Imagination App

A team of psychologists plans to produce a smartphone “'imagination app.'

16:42 28 July 2015

Researchers are developing new psychometric tests to evaluate a person’s Imagination Quotient or ImQ, a stepping stone to developing a smartphone app that could help improve the creativity of struggling artists and writers.

 

The team of psychologists at Goldsmiths, University of London, has started a two-year project designed to figure out ways to stimulate creativity. 

 

Dr Sophie von Stumm and her colleagues also plan to develop an ‘imagination app’ to allow people to strengthen their imaginations through daily exercises.

“We will develop new psychometric tests to assess imagination, and then validate them in several studies,” Dr von Stumm said.

 

“Imagination is really important for people, and everyone is very different. We’ll be able to better understand the relationship between imagination and intelligence. It’s not something to pit against IQ. It’s another piece of the puzzle to add on top – a core determinant of learning and achievement, and a big measurement of cognitive ability.”

 

“We will find ways to improve imagination that everybody can use,” Dr von Stumm added, saying the app “will be the greatest contribution of our project to society, because imagination is at the core of our everyday thinking and behaviour”.