Psychometric app to tickle the imagination of artists and writers
Psychologists working on a battery of psychometric tests to determine a person’s Imagination Quotient, their ability to think outside the box, are to put their ideas into a new smartphone app which, they say, could give struggling artists and musicians a crucial jolt of inspiration.
The ability to think about things that are not present and conceive of ideas not thought of previously are key skills in the burgeoning creative sphere but have until now gone overlooked as people focus on enhancing other aspects of the mind such as memory.
Now psychologists at the University of London believe they have cracked the enigma of cognitive functions following a two-year project geared toward stimulating creative muscles through daily exercise.
Outlining the scope of the new test Dr Sophie von Stumm said: “We’ll be able to better understand the relationship between imagination and intelligence. It’s not something to pit against IQ. It’s another piece of the puzzle to add on top – a core determinant of learning and achievement, and a big measurement of cognitive ability.
“We will find ways to improve imagination that everybody can use.”
Should this research bear out it could offer people better methods for generating mental thoughts and processes such as images, thoughts and concepts that aren’t picked up directly by the senses.