Observation: unlocking, assessing, and nurturing creative problem solving

The purpose of this article was to advocate and provide methods for observation of behavior as a method for assessing and developing creativity during problem solving. To accomplish this purpose, the authors (a) outlined the advantages of observing people’s actions as a method for unlocking, assessing, and nurturing creative problem solving; (b) explained briefly the conceptual framework for the research underlying these recommendations; (c) presented results of research on observable behaviors that are indicators of abilities in creative problem solving in diverse domains of talent; and (d) described activities, experiences, and materials that have been used to unlock, assess, and nurture creative problem-solving capability and skills. Research on the Discovering Intellectual Skills and capability while Observing Varied Ethnic Responses (DISCOVER) in which performance- and play-based assessments of children and young adults (ages 3 to adult) were designed, field-tested, and validated over a 37-year period were the basis for making recommendations for behaviors to observe and methods for eliciting them. Research has been conducted in several countries (e.g., Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, France, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates) and languages (e.g., Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Navajo, Spanish, Thai, and Taiwanese).