DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE STYLES AMONG CHICANOS IN TRADITIONAL AND DUALISTIC COMMUNITIES*

The study examined the development of cognitive styles among 182 Chicano children growing up in two communities, one traditional and one dualistic. The Children's Embedded Figures Test was employed as the measure of field independence. In the first and fifth grades, Chicano children in the traditional community were found to have a relatively field-dependent cognitive style, whereas those in the dualistic community had a relatively field-independent cognitive style. No such difference was present in the third grade. In both communities there was a progressive increase in field independence with increasing age. There were no significant sex differences in cognitive style.     

Individual differences in preschool children: temperament or personality?

Individual differences among adults have generally been conceptualized in terms of personality theory and traits. In contrast, individual differences among very young children (birth to kindergarten) have generally been conceptualized in terms of temperament theory and traits. The present study compares and contrasts measures of temperament and personality in a sample of preschool children. Temperament traits were assessed with a well‐established measure (the Rothbart CBQ), and a new preschool rating instrument was used to assess personality traits from the five‐factor framework (M5‐PS). Indeed, a key purpose of this study was to further the development of the M5‐PS. Data were gathered on 122 preschool children who were rated by their teachers. Significant correlations were found between the temperament trait Surgency and the personality trait Extraversion, between the temperament trait Negative Affect and the personality trait Neuroticism, and between the temperament trait Effortful Control and the personality trait Conscientiousness. The overall pattern of correlational data suggests that individual differences in preschool children can be adequately described using the five‐factor theory, and that this framework may effectively subsume traditional theories of temperament. Preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the M5‐PS is offered. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

4~8岁儿童认知风格的发展及其对问题解决的影响

认知风格是个体获取和加工信息的一贯模式,影响诸多认知活动。本研究测量了98名4-8岁儿童的认知风格和积木拼图中的问题解决行为,主要发现:（1）4-8岁儿童总体上表现为整体型认知风格,但分析型认知风格随着年龄增长在逐渐发展;（2）认知风格影响问题解决策略：越偏整体型认知风格的儿童越多使用主体参照策略（即先拼主体图形再补充其他部分）,并且越少使用线索推断策略（按照行/列的线索顺序依次拼图）和局部定位策略（根据某一局部图案的具体位置摆放积木）。本实验首次探索了低龄儿童认知风格的年龄差异,发现认知风格在发展早期就已影响问题解决行为。研究结果有助于理解儿童认知风格的发展及其作用,为儿童问题解决能力的培养实践提供一定的理论依据。     

Sex differences in personality are larger in gender equal countries: Replicating and extending a surprising finding

Sex differences in personality have been shown to be larger in more gender equal countries. We advance this research by using an extensive personality measure, the IPIP‐NEO‐120, with large country samples (N > 1000), from 22 countries. Furthermore, to capture the multidimensionality of personality we measure sex differences with a multivariate effect size (Mahalanobis distance D). Results indicate that past research, using univariate measures of effect size, have underestimated the size of between‐country sex differences in personality. Confirming past research, there was a strong correlation (r = .69) between a country's sex differences in personality and their Gender Equality Index. Additional analyses showed that women typically score higher than men on all five trait factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness), and that these relative differences are larger in more gender equal countries. We speculate that as gender equality increases both men and women gravitate towards their traditional gender roles.     

The impact of supervisors' cognitive styles on the quality of research supervision in management education

Background: An aspect of teaching and learning that has been seriously overlooked in higher education is the process of research supervision. High failure rates for research dissertations in the social sciences have been partly attributed to student dissatisfaction with supervision and poor student‐supervisor relationships. One personality variable that has been shown to be partly responsible for shaping the effectiveness of supervisory relationships is cognitive style. Aims: The study examined the effects of supervisor cognitive style on the quality of supervision for students undertaking a research project in the field of management education. Sample: Both parties in each of 118 supervisor‐student dyads within a university business school in the UK participated in the study. Method: Data were collected using the Cognitive Style Index to measure subjects on the analytic‐intuitive dimension of cognitive style. A self‐developed Thurstone attitude scale was used to measure students' perceptions of the quality of supervision. The scale's validity was assured by making extensive use of subjects' (N = 100) judgments from the population of interest in the scale's development. A second parallel scale was developed to test the instrument's reliability characteristics. Results: Findings revealed that students perceived the quality of supervision to increase significantly with the degree to which supervisors were analytic in their cognitive style. Students whose supervisors were more analytic also achieved significantly higher grades for their dissertations. Conclusions: Whilst there may be many factors influencing interpersonal relationships of this nature, this study demonstrated the potential relevance of cognitive style, which may prove to be a fertile area for further investigation.     

A study of the relationship between personality traits and theoretical orientation preferences

This study explored the relationship between personality and theoretical orientation preferences in two separate samples of psychotherapy practitioners and students. A total of 493 participants (274 practitioners and 219 students) completed a web‐based survey. Preference for theoretical orientation was assessed using a measure adapted from the Theoretical Orientation Profile Scale‐Revised, while personality was assessed with the HEXACO Personality Inventory. After controlling for the effects of gender, profession, and degree type, personality was found to predict preference for the humanistic/existential, cognitive‐behavioural, psychodynamic, and feminist theoretical orientations across both samples. Personality also predicted preference for the multicultural, family systems, and neuropsychological orientations, although these findings were applicable to only one sample. Implications for future research, psychotherapy training, and practice are discussed.     

Cognitive style,working memory and learning behaviour and attainment in school subjects

Background: Both working memory capacity and cognitive style have independently been found to affect performance on school‐type tasks, but their effects in interaction have not been considered. Aims: The aims of this study were to consider the relationship between working memory, cognitive style and gender on (a) overall learning behaviour, and (b) performance on a range of school subjects. Sample: The sample comprised 206 13‐year‐old secondary comprehensive school Year 8 pupils, being all pupils in that year who completed the principal assessments. Method: The pupils did an assessment of working memory efficiency — the Information Processing Index (Riding, 2000a). They also completed the Cognitive Styles Analysis (Riding, 1991) to determine their positions on the two fundamental cognitive styles, which were indicated by two ratios: the Wholist‐Analytic ratio and the Verbal‐Imagery ratio. Overall learning behaviour was rated by the pupils' tutors. In addition, attainment in each of 10 subjects was rated by their subject teachers. Results: For overall learning behaviour, there was an interaction between working memory capacity and cognitive style. With the Wholist‐Analytic style dimension, memory made a marked difference for Analytics but had little effect for Wholists, and with the Verbal‐Imagery dimension Verbalisers were affected but not Imagers. With the school subjects, these differed in terms of their sensitivity to gender, memory and style. Conclusion: The results were discussed in terms of differences between the styles in terms of information‐processing demands. Practical ways of improving learning performance were also considered.     

Individual differences in the acceptance of stereotyping

Previous research has documented individual differences in a range of constructs relating to social stereotyping, prejudice, and intergroup attitudes. However, research has not sought specifically to measure a general acceptance of social stereotyping. In the present research, we explored attitudinal, cognitive, emotional, and personality correlates of a person’s self-reported willingness to rely on stereotypical information when interacting with people of different social and cultural groups. In six studies (N = 1080) we found that more acceptance of stereotyping was associated with more explicit and implicit stereotyping of particular groups, less liberal gender-role values, more authoritarian attitudes, preference for hierarchies, higher social dominance orientation, less universal outlook, less complexity in describing others’ emotions, less utilization of emotional information, and more utilization of social categories (gender and race) when rating the similarity of faces, less agreeable and more agentic personality, and more rigid and simplistic cognitive style (all independent of one’s gender). Female and African-American participants were less accepting of stereotyping than male and Caucasian participants. The general tendency to accept stereotyping in daily life is a measurable individual difference that may prove useful in social-personality research.     

Individual differences in empathizing and systemizing in Japanese children: Psychometric properties of the children's versions of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ)

In the present study, children's versions of the Empathy Quotient (EQ‐C) and the Systemizing Quotient (SQ‐C) were administered to 626 Japanese children (313 boys, 313 girls) aged 6–15 years. The psychometric properties of both quotients were found to be satisfactory. Sex differences were found in the scores for both quotients. The girls scored higher than the boys on the EQ‐C, while the boys scored higher than the girls on the SQ‐C. Proportions of cognitive styles, which were determined by differences between the standardized scores of the EQ‐C and SQ‐C, showed clear sex differences. The proportion of participants whose cognitive style was classified as empathizing‐dominant was greater for the girls, while the proportion of participants classified as systemizing‐dominant was greater for the boys. No developmental changes were found in either the scores for the EQ‐C and SQ‐C or the proportions of the cognitive styles.     

Personality and gender differences in global perspective

Men's and women's personalities appear to differ in several respects. Social role theories of development assume gender differences result primarily from perceived gender roles, gender socialization and sociostructural power differentials. As a consequence, social role theorists expect gender differences in personality to be smaller in cultures with more gender egalitarianism. Several large cross‐cultural studies have generated sufficient data for evaluating these global personality predictions. Empirically, evidence suggests gender differences in most aspects of personality—Big Five traits, Dark Triad traits, self‐esteem, subjective well‐being, depression and values—are conspicuously larger in cultures with more egalitarian gender roles, gender socialization and sociopolitical gender equity. Similar patterns are evident when examining objectively measured attributes such as tested cognitive abilities and physical traits such as height and blood pressure. Social role theory appears inadequate for explaining some of the observed cultural variations in men's and women's personalities. Evolutionary theories regarding ecologically‐evoked gender differences are described that may prove more useful in explaining global variation in human personality.     

Anchoring Bullying and Victimization in Children Within a Five‐Factor Model‐Based Person‐Centred Framework

Although researchers have begun to explore bullying and victimization problems from a personality perspective, more work is needed on the particular personality constellations of children and adolescents who are vulnerable to victimization or prone to bullying. The principal research goal of the present study was to anchor the robust four‐group classification of bullying and victimization (i.e. bullies, victims, bully/victims and uninvolved children) within the Five‐Factor Model‐based person‐centred framework in primary school children (N = 660), controlling for gender. We found four distinct personality types in middle childhood: a mixed type, an undercontrolled type, a moderate type and a resilient type. In line with expectations, we found that a resilient personality profile protected children and adolescents against victimization and that children and adolescents with an undercontrolled or mixed personality profile were at increased risk to be bully/victims, rather than uninvolved in bully problems or victimization, compared with children with a moderate personality profile. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mental flexibility as resiliency factor among children exposed to political violence

The research focused on mental flexibility versus rigidity in explaining psychological adjustment in the violent conditions of Intifada, and in more peaceful times 3 years later, among 86 Palestinian children. A picture test based on Brunswik (1949) was applied to measure flexible‐rigid cognitive style, and neuroticism, self‐esteem, emotional disorders, and PTSD were used as outcome variables. Results revealed a moderating role of mental flexibility by showing that children were protected from negative long‐term consequences of traumatic events if their perception indicated mental flexibility. However, in the midst of violence mental flexibility was not associated with good psychological adjustment. Mental flexibility was, in turn, determined by environmental and cognitive factors: The more intelligent and the less exposed to traumatic events children were, the higher mental flexibility they showed.     

中国儿童认知能力的性别差异发展倾向：韦氏儿童智力量表结果分析

分析韦氏儿童智力量表的全国常模以探讨中国儿童认知能力的性别差异。研究中使用多元变量（ｍｕｌｔｉｖａｒｉａｔｅ）分析和单元变量（ｕｎｉｖａｒｉａｔｅ）分析两种手段。在多元交量分析中,首先使用线性结构关系（ＬＩＳＲＥＬ）多样本分析检验各年龄组中男女协方差矩阵、平均数向量和因子平均数的一致性;随后用区分分析确定造成差异的变项。与西方研究相比,中国儿童具有类似的性别差异类型与发展倾向,区别在于中国儿童的数学能力不存在明显的性别差异,这可能与中国的男女接受同等教育有关。     

FATHER–CHILD PLAY DURING THE PRESCHOOL YEARS AND CHILD INTERNALIZING BEHAVIORS: BETWEEN ROBUSTNESS AND VULNERABILITY

Play observations with a total of 400 toddlers and preschoolers were videotaped and rated for Intensity and Quality of play with their parents. Parents were asked about perceived stress and personality characteristics (Big 5). Child's motor, cognitive skills, temperament, and internalizing behaviors were assessed. Study 1 investigated the robustness of play across child age and gender, and examined differences between fathers and mothers. Study 2 explored the vulnerability of play with fathers of children born preterm (PT‐fathers) and fathers who had experienced adverse childhoods (AC‐fathers). Study 3 investigated child internalizing behaviors. Intensity of play was maintained almost independently of child age and gender. It was similar for AC‐ and PT‐fathers, and similar to maternal Intensity. In contrast, paternal Quality of play was higher with boys and independent of fathers’ personality and perceived parenting stress whereas maternal Quality of play was higher with girls and linked to mothers’ perceived parenting competence, acceptability of the child, and neuroticism. AC‐fathers scored significantly low on Quality, as did PT‐fathers, but the Quality of their play became better with growing child age, birth weight, and cognitive (but not motor and temperament) scores. Finally, child internalizing behaviors were negatively related to paternal Quality of play.     

Characteristics of children of alcoholics: putative risk factors, substance use and abuse, and psychopathology.

A sample of 253 children of alcoholics (COAs) and 237 children of nonalcoholics (non-COAs) were compared on alcohol and drug use, psychopathology, cognitive ability, and personality. COAs reported more alcohol and drug problems, stronger alcohol expectancies, higher levels of behavioral undercontrol and neuroticism, and more psychiatric distress in relation to non-COAs. They also evidenced lower academic achievement and less verbal ability than non-COAs. COAs were given Diagnostic Interview Schedule alcohol diagnoses more frequently than non-COAs. The relation between paternal alcoholism and offspring alcohol involvement was mediated by behavioral undercontrol and alcohol expectancies. Although gender differences were found, there were few Gender X Family History interactions; the effects of family history of alcoholism were similar for men and women. When gender effects were found, they showed greater family history effects for women.     

Personality,Gender, Age and Logical Overlap in Multi‐Source Ratings

Variations in conceptual alignment between predictors and criteria have previously been studied in respect of criterion‐related validity, but not in settings of multi‐source rating. The differential conceptual alignment perspective was applied here to account for gender and age differences in the rating of behaviour. Personality traits of sales staff were found to predict logically overlapping customer‐contact behaviours, rated either by themselves or by their supervisor. Personality traits were also associated with employees' greater over‐rating of a behaviour relative to supervisors' judgements when personality–behaviour logical overlap was stronger. Significant differences in some work behaviours were observed between men and women and between older and younger employees, and those behavioural differences were accompanied by gender or age differences in personality traits that overlapped logically with the behaviour in question. Gender or age differences in ratings of specific behaviours are thus a reflection of gender or age differences in logically associated personality features.     

Gender‐Role Orientation,Creative Accomplishments and Cognitive Styles

The present study examined the association of gender‐role orientation to creative accomplishments and cognitive styles. One hundred and twenty‐seven college students completed the Artistic and Scientific Activities Survey (Guastello, 1991), the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1974), and the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974). Three different gender‐role orientations were examined: instrumentality (agenic, stereotypically masculine), expressiveness (communal, stereotypically feminine), and androgynous (high levels of instrumental and expressive characteristics). Results indicated that instrumentality was positively associated with creative accomplishments in the business venture domain and that androgynous, versus nonandrogynous, individuals were more creatively productive in the domains of literature, theater, and video‐photography. Instrumentality was also positively associated with the six hats cognitive style, which is a measure of cognitive flexibility, and the six hats style was marginally significantly associated with androgyny. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are considered.     

Early cognitive development and parental education

Relations between cognitive development in infancy and early childhood, and parental education were examined. Previous research has found little association between measures of the parenting environment, including parental education and socio‐economic status (SES), and cognitive development in infants and children under 2 years of age. However, the earlier studies may not have reliably measured individual differences in cognitive abilities, thus, there is uncertainty as to what age elements in the parental environment affect cognitive development. Seventy‐six infants were tested on a range of cognitive tasks at 3‐month intervals between the ages of 9 and 18 months. Information on parental education (a component of SES) was collected. Seventy‐one of the children returned at 27 months and completed the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Mental Scale, which was used as an outcome measure for the earlier tasks. The findings present a clear indication that cognitive development in early childhood is affected by the parenting environment, at least from as early as 12 months. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

创造性认知风格、创造性人格与创造性思维的关系

对315名初中生施测Kirton适应–创新认知风格问卷、Williams创造性倾向量表和Torrance创造性思维测验任务,以考察创造性认知风格、创造性人格与创造性思维之间的关系。相关分析表明,在创造性认知风格中,效率性、规则性均与创造性思维呈显著负相关;在创造性人格中,冒险性、好奇心及挑战性均与创造性思维显著正相关。回归分析进一步表明,在创造性认知风格中,创新性、效率性分别正向、负向预测创造性思维,在创造性人格中,好奇心正向预测创造性思维;对回归系数的逐步检验发现,创新性维度通过创造性人格而对创造性思维具有间接的积极影响。结构方程模型结果则显示,创新性维度、规则性维度以创造性人格为中介分别对创造性思维发生间接的积极、消极影响。可见,创新认知风格有利于创造性思维,而适应认知风格不利于创造性思维;创造性人格有利于创造性思维;创造性人格在创造性认知风格与创造性思维之间具有一定的中介作用,创新性认知风格通过创造性人格而促进创造性思维,规则性认知风格通过创造性人格而抑制创造性思维。     

Development of the concept of family in elementary school children

Two studies were conducted to examine the relation of age, gender, and family structure to children's understanding of the concept of family. In Study 1,387 children in Grades 1 through 6 were asked to classify various groupings of individuals as constituting or not constituting a family. Results showed both age and gender differences in children's conceptions of families: Younger children, especially boys, generally used concrete, absolute criteria for defining a family; younger girls were similar to older children in that they were more likely to employ abstract, relational criteria for family definition. Results also showed that children's own family structure was not related to their family definitions. In Study 2, 64 children from the original sample were given a measure of cognitive ability to examine whether differences in cognitive development or differences in socialization were a likely source of younger girls' more advanced understanding. Gender differences in cognitive ability did not emerge, suggesting that the gender effects in Study 1 reflected differences in the socialization of boys and girls. Implications of the findings for understanding children's reactions to family disruption are discussed.