Dissertation project Christian Büning

The demand for creative "out of the box" thinking increases in many areas of human coexistence. Politicians, educators, and CEOs have realized that creativity and innovation are central to economic success (Business Roundtable, 2005; Council on Competitiveness, 2005; Sawyer, 2006). Cognitive scientists describe creativity as fluid thought and, based upon findings on gesture and embodied cognition, it has been hypothesized that the physical experience of fluidity would lead to more fluid, creative thought (Slepian & Ambady, 2012). Recent studies of "Little c Creativity" also point to the positive psychological effects of expressing oneself creatively (Richards, 2007). This research therefore views the human body as a resource of creative achievement and examines the effects of physical versatility training on personality development and creative potential in students of the German Sport University Cologne. Raising the Question: “can sport enhance creative potential?”

METHODS
In a longitudinal study design, individual movement repertoire of 117 freshmen of Sport Sciences (± 19 years of age) were video-recorded while conducting the Movement Analysis Scales and Test (BAST), a 10-minute, two-part movement test with standardized and improvisation tasks. Both parts were analyzed independently by two trained raters in a double-blind approach. Body image data (DKB-35), Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and the creative potential (TTCT) of students were determined. The inquiry was divided into self- and stranger-rating, which also enables recognition of implicit aspects of physical movement quality and body image. The second measurement is carried out in April 2017.