science

Guilford's Alternate Uses

Guilford's Alternate Uses is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Guilford's Alternate Uses rather than just read about it. In short: The Alternate Uses Task (AUT) was designed by J.P. Guilford in 1967.

Key takeaways

Guilford's Alternate Uses belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Guilford's Alternate Uses to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Guilford's Alternate Uses from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Alternate Uses Task (AUT) was designed by J.P. Guilford in 1967. It is used to measure divergent thinking.

Design The intent of the AUT is to have the test taker think creatively. It is generally used with a time-constraint, and consists of someone thinking of one object to start. Then within that time-constraint, that person thinks of as many objects as they can that are comparable to the original object chosen. The AUT measures a certain level of divergent thinking; exploring multiple answers using creativity It doesn't compare to a traditional test that looks for a specific solution. As a result, from the AUT it is measured in four ways:

Fluency: the number of other uses you can think of, from the original object Originality: how different the other uses are, showing creativity Flexibility: the assortment of ideas that you come up with showing such a vast range Elaboration: "level of detail and development of the idea" For example, the phrase "plank of wood" could be provided and the examinee would then proceed to write down words such as porch, bridge, swing, etc. There are two approaches used in scoring participants and their output; traditional and subjective. A traditional approach is measured based on the output of "fluency, originality, and flexibility. The output of the scores is then rated based on creativity. On the other hand, the definitional approach involves rating things entirely differently. In the definitional approach the ratings on whether or not it is useful in comparison to traditional that rates on creative.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Guilford's Alternate Uses

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Guilford's Alternate Uses claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Guilford's Alternate Uses before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Guilford's Alternate Uses ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Guilford's Alternate Uses

In research: Guilford's Alternate Uses appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Guilford's Alternate Uses in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Guilford's Alternate Uses is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1967 introductions, Cognitive psychology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Guilford's Alternate Uses outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Guilford's Alternate Uses in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Guilford's Alternate Uses means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Guilford's Alternate Uses out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Guilford's Alternate Uses in simple terms?

The Alternate Uses Task (AUT) was designed by J.P. Guilford in 1967.

Why does Guilford's Alternate Uses matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Guilford's Alternate Uses?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Guilford's Alternate Uses.