Convergent thinking is the type of thinking that focuses on coming up with the single, well-established answer to a problem. … This contrasts with
divergent thinking where judgment is deferred while looking for and accepting many possible solutions
.
What is meant by convergent thinking?
Convergent thinking occurs when
the solution to a problem can be deduced
by applying established rules and logical reasoning. This type of reasoning involves solving a problem within the context of known information and narrowing down the solution based on logical inference.
What differentiates divergent from convergent thinking?
The difference between Divergent and Convergent thinking is that
Divergent thinking looks in all directions for a solution
, while convergent thinking is more specific and focuses on the ideal option. … Divergent thinking refers to the process of exploring multiple solutions to a problem.
What is divergent thinking with example?
Some other examples of divergent thinking include:
Wondering how many ways you can use a fork
.
Showing a person a photo and asking them to create a caption for the photo
.
Giving a child a stack of blocks
and asking them to see how many shapes they can create with those blocks.
What are examples of convergent thinking?
Examples:
Variety of tests, such as multiple choice tests, standardized tests, quizzes, spelling tests and similar other tests
require convergent thinking, because only one answer can be 100% correct. A convergent thinker would only regard a person be either sick or healthy.
Are you a convergent or divergent thinker?
A
convergent thinker
is someone who is very good with numbers, someone who can easily work with data, and solving something with one correct answer. A divergent thinker is someone who doesn’t always think in the box, they are very creative, and think of new innovative ideas.
How do you practice convergent thinking?
Your task is to practice convergent thinking by
grouping similar ideas together
. Look for thoughts or ideas that appear to fit together, then identify the category or group these ideas represent. Give a label or “heading” to each of the categories you identify. You should identify 3 – 5 categories.
What are the convergent thinking tools?
- Divergent thinking is wide and free. When you diverge, you generate many options. …
- Hits. A quick way to identify the options that stand out. …
- Clustering. …
- Restating Clusters. …
- POINt. …
- Card Sort. …
- Evaluation Matrix. …
- Paired Comparison Analysis.
Is critical thinking convergent or divergent?
When an individual is using critical thinking to solve a problem they consciously use standards or probabilities to make judgments. This contrasts with
divergent
thinking where judgment is deferred while looking for and accepting many possible solutions.
What does divergent thinking require a person to develop?
Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to
generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions
. It typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing, “non-linear” manner, such that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion.
What is the best example of divergent thinking?
One great example of divergent thinking in action is
in the early days of Twitter
. Twitter took a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach to their application. They created an online service without a clear practical application or market, launched it to see how people would use it, then refined it.
Who is a divergent person?
People who are divergent thinkers are
novel thinkers
. This means that they do not first think of the common assumptions most others use in making decisions. Because they think differently, they act differently.
What does it mean to think divergently?
Medical Definition of divergent thinking
:
creative thinking that may follow many lines of thought and tends to generate new and original solutions to problems
— compare convergent thinking.
Why are both convergent and divergent thinking important to creativity?
Thus, creativity requires both of these thinking processes, and creativity occurs when these two processes complement each other: divergent thinking to
generate many novel ideas
and convergent thinking to evaluate these ideas and select one of them to solve a particular problem.
How do you know if you are a divergent thinker?
Divergent thinking
In plain English, divergent thinkers think outside the box. They have
the uncanny ability to come up with free-flowing ideas and problem-solving insights in a short amount of time
, as opposed to their convergent-thinking counterparts who solve single problems in a systematic and linear fashion.
What is divergent thinking good for?
As I wrote in The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative, No Matter Where You Work, “divergent thinking
helps us generate many new ideas, imagine, be original, ask questions to spot problems, look for patterns, make unexpected connections, imagine, and see things from a variety of perspectives
.”
