The effect of creativity and object-play on adult playfulness

Adult playfulness (AP) can be fostered through reflection. Trait activation theory (TAT) was proposed in relation to AP interventions and studied particularly in relation to play-cues, which have the capacity to influence AP, as do toys during object-play. Both object-play and AP have been linked to creativity. This study assessed the effects of creativity (high, low), intervention (pre-test, post-test) and intervention type (reflection, object-play) on AP. A quantitative 2x2x2 between-within groups in-person factorial design was employed on a sample of 54 students (applied psychology = 34 other = 20) recruited through snowball and convenience sampling. The creativity was assessed using Alternate Uses Task (AUT), dividing participants into two groups that were further randomly divided into intervention type. A questionnaire of AP was completed in the pre-test (M = 137.79, SD = 2. 365) and after a week, in the post-test (M = 143.89, SD = 2.515). A three-way between-within ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses. Object-play was as significant as reflection and the scores increased in the post-test. The lack of significant interaction between the three contradicts the analysed research. Practical implications discuss the use of object-play as an intervention of AP. The valid use of TAT, diverse scoring methods for AUT, the importance of the present findings to AP and the lack of control over the experiment are discussed.