The Effect of Individual Differences in Cognitive Style and Motives in Solving Insight Problems

The relationship between cognitive style, achievement motives and problem solving performance was investigated. Two insight problems of the practical construction type were employed as criterion variables in Study 1, and five analytic insight problems were used as criterion variables in Study 2. In Study 1, 44 males and 43 females, aged 17 to 21 years, from a senior high school participated as subjects. In Study 2, 179 female and 96 male students from the same population were employed as subjects. In both studies, Assimilators profited from having high Ms scores, while there was a decrease for Explorers with higher Ms scores. The pattern of findings supports Atkinson's hypothesis (1980) of optimal motivation.     

论认知结构与信息加工过程

认知结构是指认知活动的组织形态与信息加工的方式。包含了在认知活动中的组成成分及成分之间的相互作用等一系列的操作过程, 即心理活动的机制。心理系统由感受、效应系统、操作系统、贮存系统、自动控制系统、动力系统、情绪系统组成; 认知结构是整个心理系统的一个子系统; 信息加工的过程分为连续加工的四个阶段： 编码－ 匹配－ 选择－ 反应; 随着年龄的增长, 信息加工速度的发展具有相同的阶段和变化模式, 但不同的加工内容, 其加工阶段的变化是不同的     

数学教育中的个性差异实验研究

在数学问题解决过程中学生会表现出各自不同的行为方式。这是因为，学生各自拥有的认知结构上的个性差异导致了学生的行为差异，他们或者偏向特征性思维，或者擅长功能性思维。特征性思维者在认知上主要看到的是构成问题的特点与形状，功能性思维者在认知上主要看到的是构成问题的各要素的功能。当问题的外在表征与学生的这种内在结构产生共鸣效应时，学生的学习将达到最佳状态。     

The Influence of Individual Cognitive Style on Performance in Management Education

This paper reports the outcomes of an empirical study undertaken to explore the possibility that cognitive style may be an important factor influencing performance on certain types of task in management education. A total of 412 final year undergraduate degree students studying Management and Business Administration were tested using the Allinson- Hayes Cognitive Style Index. Their cognitive styles were then compared with assessment grades achieved for academic modules, the task categories of which were deemed to be consonant with either the Wholist/Intuitive or the Analytic style of working. Overall ability defined by final degree grades was also tested against individuals' cognitive styles. As expected, students whose dominant cognitive styles were Analytic attained higher grades for long-term solitary tasks involving careful planning and analysis of information. However, contrary to expectations, performance on tasks believed to be more suited to the Wholist/Intuitive style was also higher for Analytic individuals, as was overall ability defined by final degree grades. The results were discussed in terms of the nature of the tasks and the need for methods of performance assessment that are independent of an orientation bias. Without this, it is argued, employment selection criteria may favour the wrong type of candidate in some circumstances.     

大学英语学习者认知风格差异探究

认知风格差异是语言学习者个体差异的一方面,它与语言学习的效果是密切相关的。在大学英语教学中,教师可以采用适当的策略使学习者扬长避短,平衡发展认知,从而促进学习者语言能力的提高和个人的全面发展。     

How Individual Differences Interact With Task Demands in Text Processing

Reading is affected by both situational requirements and one’s cognitive skills. The current study investigated how individual differences interacted with task requirements to determine reading behavior and outcome. We recorded the eye movements of college students, who differed in reading efficiency, while they completed a multiple-choice (MC) comprehension test in two within-subject conditions: one in which they read passages and answered MC questions as in a typical reading test and one in which they wrote a summary before answering the MC questions. We found students spent longer time reading the text in the summary-writing condition, resulting in a benefit in the time they spent when answering MC questions. This time benefit was larger for students who had relatively low reading efficiency. These results demonstrated that both task requirements and individual differences can interact to affect reading behavior and performance. Implications for reading practice and assessment are discussed.     

Achievement Goals During Middle Childhood: Individual Differences in Motivation and Social Adjustment

Person-centered analyses of achievement goals have been scarce in studies of elementary school children. In this investigation, the authors examined the natural combinations of achievement goals (mastery, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) among 3rd grade students (N = 195) and how clusters differed in self-, teacher-, and peer-reported adjustment variables. Cluster analysis revealed four groups of students: mastery (above average in mastery goals, below average in performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals), multi-goal (above average in all three goals), avoidant (above average in performance-avoidance goals, below average in mastery and performance-approach goals), and low motivation (below average in all three goals). Clusters differed in self-reported academic self-efficacy and perceptions of teacher support, teacher-reported academic competence, and peer nominations of social status. Mastery students had the most adaptive profiles; low motivation, the least adaptive. Avoidant boys had more maladaptive profiles than avoidant girls.     

Individual Differences in Learning: Cognitive control,cognitive style,and learning style

This paper assesses the value of three learning style tests when used to examine the design of educational materials for teaching computer science at a distance. The paper presents three studies where three different learning styles were used to discriminate preference and performance in different contexts. The studies indicate that the Learning Style Questionnaire and the Group Embedded Figures Test are of little value. However the Cognitive Style Analysis proved useful in discriminating performance on imagery‐rich materials in a simulated learning context. The paper argues that it may be necessary to match the theoretical basis of learning style with the context in which it is used in order to gain useful information. On the whole the studies showed that the value of learning style tests may be limited.     

Future Models for the Study of Individual Differences in Motivation During Infancy

In this article, we propose a model for framing the influences on variation in infant spontaneous mastery at 12 months of age. Using the perspective of our model, we discuss the differences and similarities that our work shares with that of the other authors in this Special Issue. We hope that using our model in this way can foster integration and expansion of ideas for future studies of motivation in infancy. In addition, our model provides a roadmap for the study of important variables in risk groups. Empirical examination of the wide variation in infant capabilities and maternal emotional resources in risk groups and developmental transformations across the first two years of life can highlight important touchpoints for intervention.     

Future Models for the Study of Individual Differences in Motivation During Infancy

In this article, we propose a model for framing the influences on variation in infant spontaneous mastery at 12 months of age. Using the perspective of our model, we discuss the differences and similarities that our work shares with that of the other authors in this Special Issue. We hope that using our model in this way can foster integration and expansion of ideas for future studies of motivation in infancy. In addition, our model provides a roadmap for the study of important variables in risk groups. Empirical examination of the wide variation in infant capabilities and maternal emotional resources in risk groups and developmental transformations across the first two years of life can highlight important touchpoints for intervention.     

Infant Information Processing in Relation to Six-Year Cognitive Outcomes

As part of a longitudinal follow-up of full-terms and preterms, infant measures of information processing obtained at 7 months and 1 year were related to various 6-year outcomes: general intelligence, language proficiency, early reading and quantitative skills, and several facets of perceptual organization (N = 91). 7-month Visual recognition memory (VRM) was associated with 6-year performance in all domains, and 3 1-year measures--VRM, cross-modal transfer (CMT), and object permanence--were related to IQ and/or one or more specific outcomes (r's = .20 to .47). Many of the infant-childhood relations remain significant even with IQ partialed. Additionally, 7-month VRM and 1-year CMT scores were lower for infants who, at 6 years, were considered at risk for learning disabilities. Overall, measures from the first year of life predicted both specific cognitive abilities and IQ at 6 years; to some extent, the specific abilities were predicted independently of IQ.     

基于认知风格差异的国外职教经验本土化思考

德国职业教学法培训中,德国学者严谨、刻板、程序化的认知特点与中国学员（教师）形成对比。德、中教师认知风格差异体现在沉思型对冲动型、序列型对整体型、场独立对场依存、聚合型对发散型等方面。认知风格差异影响对国外职教经验的理解、接受和运用。通过重视认知风格对经验引进的影响、借鉴国外经验“神”重于“形”、反思认知偏好、基于认知风格差异调整国外经验等途径,可以促进国外职教经验更好地本土化,更适应中国的教育环境。     

Individual Learning Style and the Learning Style Inventory

According to experience learning theory (ELT) learning is a process. ELT conceives of learning as a four-stage cycle including four learning modes: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. The learning style inventory (LSI) invented from ELT provides a framework for examining one's approach to learning situations. The aim of the present study was to collect data with the LSI and present: (a) the test-retest reliability coefficients for the different learning modes; (b) the correlation between different learning modes and age; (c) gender differences in the learning modes; and (d) homogeneous groups of students with different learning styles. The results showed highly significant reliability coefficients, non-significant correlations between learning modes and age, gender differences in some learning modes, and a cluster analysis found homogenous groups with different learning styles.     

Individual Differences in Categorical Perception Are Related to Sublexical/Phonological Processing in Reading

This article examines the relationship between individual differences in speech perception and sublexical/phonological processing in reading. We used an auditory phoneme identification task in which a?/ba/-/pa/?syllable continuum measured sensitivity to classify participants into three performance groups: poor, medium, and good categorizers. A lexical decision task manipulated syllable and word frequency. We found that the two tasks were associated. Poor categorizers did not present the typical syllable frequency effect; however, the other groups were sensitive to phonological information to differing degrees and showed the inhibitory syllable frequency effect only for low-frequency words. These results suggest that auditory phoneme identification efficiency may be related to the sublexical processes involved in reading words.     

外语教学中的认知风格与学习风格研究

近年来对外语教学中的学习者个体差异的研究越来越多,人们越来越关注学习者的学习风格和认知风格对语言习得的影响.本文对学习风格和认知风格理论进行了系统的梳理,论述了两者的关系和对外语教学的启示,希望为进一步的研究提供一个理论上的系统的认识.     

Cognitive Style and School Refusal

The degree to which truancy may contribute to delinquency, social disorder and educational failure has led to continued political and public interest in the problem of school non‐attendance or refusal. There is, however, a notable lack of empirical research into the phenomenon of truancy and school refusal. This paper investigated the learning style of 17 students aged 15‐17 years identified as school refusers and compared their style distribution to that of 850 students in regular attendance in mainstream secondary schools. The Cognitive Styles Analysis was administered individually to students in the Refusal Group at their Centre during the period of one term. The results indicated that, compared to the comparison group, the learning style of the school refusers was skewed to the Wholist end of the Wholist‐Analytic style dimension. An implication of this research is that a particular learning style was associated with school refusal and research is merited particularly to (a) develop further research into the learning characteristics of students who refuse school and (b) inform a developing school response to refusal.     

Exploring the Relationship between Cognitive Style and Teaching Style

To a great extent the nature of the relationship between the cognitive style of a student teacher and their predominant teaching style in the classroom has been ignored by educational research. This study used an opportunist sample of 84 trainee teachers studying for one year full time for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, in a range of subject specialist areas, based at a single English university. Students' cognitive styles were assessed, and those with more extreme cognitive style scores were selected to participate in semi‐structured interviews. A subject specialist mentor had been assigned to each student; 77% (n=59) completed a questionnaire on their perceptions of the teaching style of their PGCE student. Statistically significant differences in approaches to learning and teaching were identified between the four cognitive styles. Gender differences were also noted with analytic‐verbaliser females adopting the most analytical style in the classroom and wholist‐imager males the most wholist style. Qualitative analysis identified differences in approach to teaching between the students with more extreme cognitive styles. Wholists were more sensitive than analytic students to situational factors such as the culture of the school, support from the mentor, and in their ability to accept criticism. Further research is recommended to verify such findings. In this respect, a longitudinal study focusing on changes in cognitive style and approach in the classroom could be fruitful. Consequently, universities need to adopt varied teaching and assessment tools varied in order to accommodate the continuum of cognitive styles.     

Individual Differences in Adapting to Three Different Tasks of Selecting Information from Texts

This study examined individual differences in selecting main points according to three types of tasks. In all, 133 students (10th-graders) participated. Each student studied three instructional texts, and each text was preceded by one instruction. In the linguistic task, the students had to underline the author's main points. In the educational task, students had to underline text elements considered to be important by a portrayed teacher. And in the interest task, interesting text fragments had to be underlined. The students were divided into five groups identified by a typical selection pattern. Only 24 students adjusted their selection of main points to each of the tasks (the adaptive group). This group differed in some study strategies and learning conceptions from the nonadaptive groups. In all, this study begins to give more insight into individual differences in selecting main points.     

Cognitive Style and Gender Differences in Drawing from Memory Versus Copying in 11‐year‐old Children

A total of 71 11‐year‐old children were asked to draw two pictures: one by copying and one from memory. The quality of each of their drawings was assessed on a five‐point scale by four adult judges rating independently. The cognitive style of each child was assessed by means of the Cognitive Styles Analysis. A significant effect of Verbal‐Imagery Style was observed in which Verbalisers were superior to Imagers in overall drawing performance. There was also a significant interaction between drawing task‐type and gender in which females were superior to males, particularly in drawing from memory. These findings were discussed in terms of the representation of information in memory.     

场独立与场依存型认知风格差异对大学英语教学的启示

学习者具有不同的认知风格,认知风格直接参与并操纵语言学习的基本过程,并对学习者的学习方式和学习效果产生影响。场独立和场依存型认知风格是二语习得中最常见的认知风格,对学生的学习心理及学习习惯都会产生很大影响。本文对场独立与场依存型认知风格的英语学习者加以剖析,并指出就大学英语教学而言,教师如能在教学中了解学习者在认知风格上的差异性,并运用相应的教学策略引导学习者的认知风格,将极大地提高大学英语教学效果。