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LABORATORY REPORT LOVEREZ, ANGEL KATE M. GASPAR, PRINCESS ANN
CREATIVITY
OBJECTIVE
To measure flexibility, novelty and originality thru response production of a series of letters.. ABSTRACT The experiment was conducted to understand creativity by measuring flexibility, novelty, and originality through the production of words from a series of letters. It aimed to observe how participants generate different responses when given anagrams and how the arrangement of letters affects their performance. The participants in the study were students who were asked to form as many words as possible from the given letters under the guidance of the facilitator. The materials used in the experiment included a stopwatch and a set of anagrams. The activity was divided into two parts, where Part I contained scrambled letters, while Part II was easier to process. Each participant was given a limited time to complete the task, and their responses were recorded. It was observed that participants had more difficulty in Part I, while they performed better in Part II, especially when the words were short and familiar. Common responses included words such as eat, tea, and ate. The results showed that participants performed better with shorter, familiar words, demonstrating greater flexibility and originality. Individual differences were observed, as some participants generated unique words that others did not, highlighting the role of personal strategies in creativity. Overall, the experiment suggests that tasks like anagrams can effectively measure aspects of creative thinking.
INTRODUCTION
Creativity refers to the ability to produce ideas that are original, flexible, and novel. It plays a critical role in problem-solving, innovation, and everyday decision-making. In psychology, creativity is often studied through tasks that measure how individuals generate multiple responses from a given stimulus. One common way to assess creativity is through word production tasks, such as forming words from a set of letters. These tasks provide a controlled method to evaluate fluency, flexibility, and originality in thinking. However, there are limited simple classroom activities that clearly demonstrate how different types of stimuli affect creative performance. This experiment addresses that gap by comparing performance using scrambled letters (anagrams) and already formed words. One important concept related to this experiment is cognitive flexibility. This refers to the ability to generate multiple ideas or solutions from the same set of information. Tasks involving anagrams require individuals to mentally rearrange letters, which demands more effort, attention, and flexible thinking. In contrast, when words are already formed, participants can more quickly access stored knowledge and produce responses with less cognitive strain. Cognitive flexibility is considered a key component of creative thinking, as it allows individuals to shift perspectives, explore alternatives, and combine ideas in novel ways. Another relevant concept is familiarity and mental processing. Psychological theories suggest that familiar and simple stimuli are processed more efficiently than complex or unfamiliar ones. In this experiment, participants are expected to perform better with clear and recognizable words compared to scrambled letters, highlighting how the structure and presentation of stimuli can influence creative output. Time constraints, task difficulty, and prior experience also play a role, as they can either facilitate or hinder the generation of diverse responses. Understanding how these factors interact can provide insight into the mechanisms of creativity and learning. By examining how participants respond to different types of letter arrangements, this experiment aims to shed light on the cognitive processes involved in creative thinking, the strategies individuals use to generate ideas, and the potential ways to enhance creativity in educational setting.
RESULT
Part I. Part II Anagram Words No. of Form Words Anagram Words No. of Form Words ILDUEA 8 IDEA 4 ESIVIL 7 LIVES 5 OEDPRXETNEA 8 RENTED 6 GAEIVANT 6 GRAMS 5 TERHAP 10 GIVEN 4 KNATE 9 FATHER 10 RAMKET 10 NEAT 8 ORDEWP 5 MAKER 5 Total 63 Total 47 Based on the data, the participant produced a higher number of varied responses in Part I (anagrams), although this required more effort in rearranging letters. In contrast, Part II (given words) showed more direct and faster responses, as the stimuli were already structured and familiar. Across both parts, some words such as “eat,” “ate,” “tea,” and appeared frequently, indicating the use of common and easily accessible words. It was also observed that certain letter sets or words produced more responses compared to others.
DISCUSSION
Between the two procedures, Part I (anagrams) elicited more difficulty compared to Part II. The participant had to rearrange the given letters before forming meaningful words, which required more time and mental effort. In contrast, Part II was easier because the words were already structured, allowing faster and more direct responses. Stimulus words that were more familiar or had common letter patterns elicited faster anagram solutions. In Part I, words like KNATE AND TERHAP produced quicker responses because they were easily recognizable. In Part II, words such as NEAT, LIVES and FATHER also resulted in faster word formation compared to more complex sets. The most frequently used words across both procedures were simple and common words such as “eat,” “ate,” and “tea”. These words appeared repeatedly because they are easy to recall and can be formed from multiple letter combinations. CONCLUSION Based on the experiment, the type of stimulus affects word production and creativity. Participants found Part I (anagrams) more difficult and time-consuming, while Part II (given words) allowed faster and easier responses. Common and familiar words, such as “eat,” “ate,” and “tea,” were frequently produced in both parts. Overall, the findings suggest that creativity in word production improves when the stimuli are structured and familiar, and is limited when the stimuli require more effort to process. REFERENCE Salao, C. (n.d.). What are anagrams? Definition and examples. TCK Publishing. https://www.tckpublishing.com/anagrams/ Walia, C. (2019). A dynamic definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 31(3), 237–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2019. ScienceDirect (n.d.). Cognitive Flexibility. In ScienceDirect Topics. Elsevier. https://www-sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cognitive-flexibility
