Department Chair
Gerard J. Puccio, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Creativity Studies
Date of Award
5-2013
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Creative Studies, M.S.
Department
International Center for Studies in Creativity
Advisor
John F. Cabra, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Creativity Studies
Department Home page
http://creativity.buffalostate.edu/
First Reader
John F. Cabra, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Creativity Studies
Second Reader
Gerard J. Puccio, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Creativity Studies
Abstract
This mixed-methods exploratory study addresses a gap in the literature by testing for links between cognitive style and the gestalt of sketches produced by college-level fashion design students. Students’ cognitive styles were appraised with the FourSight assessment, a measure of problem-solving preference gaining use in design schools. Then participants sketched fashion designs to complete a design brief. Panels of raters trained in FourSight reviewed the sketches to assess the cognitive styles of the sketchers. Quantitative analysis revealed a significant degree of interrater reliability, while qualitative analysis indicated emergent themes of selection, attitude, and innovation that aligned with FourSight types. The raters’ evaluations showed relationships between the sketches produced by fashion design students and the students’ cognitive style preferences, potentially affording designers additional insights in the problem-solving process. These findings support and extend FourSight theory and provide insights into the relationships between how people think and how they express their creativity through the concepts they produce.
Recommended Citation
Culpepper, Mary K., "The Telling Line: The Relationship between Cognitive Style and Fashion Design Sketching" (2013). Creative Studies Graduate Student Master's Theses. 20.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/creativetheses/20
