The development of natural connections in preschool children and its relationship to creative tendencies: Is it a cumulative effect, or an interactive effect?

This study employs a latent variable growth model to investigate the developmental trajectory of natural connections among school-age children. The aim is to understand how the initial level of natural connections and their rate of development affect children’s creative tendencies. Using a natural connection scale and the Williams Creativity Tendencies Survey, three follow-up assessments were conducted over a period of two years on 281 school-age children from three public elementary schools in Shandong Province. The results show that: (1) The level of natural connections among school-age children exhibits a linear decline trend over time, with no significant variation among individuals; this indicates a stable pattern of differences between children. (2) Natural connections…