Cognitive style and intra-individual variation in abilities.

Subjects differing in cognitive style have repeatedly been shown to differ in their task performances under distraction even though they did not differ under neutral, distraction-free conditions. However, the conception of cognitive styles used in these studies suggests that differences in performance also should have occurred in the neutral conditions. The purpose of the present research paper is to demonstrate that significant differences in performances of subjects differing in cognitive style may be obtained under neutral conditions when these differences are expressed as intra-, rather than inter-individual variations in ability. Theoretically, cognitive styles are thought to be a function of common response probabilities or response strengths within certain classes of behaviors. Consequently, a specific style or behavioral pattern occurs whenever a particular class of behavior is elicited. Two cognitive styles and related behavioral classes have been described. One style, termed conceptual versus perceptual-motor dominance, was hypothesized to be limited to conceptual and perceptual-motor tasks which are novel, difficult, or concentration-demanding.