RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO FOCUS ON AN EXAMINATION OF SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS AS WELL AS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TEST OF CREATIVE THINKING. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WERE (1) TO CONSTRUCT A TEST WHICH WILL MEASURE CREATIVITY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, (2) TO IDENTIFY THE VARIABLES THAT ARE EFFECTIVE IN INFLUENCING THE CREATIVE PROCESS, AND (3) TO REFINE A THEORY OF CREATIVE THINKING. A NUMBER OF STUDIES USING DIFFERENT METHODS WERE PURSUED--(1) A DEVELOPMENT OF THE REMOTE ASSOCIATES TEST (RAT), A TEST OF CREATIVE THINKING, WHICH IS DERIVED FROM AN ASSOCIATIVE THEORY OF CREATIVITY, AND (2) STUDIES OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN TERMS OF ASSOCIATIVE THEORY. THESE STUDIES, RELATED TO EACH OTHER IN THAT ALL TEST HYPOTHESES STEMMED FROM AN ASSOCIATIVE THEORY, WERE (1) CONTINUAL ASSOCIATION AS A FUNCTION OF LEVEL OF CREATIVITY AND TYPE OF VERBAL STIMULUS, (2) AN ASSOCIATIVE INTERPRETATION OF VERBAL RELATEDNESS, (3) INCUBATION OF CREATIVE PERFORMANCE AND SPECIFIC ASSOCIATIVE PRIMING, (4) CREATIVITY AND THE NEED FOR NOVELTY, (5) SOME EFFECTS OF CONFLICT IN CREATIVE THINKING, (6) CREATIVE POTENTIAL AND CHILDHOOD ANTECEDENTS, (7) FACTORS AFFECTING THE MANIFESTATION OF CREATIVE ASSOCIATIVE RELATEDNESS IN VERBAL TRANSFER. EACH OF THE NINE SEPARATE STUDIES HAD THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WHICH INCLUDED OBJECTIVES, PROCEDURE RESULTS, AND CONCLUSIONS. (HB)