The Role Of Task Duration In Motor Creativity Assessment Using The Divergent Movement Ability Test In Children

The current pilot study aimed to examine whether children engaged in a divergent motor task produce more original (ORIG) motor solutions when given a longer execution time (i.e., 6-minutes) compared to the traditionally duration (i.e., 3-min). Since ORIG emerges from the divergent production process, time-related changes in fluency (FLU), which represents the number of movements performed, were also examined to support the interpretation of originality outcomes. Twenty-eight children aged 6–15 years (10.36 ± 2.56 yrs) participated in the study. Motor creativity was assessed using the Agility-ladder Divergent Movement Ability test. Changes over time (first 3-min, last-3 min, total 6-min) in ORIG and FLU were examined using RM-ANOVA. ORIG (statistical rarity) was assessed using the inverse occurrence frequency of each action within the reference group, expressed as a percentage. Preliminary analysis omitted inter-rater reliability. ORIG and FLU were compared across different time intervals to assess the effect of task duration. Originality significantly improved over time, with better scores during the last 3-min compared to both the first 3-min and the total test duration (p < .001). Fluency also changed over time (p<.001), with higher values observed in the first 3-min interval. In a 6-minute task, children produced fewer but more original motor solutions, suggesting a shift toward creative responses. A 3-minute duration seems sufficient to assess FLU, whereas longer tasks are needed to adequately assess ORIG, the core component of motor creativity. Limitations include small sample size, heterogeneous age, and unmeasured factors such as enjoyment and frustration.