TY - JOUR
T1 - The mediating effect of reflective-analytic cognitive style on rational thought
AU - Viator, Ralph E.
AU - Harp, Nancy L.
AU - Rinaldo, Shannon B.
AU - Marquardt, Blair B.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Valerie Thompson (editor) and three reviewers, including Shira Elqayam, for providing valuable insights and significant direction in the development of this paper. The lead author thanks Shelby Hunt for encouraging the pursuit of truth, Roy Howell for his mathematical insights, and Arcade Fire for their poetic inspiration.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2020/7/2
Y1 - 2020/7/2
N2 - We investigate whether non-miserly cognitive styles mediate the effects of cognitive ability and thinking dispositions on rational thought. Specifically, we review relevant literature on two dimensions that define non-miserly cognitive style: reflection-impulsivity and analytic-intuitive. We use these two dimensions to identify a continuum of cognitive styles that vary from miserly (impulsive-intuitive) to non-miserly (reflective-analytic) and are congruent with tendencies to commit specific rational thinking errors. Further, we argue that this continuum, which we label reflective-analytic cognitive style, mediates the effect of cognitive ability and thinking dispositions on rational thought. We conduct an experiment testing our predictions and find evidence, via structural equation modelling, that reflective-analytic cognitive style does mediate the effect of cognitive ability (as measured by working memory capacity) and thinking dispositions (as measured by need for cognition and actively open-minded thinking) on responses to traditional rational thinking tasks.
AB - We investigate whether non-miserly cognitive styles mediate the effects of cognitive ability and thinking dispositions on rational thought. Specifically, we review relevant literature on two dimensions that define non-miserly cognitive style: reflection-impulsivity and analytic-intuitive. We use these two dimensions to identify a continuum of cognitive styles that vary from miserly (impulsive-intuitive) to non-miserly (reflective-analytic) and are congruent with tendencies to commit specific rational thinking errors. Further, we argue that this continuum, which we label reflective-analytic cognitive style, mediates the effect of cognitive ability and thinking dispositions on rational thought. We conduct an experiment testing our predictions and find evidence, via structural equation modelling, that reflective-analytic cognitive style does mediate the effect of cognitive ability (as measured by working memory capacity) and thinking dispositions (as measured by need for cognition and actively open-minded thinking) on responses to traditional rational thinking tasks.
KW - Analytic cognitive style
KW - dual process theory
KW - reflection-impulsivity
KW - thinking dispositions
KW - working memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068760728&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13546783.2019.1634151
DO - 10.1080/13546783.2019.1634151
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85068760728
VL - 26
SP - 381
EP - 413
JO - Thinking and Reasoning
JF - Thinking and Reasoning
SN - 1354-6783
IS - 3
ER -