Temperament and Creativity: A Proposed Experimental Study
This paper presents a proposed experimental study examining the relationship between temperament and creativity in undergraduate students. Thirty participants, representing all academic departments, will complete the Formal Characteristics of Behavior–Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI) to measure six temperament traits and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) figural tasks to assess creativity. Three hypotheses predict that temperament score will positively correlate with creativity index, that specific traits (briskness, activity, perseveration, sensory sensitivity, and endurance) will positively correlate with creativity, and that emotional reactivity will negatively correlate with creativity. The paper also outlines the statistical analysis plan using IBM SPSS and provides a detailed budget justification totaling $60,000.
- Introduction and Participant Recruitment: Participant selection, recruitment method, and ethical standards
- Measures and Procedure: FCB-TI instrument, temperament traits, and administration
- Verbal and Figural Tasks of the TTCT: TTCT subtests, scoring metrics, and task descriptions
- Hypotheses and Statistical Analysis: Three directional hypotheses and SPSS analysis plan
- Budget Justification: Personnel, travel, participant, and supply cost breakdown
- References: Cited sources in APA format
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What makes this paper effective
- The study design is clearly operationalized — each instrument is described in sufficient detail to replicate the procedure, including item counts, scoring methods, and reliability coefficients.
- Each hypothesis is directly grounded in prior literature, giving the reader a transparent rationale for each prediction and showing awareness of the existing empirical base.
- The budget section maps costs methodically to research activities, demonstrating that the student understands real-world research funding requirements including indirect cost rates.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates hypothesis derivation from existing literature: rather than stating predictions in isolation, the author cites specific prior studies (Nęcka & Hlawacz, 2013; Baas et al., 2013) and explains exactly how those findings motivate each directional hypothesis. This shows the ability to connect a new research design to an ongoing scholarly conversation.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a standard research-proposal format: participant selection and ethical considerations come first, followed by detailed instrument descriptions (FCB-TI and TTCT), task-level procedural specifics, hypothesis statements with literature support, a data-analysis plan, and finally a line-item budget with indirect-cost calculation. This sequential structure mirrors the sections of a formal grant proposal.
Introduction and Participant Recruitment
Thirty undergraduate students will be recruited to participate in this study. At least one student will represent each academic department at the university. Participants will be recruited via the university's Facebook group, as most students are active Facebook users; a post inviting volunteers will therefore reach the majority of the student body. Each participant will be compensated because they are expected to attend two separate sessions. The study will be carried out in accordance with the ethical standards established by the university.
Measures and Procedure
All participants will complete an informed consent form. The form will inform participants that they are taking part in a study on temperament and creativity, and that their responses will not be used for any purpose other than this study.
The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and the Formal Characteristics of Behavior–Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI) will be administered to all participants. The FCB-TI will be delivered first, followed by the TTCT, resulting in two separate sessions. Each measure is described below.
FCB-TI
This questionnaire was developed by Strelau and Zawadzki (FCB-TI; Strelau & Zawadzki, 1995). It is used to measure the six temperament traits outlined by the Regulative Theory of Temperament. The traits are: briskness (BR), activity (AC), sensory sensitivity (SS), perseveration (PE), emotional reactivity (ER), and endurance (EN). BR refers to the ability to shift from one activity to another. AC is one's capacity to engage in numerous stimulating activities simultaneously. SS is the capacity to respond to weak sensory stimulations. ER is the tendency to respond intensively to emotional stimuli. PE refers to the tendency to maintain and repeat behaviors that are no longer appropriate. EN is the capacity to behave efficiently in situations that require high levels of external stimulation (Oniszczenko, Stanisławiak, Dembińska-Krajewska, & Rybakowski, 2017).
The FCB-TI is a yes/no questionnaire containing 120 items. Each temperament trait — ER, SS, EN, AC, PE, and BR — is represented by 20 items. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients for each trait have been estimated as follows: BR = 0.77, PE = 0.79, SS = 0.73, ER = 0.83, EN = 0.85, and AC = 0.84 (Oniszczenko et al., 2017). The FCB-TI is therefore a highly reliable and consistent instrument for measuring individual temperament.
This questionnaire will be administered first to all participants in reserved rooms at the university. A score for each trait will be calculated, and the overall temperament score is obtained by summing the six trait scores.
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