The purpose of this research was to examine the usefulness of David A. Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) as a tool for categorization and analysis of systematic differences between American and International students. The research addressed five primary questions: 1. Are the learning styles of the International students tested different from those established by Kolb in previous studies of American students? 2. Do the learning styles of the International students tested differ among the various groups? 3. Are there differences among the groups of International students tested that can be related to gender? 4. Do the learning styles of the International students tested show any variation according to age? And if present, does that pattern differ in any way from patterns identified for American subjects tested? 5. Are the learning styles of the International students tested similar or dissimilar from the norms established by Kolb for American students in various fields of academic study?

A review of the literature suggests a coincidence of personality characteristics among the cognitive styles defined by Field Dependence-Independence and the Myers-Briggs type preferences. This thesis proposed these independent measures of cognitive style tap common cognitive processes and hypothesized the Myers-Briggs dimensions of Extraversion-Introversion (EI), Sensing-Intuition (SN), and Judgement-Perception (JP) would correlate positively and Thinking-Feeling (TF) would correlate negatively with the dimension Field Dependence-Independence (FD-FI) as measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). The relationships of gender, age, and intelligence to the prediction of field-dependence-independence were also tested.

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Many people assume that editorial cartoons are easily understood by the bulk of the population. For this reason, editorial cartoons are often used as teaching materials in the classroom. Recent research, however, raises doubts as to the effectiveness of this practice. Investigations by Bedient (1971) and DeSousa & Medhurst (1982) determined that the majority of students (grade 5 through college) could not interpret editorial cartoons. These investigators went on to suggest that a logical next step would be to determine if editorial cartoon literacy can be taught. The cognitive style of the participants was examined to determine if the different teaching strategies were differentially effective vis-a-vis field dependence and field independence. Two presentations (treatments) were designed to model methods of reading editorial cartoons. The Whole Cartoon Analysis presented 25 editorial cartoons along with a 100-200 word interpretation of each cartoon. The Parse Analysis Treatment was accomplished in three steps rather than the one for the Whole method. In step one, the whole cartoon is presented with a short gloss of the meaning. In step two all of the cartoon is visually suppressed except for one visual meaning element. This element of the cartoon is discussed and then the next element of the cartoon is added, and so on until the entire cartoon is back on the screen at which point the overall meaning is discussed. The dependent variable of the investigation was the two-part Editorial Cartoon Interpretation Task. Part A asked each participant to enumerate the symbols in the cartoon and define them as to meaning. Part B asked the participant to write a short thematic interpretation of the cartoon. A two-way Analysis of Variance on the data revealed no significant differences in either the main effects or the interaction. / Ed. D.

This study examines one empirical manifestation of social order of two elite scientific communities. This project examines the cognitive order or structure of the cocitation cluster of papers representative of each group. The method reported in this paper retrieves the cognitive structures of cocitation clusters associated with scientific specialties. This method uses socially reinforced regularities in scientific writing styles, technical content and communicating techniques displayed in published scientific papers. A cognitive structure denotes a developmental outline of a scientific specialty's central ideas. This structure comprises of a series of principal statements and the linkages associating them. A principal statement is a single sentence extracted from a paper which exemplifies the paper as a whole. The linkages represent associations between sentences such as refinement of previously stated ideas, confirmation of previous findings, even contradiction of previous conclusions, and others. I apply this method to two independent clusters of papers each representing a biology group: Australia Antigen and Lâ Dopa specialties, respectively. The resultant cognitive structures are compare to accounts of specialty cognitive development created by a previous study of the same specialty groups performed by Mullins et al. (1977) and (1980). / Master of Science

The demands of the accounting workplace have become increasingly complex. Abstract-thinking individuals are better able to process a wider variety of inputs and presumably better able to function in the complex environments. A stated goal of accounting education has been to attract and retain students who are suited to the accounting profession. These students are believed to be the more abstract-thinking individuals. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to investigate whether or not individuals in the various accounting career paths differ with regard to level of cognitive complexity and (2) to investigate whether or not more cognitively complex individuals (abstract-thinking) are rewarded by the profession. In 1988, the cognitive complexity of 494 accounting graduates from the classes of 1980, 1981, and 1982 were measured using the Paragraph Completion Test. This sample was selected from four different universities: James Madison University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Tennessee, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and analysis of covariance. Results indicate that cognitive complexity does not differ among accounting graduates pursuing various career paths within accounting. More importantly, individuals who have elected to leave accounting do not exhibit a different level of cognitive complexity. Results do suggest that the profession does, in fact, reward abstract-thinking individuals since more abstract individuals were found to earn higher incomes. / Ph. D.

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The style of a communication may influence a receiver's responses as well as the message's factual, informational content. The degree to which a promotional communication attempts to control a receiver's responses can be defined as a relational and therefore a stylistic variable. This dissertation operationalizes a stylistic variable, directiveness, as the degree to which a persuasive communication instructs the receiver how to respond in terms of action, attitudes and beliefs. Directive messages attempt to limit the receiver's responses while less directive or suggestive messages encourage the reader to make up his or her own mind. Using Attribution Theory and the Cognitive Processing Model as theoretical bases, experimental hypotheses were tested involving the impact of directive versus suggestive messages on receiver responses to one-sided and two-sided communications and high and low involvement topics. Directiveness was found to have significant impact on receiver responses depending on the receiver's level of involvement. The main implication of this research is that how a persuasive communication is worded may influence a receiver's responses to what informational content is presented. / Ph. D.

The general purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between cognitive styles and personality types in order to gain insight into the placement of leaders within the context of current and future organisational demands. The study was conducted among 123 managers within the information technology environment of a South African financial institution. Data was collected by means of the Cognitive Process Profile (CPP) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Supporting evidence, although not sufficient, indicates a probable relationship between cognitive styles and personality types. The assumption can therefore be made that the relationship between cognitive styles and personality types will be more pronounced among a more geographically distributed sample group which includes sufficient diverse respondents regarding the different cognitive styles and personality types. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MCOM (Industrial Psychology)