| Abstract: | Some educational courses for adults are concerned with developing general cognitive skills and flexibility, rather than specific concepts and competencies. Examples of such courses are those involving the encouragement of creativity, flexible and clear thinking, and efficient reading. These cognitive development courses are difficult to evaluate; for it is not immediately clear whether adult students learn anything from the novel activities experienced in them. It is necessary to examine learning of this kind using appropriate psychological tests, so as to assess student's thinking in terms of its creativity and complexity. A study was undertaken of six adult education courses, including in particular four creativity‐training courses, with two other university groups serving as controls. With the adult education groups, several significant improvements in test results were gained following the six‐week courses, involving the student's production of ideas, preference for complex stimuli, and creative independence. Consequently, creativity‐training and similar courses for general cognitive development are recommended for inclusion in both professional and lay adult‐education courses. |
