Cognitive styles analysis (CSA) was developed by Richard J. Riding and is the most frequently used computerized measure of

cognitive style Cognitive style or thinking style is a concept used in cognitive psychology to describe the way individuals think, perceive and remember information. Cognitive style differs from cognitive ability (or level), the latter being measured by aptitude ...

s. Although CSA is not well known in North American institutions, it is quite popular among

European universities This is a list of lists of universities and colleges by country, sorted by continent and region. The lists represent educational institutions throughout the world which provide higher education in tertiary, quaternary, and post-secondary educatio ...

and organizations. state: :"A number of different labels have been given to cognitive styles and, according to Riding, many of these are but different conceptions of the same dimensions . Riding and Cheema surveyed the various (about 30) labels and, after reviewing the descriptions,

correlations In statistics, correlation or dependence is any statistical relationship, whether causal or not, between two random variables or bivariate data. Although in the broadest sense, "correlation" may indicate any type of association, in statistics ...

, methods of assessment, and effect on behavior, concluded that the styles may be grouped into two principal groups: the Wholist-Analytic and the Verbal-Imagery dimensions. It is argued that these dimensions of cognitive style are very fundamental because they develop early in life and are pervasive given their effect on

social behavior Social behavior is behavior among two or more organisms within the same species, and encompasses any behavior in which one member affects the other. This is due to an interaction among those members. Social behavior can be seen as similar to a ...

decision making In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be either ra ...

, and learning." Unlike many other cognitive style measures, CSA has been the subject of much empirical investigation. Three

experiments An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

reported by showed the reliability of CSA to be low. Considering the theoretical strength of CSA, and unsuccessful earlier attempts to create a more reliable parallel form of it , a revised version was made to improve its validity and reliability.

Notes

References

*. *. *. *{{Citation , last1 = Riding , first1 = Richard J. , last2 = Sadler-Smith , first2 = Euguene , title = Type of instructional material, cognitive style and learning performance , journal = Educational Studies , year = 1992 , volume = 18 , issue = 3 , pages = 323–340 , doi=10.1080/0305569920180306. Cognition