Divergent Thinking in AP Psychology

In AP Psychology, divergent thinking is a problem-solving approach that generates many different possible solutions or ideas for a single problem. It is linked to creativity and contrasted with convergent thinking, which narrows options down to one best answer.

What is Divergent Thinking?

Divergent thinking is the kind of thinking you do when you try to come up with as many ideas as possible for one problem. Think of it as your mind branching outward. You start from one prompt ("How many ways can you use a paper clip?") and spread out into lots of possible answers, including weird and original ones. Quantity and variety are the point. You aren't judging which idea is best yet.

In AP Psych, divergent thinking sits inside Topic 2.2, which covers how people think and solve problems. It's the mental process most closely tied to creativity. You'll almost always see it paired with convergent thinking, its opposite. Convergent thinking takes many options and narrows them to the single correct or best answer. A simple way to remember it is that divergent thinking opens the funnel and convergent thinking closes it.

Why Divergent Thinking matters in AP® Psychology

Divergent thinking lives in Unit 2: Cognition, under Topic 2.2 Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgments, and Decision-Making. It supports learning objective AP Psych 2.2.A, which asks you to explain how psychological concepts and theories account for thinking, problem-solving, judgment, and decision-making. Topic 2.2 gives you several tools for attacking a problem. Algorithms try every possible solution step by step. Heuristics take mental shortcuts. Divergent thinking is the creative tool that generates fresh options in the first place. Knowing when each one applies is the kind of explanation 2.2.A is after. It also shows up on the actual exam. Released SAQs in 2021 and 2022 built everyday scenarios where you had to apply problem-solving concepts like this one to a person's behavior.

How Divergent Thinking connects across the course

Convergent Thinking (Unit 2)

These two are partners, not rivals. Real problem-solving usually runs divergent first (brainstorm a pile of ideas) and convergent second (pick the best one). If a scenario describes someone listing options, that's divergent. If it describes someone choosing the one right answer, that's convergent.

Creativity (Unit 2)

Divergent thinking is the process and creativity is the product. Creativity is the ability to produce ideas that are both novel and useful. Divergent thinking is how you get the novel part, by generating enough different ideas that some of them are original.

Functional Fixedness (Unit 2)

Functional fixedness is a barrier that blocks divergent thinking. If you can only see a box as a container, you won't think to use it as a shelf. Divergent thinking is what breaks you out of that rut by pushing you to imagine objects doing unusual jobs.

Algorithms and Heuristics (Unit 2)

Topic 2.2 gives you a toolbox for problems. Algorithms grind through every possible solution, like a chess computer checking every move. Heuristics jump to a quick shortcut answer. Divergent thinking is different from both because its goal isn't reaching one answer. Its goal is expanding the set of possible answers.

Is Divergent Thinking on the AP® Psychology exam?

Multiple choice. Expect scenario stems where someone generates many uses for an object, brainstorms options, or comes up with unusual solutions. You need to label that behavior as divergent thinking. The usual wrong answers are convergent thinking, algorithms, or heuristics. Your job is to tell "producing many options" apart from "finding the one answer" and from "taking a shortcut." A related item type shows a classic reasoning trap, like the bat-and-ball problem, so you can see how quick, intuitive judgments differ from careful or creative problem-solving.

SAQs. Released SAQs set problem-solving terms inside everyday stories. 2021 SAQ Q1 follows Malia writing a research paper over several weeks. 2022 SAQ Q1 follows Rayce brainstorming online videos to sell custom skateboards. On prompts like these, defining divergent thinking won't earn the point. You have to apply it to the specific person in the prompt. A strong answer sounds like this: "Rayce shows divergent thinking when he comes up with many different video ideas, such as filming tricks, interviewing the crowd, and showing how the boards are made." Name the concept and point to a concrete behavior from the scenario. Make sure that behavior clearly involves generating multiple ideas.

Divergent Thinking vs Convergent Thinking

Divergent thinking produces many possible answers to an open-ended problem, like listing every use for a brick. Convergent thinking narrows down to one correct or best answer, like solving a math problem or answering a multiple-choice question. To tell them apart, ask whether the person is expanding the options (divergent) or eliminating them (convergent). Standardized tests mostly reward convergent thinking. Creativity tasks reward divergent thinking.

Key things to remember about Divergent Thinking

• Divergent thinking means generating many different possible solutions or ideas for a single problem.

• Divergent thinking is the cognitive process most closely linked to creativity, and it belongs to Topic 2.2 in Unit 2: Cognition.

• Convergent thinking is the opposite process because it narrows many options down to one best or correct answer.

• Effective problem-solving often uses divergent thinking first to brainstorm options and convergent thinking second to choose among them.

• Functional fixedness blocks divergent thinking because it keeps you from seeing new uses for familiar objects.

• On SAQs, you earn credit by tying divergent thinking to a specific behavior in the scenario, such as a person listing several different ideas.

Frequently asked questions about Divergent Thinking

What is divergent thinking in AP Psychology?

Divergent thinking is a problem-solving approach that generates many different possible solutions to one problem. It's part of Topic 2.2 in Unit 2: Cognition and is closely tied to creativity.

What is the difference between divergent and convergent thinking?

Divergent thinking expands options by producing many possible answers. Convergent thinking narrows options down to the single best or correct answer. Brainstorming uses for a paper clip is divergent, and solving an equation is convergent.

Is divergent thinking the same thing as creativity?

No, but they're closely linked. Creativity is the ability to produce ideas that are novel and useful, and divergent thinking is the mental process that helps generate those novel ideas.

Is divergent thinking an algorithm or a heuristic?

It's neither. Algorithms and heuristics are both strategies for reaching an answer, one by checking every possibility and the other by taking a shortcut. Divergent thinking is about generating a wide range of possible answers.

Is divergent thinking on the AP Psych exam?

Yes. It falls under learning objective AP Psych 2.2.A, and released SAQs like 2021 Q1 (Malia's research paper) and 2022 Q1 (Rayce's skateboard videos) used everyday problem-solving scenarios where concepts like this one get applied. Expect to identify it in MCQ scenarios and apply it to a specific person's behavior on SAQs.