Cognitive style

Cognitive style is a term used in cognitive psychology to describe the way individuals think, perceive and remember information, or their preferred approach to using such information to solve problems. Cognitive style differs from cognitive ability (or level), the latter being measured by aptitude tests or so-called intelligence tests. Controversy exists over the exact meaning of the term cognitive style and also as to whether it is a single or multiple dimension of human personality. However, it remains a key concept in the areas of education and management. If a pupil has a similar cognitive style to his/her teacher, the chances that the pupil will have a more positive learning experience is said to be improved. Likewise, team members with similar cognitive styles will probably feel more positive about their participation in the team. While the matching of cognitive styles may make participants feel more comfortable when working with one another, this alone cannot guarantee the success of the outcome. Some of the existing notions and measures of cognitive style are now discussed.

A popular, multi-dimensional instrument for the measure of cognitive style is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI. For details, follow the link as indicated. In recent times, scholars have questioned the construct validity of some of the scales associated with this instrument.

Riding invented a two-dimensional cognitive style instrument, his Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA), which is a computer-based test, consisting of three sets of questions. The principle on which this test works is the posit that cognitive style is related to the efficiencies with which respondents perform various types of mental task. The test basically attempts to measure two dimensions ("Wholist-Analytic” and “Verbal-Imagery”) of cognitive style in terms of the relative speeds with which respondents answer various types of questions. Some scholars argue that this instrument, being at least in part reliant on the ability of the respondent to answer at speed, really measures a mix of cognitive style and cognitive ability.  This is said to contribute to the unreliability of this instrument.

The field dependence-independence model, invented by Witkin, identifies an individual’s perceptive behaviour while distinguishing object figures from the content field in which they are set. Two similar instruments to do this were produced, the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) and the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) (1971). In both cases, the content field is a distracting or confusing background. These instruments are designed to distinguish field-independent from field-dependent cognitive types; a rating which is claimed to be value-neutral. Field-independent people tend to be more autonomous when it comes to the development of restructuring skills; that is, those skills required during technical tasks with which the individual is not necessarily familiar. They are, however, less autonomous in the development of interpersonal skills. The EFT and GEFT continue to enjoy support and usage in research and practice. However, they, too, are criticized by scholars as containing an element of ability and so may not measure cognitive style alone.

Hudson identified two cognitive styles: convergent thinkers, good at accumulating material from a variety of sources relevant to a problem’s solution, and divergent thinkers who proceed more creatively and subjectively in their approach to problem-solving. Hudson’s converger-diverger construct attempts to measure the processing rather than the acquisition of information by an individual. It aims to differentiate convergent from divergent thinkers; the former being persons who think rationally and logically while the latter tend to be more flexible and to base reasoning more on heuristic evidence.

In contrast, cognitive complexity theories attempt to identify individuals who are more complex in their approach to problem-solving against those who are simpler. The instruments used to measure this concept of ‘cognitive style’ are either Driver’s Decision Style Exercise (DDSE) or the Complexity Self-Test Description Instrument, which are somewhat ad hoc and so are little used at present.

Pask extended these notions in a discussion of strategies and styles of learning. In this, he classifies learning strategies as either holist or serialist. When confronted with an unfamiliar type of problem, holists gather information randomly within a framework, while serialists approach problem-solving step-wise, proceeding from the known to the unknown.

Ornstein’s hemispherical lateralisation concept, commonly called left-brain / right-brain theory, posits that the left hemisphere of the brain controls logical and analytical operations while the right hemisphere controls holistic, intuitive and pictorial activities. Cognitive style is thus claimed to be a single dimension on a scale from extreme left-brain to extreme right-brain types, depending on which associated behaviour dominates in the individual, and by how much.

Taggart’s (1988) ‘Whole-brain human information processing theory’ classifies the brain as having six divisions, three per hemisphere, which in a sense is a refined model of the hemispherical lateralisation theory discussed above.

The Allinson-Hayes Cognitive Style Index (CSI) has features of Ornstein’s left-brain / right-brain theory. The CSI contains 38 items, each rated using a 3-point scale (true; uncertain; false). Some scholars have questioned the CSI’s construct validity on the grounds of theoretical and methodological limitations associated with its development. It is also noteworthy that this measure of cognitive style is both gender-sensitive and culture-sensitive. While it is entirely plausible that cognitive style is related to these social factors, it does complicate some educational and management issues. It suggests, for instance, that a given student is best taught by a person of a certain sex or culture; or that only persons of certain cultures can work harmoniously together in teams.

One of the most popular models of cognitive style was devised by Kirton. His model, called Adaption-Innovation theory, claims that an individual’s preferred approach to problem solving, can be placed on a continuum between two general cognitive style categories: Adaptive and Innovative. He suggests that some human beings, called adaptors tend to prefer the adaptive approach to problem-solving, while others (innovators), of course, prefer the reverse. Adaptors use what is given to solve problems by time-honored techniques. Alternatively, innovators look beyond what is given to solve problems with the aid of innovative technologies.

Kirton also invented an instrument to measure cognitive style (at least in accordance with this model) known as the Kirton Adaption-innovation Inventory (KAI). This requires the respondent to rate themselves against thirty-three personality traits. A drawback of all the other efforts to measure cognitive style discussed above is their failure to separate out cognitive style and cognitive level. As the items on the KAI are expressed in clear and simple language cognitive level plays no significant role. With the aid of this instrument, a further important group of humans has been identified, called mid-scorers. They are neither strongly adaptive nor strongly innovative, and prefer human to technical problem-solving. These persons assume bridging roles between the extreme scorers in work teams. About two-thirds of the human population are thought to be mid-scorers, one sixth high-scoring adaptors and one sixth high-scoring innovators.

The KAI draws little serious criticism from scholars and rivals the MBTI for popularity among researchers and practitioners. Unlike the previous instrument discussed, the KAI has been shown by numerous studies not to be affected by either gender or culture differences. A person's score, provided the reading was taken when they were 18 years or older, exhibits very little change with time.