Psychologizing the “Finder-Seeker” Creator Typology: Relations between the Creative Approach Questionnaire (CAPPQ) and other Measures

To better understand Galenson's (2001, 2006) “finder-seeker” typology of creative persons, we tested 111 undergraduates, correlating measures of each category (finder and seeker) with established psychological measures. Each participant received both a finder and a seeker score based on responses to the Creative Approach Questionnaire (CAppQ), refined by Rasch statistical analysis. Finder and seeker scores were themselves uncorrelated across participants, suggesting that Galenson's two types represent orthogonal dimensions rather than distinct categories. Higher finder scores were related to lower scores on need for cognition and Eastern thinking styles; higher seeker scores were related to higher scores on ambiguity tolerance and verbal and figural divergent thinking performance, as well as lower scores on need for cognitive closure and Western thinking styles. Most of these correlational results held when reanalyzed by stepwise regression. These findings suggest Galenson's finder-seeker typology is amenable to grounding in mainstream psychological measures.