The Matter of Style: Manifestations of Personality in Cognmon, Learning, and Teaching

The historical roots of cognitive styles are traced in differential psychology, psychoanalytic ego psychology, gestalt and cognitive-developmental psychology to illuminate the varied theoretical issues that energize (and fragment) style research. Optimal measurement of cognitive styles as information-processing regularities and as intra-individual contrasts of abilities or other attributes is discussed in terms of both typical performance and contrasted performance on measures of opposing ends of bipolar style dimensions, with special emphasis on the contrasted measurement of field independence versus field dependence. The role of styles as both performance variables and competence variables in learning and teaching is examined, as are various critiques of style research that appear to be excessively polarized in either supporting or undercutting styles as meaningful constructs. This polarization appears to reflect different stances not just with respect to scientific evidence but with respect to ideology. Concluding remarks broach the issue of how styles are organized, not just within an information-processing framework, but within the structure of personality. (Contains 1 figure and 128 references.) (Author) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** U S 1.)EPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 01.We of Educational Research and improvement E OU TIONAL RE SOURCES INFORMATION CE NTER tE RIC1 Thrs document has been reprOduCecl aS ,ebewed from !be person Or OfgenIZIltrOn onginating rt fl Mrnor changes have been made to rmprove reproduCtron quota," Pornts of view or opmrons Mated rn thiS ctOcc ment do not neCessakty represent colt,al IdOsrtron or poircy RR-93-44 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY J. .thei9o/v TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) THE MATTER OF STYLE: MANIFESTATIONS OF PERSONALITY IN COGNMON, LEARNING, AND TEACHING