Relationship among temperament disposition, familial style, orientation to task, and creative potential in preschool children

Abstract

The relationship among temperament disposition, familial variables, orientation to task, and creative potential in preschool children was explored in this study. The subjects were 32 children <17 females and 15 males> who ranged in age from 36 to 61 months, with a mean age of 51 months, enrolled in a University Laboratory School. The subjects were given the Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure as an assessment of creative potential. The parents completed the Behavioral Style Questionnaire and FACES III, measures of the child's temperament and of family interaction patterns, respectively. The child's classroom teacher completed the Play Style Assessment. Correlational analyses revealed a positive though nonsignificant relationship between FACES adaptability and total fluency MSFM <r = . 32, p. < . 07> and a significant negative correlation <r= - . 34, p. < . 05> for FACES cohesion and total fluency MSFM. Regression analyses indicated that when cohesion and adaptability are used together 16% of the variance could be accounted for (multiple r = .46, adjusted r^2 = .16, F = 3.99, p < .03>.