements, and diagnoses. The SAT has tra- ditionally been accepted as a specific aptitude measure to assess verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities, but it has a high correlation with IQ (Frey & Detterman, 2004). SAT average scores decreased in the 1960s and 1970s, and then remained stable with slight increases in the 1980s. Since the 1990s, however, the overall down- ward trend has been reversed (College Entrance Exam- ination Board, 1993, 2008) and SAT average scores have increased, as IQs have increased. CHANGES IN CREATIVE THINKING What of creative thinking? Creativity is distinct from intelligence. Have average levels of creative thinking changed, and if so, have they changed in the same pattern as IQ? The TTCT is a good measure to use when exam- ining changes in the potential for creative thinking over time. That is because it is widely used and psychometri- cally sound. The TTCT was developed by Torrance in 1966. Although the TTCT has been used primarily as an assessment for the identification of gifted children, Torrance (1966) originally intended to use it as a basis for individualizing instruction for students with any ability level. The TTCT can be administered in either an individual or group testing environment from the level of kindergarten through adulthood. When predict- ing creative achievement, Kim (2008a) found scores on the TTCT predict (r ¼ .33) creative achievement better than other measures of creative or divergent thinking. The TTCT is utilized extensively in both the educational field and the corporate world, and it is more widely used and referenced than other measures of creative or diver- gent thinking. The TTCT has been translated into over 35 languages (Millar, 2002) and it is utilized worldwide. I thank Scholastic Testing Services, Inc., for providing access to the raw data sets and for their assistance in clarifying their data. Correspondence should be sent to Kyung Hee Kim, School of Education, The College of William and Mary, 301 Monticello Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23187. E-mail: kkim@edu CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL, 23(4), 285–295, 2011 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1040-0419 print=1532-6934 online DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2011.627805