Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2020
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Stephanie Miller
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Research within the field of embodied cognition has primarily focused on the effect of bodily movement on convergent measures such as intelligence and memory, but few studies have explored movement’s effect on convergent thinking ability and divergent creative potential. This study aimed to investigate the effect of embodiment on convergent problem-solving (i.e., vocabulary and similarities tasks) and divergent creativity (i.e., Alternative Uses Task) through the movement conditions of constrained walking (i.e., path-walking) and unconstrained walking (i.e., roaming) in undergraduate college students. Participants simultaneously walked while completing the experimental tasks, and their responses were compared to those in the control (seated) condition. The results showed that path-walking had a significant effect on convergent thinking ability, while neither path-walking nor roaming affected divergent thinking ability. The positive impact of path-walking on convergent problem-solving is a significant finding because it suggests that embodiment enhances the learning process. It also suggests that movement can be implemented in classroom settings to further facilitate in students’ abilities to achieve academic success.
Recommended Citation
Vig, Simmy, "The Effect of Movement on Convergent and Divergent Thinking" (2020). Honors Theses. 1359.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1359
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