Title

Laterality and cognitive style in a student population

Date of Completion

January 2001

Keywords

Psychology, Psychobiology|Psychology, Personality|Psychology, Cognitive

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

Deglin and Kinsbourne (1996) reported divergent thinking styles of the hemispheres during transitory hemispheric suppression in a clinical population. The purpose of this study was to try to extend that finding to a student population. Two hundred sixty-nine students answered questions based on syllogisms with true and false premises. Responses were scored for the reliance on logic or personal experience to answer each question. Results showed small but significant correlations with measures of laterality which were consistent with Deglin and Kinsbourne's findings. Given the face-valid nature of the syllogism scale as a measure of rational versus experiential cognitive style, participants were also asked to complete the two scales which have been offered as measures of the rational and experiential cognitive styles of cognitive-experiential self-theory (Epstein et al. 1996). Contrary to expectations, syllogism responding was found to be independent of both scales. ^

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