Efektywność treningu myślenia twórczego dedykowanego studentkom Jagiellońskiego Uniwersytetu Trzeciego Wieku w Krakowie

An important aspect of working with older adults is maintaining their sense of wellbeing. One of the key elements influencing healthy ageing is high cognitive functioning. According to the recent studies, divergent thinking (DT) is associated with cognitive reserve. Thus, DT may be a way to promote mental health and active ageing, delaying age-related cognitive decline. Assuming the positive impact of training on DT efficacy, an original cognitive training program aimed at enhancing DT was proposed for participants of the University of the Third Age. A pretest and post-test were conducted to measure the level of trained functions. The indicators of the variables studied were the number of Unique Designs from the Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT) as a measure of figural DT, the score of the Test for Creative Thinking – Drawing Production (TCT-DP) and the number of alternative uses for objects as a measure of verbal DT. Preliminary results showed that the training was effective in enhancing verbal DT performance.