Information to Users

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Information to Users INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter frice, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each orignal is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 NEED FOR COGNITION IS MORE THAN “THEY THINK”: REPRESENTATION AND STRUCTURE OF COGNITIVE ACTIVITY WITHIN THE SELF-CONCEPT DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jefifrey Allen Feinstein, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1996 Dissertation Examination Committee: Dr. John Cacioppo, Adviser Approved by Dr. Richard Petty Dr. Robert Arkin Dr. Curt Haugtvedt Department of Psychology UMI Number; 9710561 UMI Microform 9710561 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 ABSTRACT Need for cognition refers to the predisposition to engage in efifortfiii cognitive activity, to enjoy engaging in efifortfiii cognitive activity, and to seek out cognitive tasks. Research on the need for cognition suggests that it is a stable personality variable, which loads on a single factor, and predicts behavior on cognitive tasks. Need for cognition has been conceptualized as a process variable which predicts interindividual variations in the way one acquires and processes information from the social world. The present study extended this corpus of research by examining the representation of need for cognition in the self-concept of individuals differing in need for cognition. In Study 1, need for cognition was conceptualized within the broader scope of personality description by examining the structure of need for cognition within the Big 5 Factor Structure. Studies 2, 3, and 4 further examined the need for cognition by examining if it satisfies the criteria of a self-schema (Study 2), influences information processing about the self as would a self-schema dimension (Study 3), and influences information processing in relatively more social contexts as self-schema have in prior research (Study 4). Results of these studies confirm that need for cognition is a distinct process variable which is not entirely accounted for by the Big Five personality descriptors, that individuals high in need for cognition are self-schematic on engaging in cognitive acts and consequently information processing of information related to cognitive endeavors is facilitated relative to individuals low in need for cognition, and individual differences in need for cognition have distinct personological outcomes which are limited to cognitive attributes, but not social and emotional attributes. Ill ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to John Cacioppo for whose advice, mentoring, and collaborative wisdom this project would not have been possible. I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to members of my family, Amy Harasty, Anita Feinstein, and Mel Feinstein, whose loving support was necessary for me to complete this document and whose intellects were necessary to help further my thinking about need for cognition. Special thanks to Amy, Anita, and Mel whose persistence and diligence were necessary in helping to code the behavioral listing data in Study 3. Thanks also to members of John Cacioppo’s Neuroscience Research Group, in particular Kirsten Poehlmann, Dave Klein, and Wendi Gardner; and members of Richard Petty’s Group for Attitudes and Persuasion, in particular Richard Petty, Monique Fleming, Joseph Priester, and John Downing, for providing helpful suggestions to my program of research on the personology of need for cognition. Thanks to David Lozano for providing technical expertise and programming skill in the development of the response time software used in Study 3, Oliver John for insightful comments on an earlier draft of Study 1, and Michael Browne for helpful guidance in the analyses of Study 1. IV VITA April 3, 1969 .......................................... Bom - New York City, New York 1991 ...................................................... B.A. Psychology, State University of New York at BufiTalo 1994 ...................................................... M.A. Psychology, The Ohio State University 1991 - 1992 ........................................... Research Associate, Social Neuroscience Lab, The Ohio State University 1992 - 1996 ........................................... Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS 1. B. N. Major, J. A. Feinstein, & J. Crocker, The attributional ambiguity of affirmative diC(\on. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 15, 113-142. (1994). 2. J. T. Cacioppo, R. E. Petty, J. A. Feinstein, & W. Jarvis, Dispositional differences in cognition motivation: The life and times of individuals differing in the need for cognition. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 197-253, (1996). FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Psychology Minor Field: Quantitative Psychology Minor Field: Psychobiology VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract........................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................... iv V ita ............................................................................................................... V Table of contents ........................................................................................... vii List of tables.................................................................................................. ix List of figures................................................................................................ x Chapters; 1. Personology of need for cognition ...................................................... 1 Study 1 ............................................................................................. 5 M ethod ......................................................................................... 11 Results........................................................................................... 14 Discussion..................................................................................... 34 2. Representation of cognitive acts in the self-concept as a function of need for cognition ......................................................................... 36 Pilot Studies ....................................................................................... 37 Study 2 ............................................................................................. 51 M ethod ......................................................................................... 50 R esults......................................................................................... 52 Discussion..................................................................................... 61 Vll 3. Need for cognition and processing information; A self-schema approach ........................................................................................ 64 Study 3 .............................................................................................. 65 Method and Design ....................................................................... 69 Results.......................................................................................... 73 Discussion...................................................................................... 93 Study 4 .............................................................................................. 98 M ethod .......................................................................................... 101 Results.......................................................................................... 104 Discussion and general discussion ...................................................... 110 List of References .......................................................................................... 121 Appendices A: 18 item need for cognition scale (Cacioppo, Petty & Kao, 1984)... 129 B: Script for ambiguous target in experiment 4.................................... 130 C: List of 24 Questions used in experiment 4 ...................................... 132 D: Analyses of Study 4 data
Recommended publications
  • The Psychology of Novelty-Seeking, Creativity and Innovative Performance
    Erim - 04 omslag Schweizer 19/11/04 10:01 am Pagina 1 An Individual Psychology of Novelty-Seeking, 48 TANJA SOPHIE SCHWEIZER Creativity and Innovation What does it take to generate something new? The desire to seek something SOPHIE SCHWEIZERTANJA and Innovation An Individual Psychology of Novelty-Seeking, Creativity new, the satisfaction of finding something, sharing these findings with others who also recognize them as new - these are key ingredients of generating a novelty. Part One of this book proposes a model of the novelty generation process based on an analysis of psychological theories, An Individual Psychology most importantly drawing from neuropsychology and social psychology. This Novelty Generation Model (NGM) clearly distinguishes three of Novelty-Seeking, components: novelty-seeking, creativity and innovative performance. It is meant to provide a basis for better understanding the links between these particular components and identifying what interferes with and what Creativity and Innovation facilitates each of them. Practical advice is also generated on this basis that is relevant not only for the novelty-seekers themselves, but also for their social environment that may want to support them. Highly creative professionals are often only loosely affiliated with organizations, while much of the current scientific literature on creativity and innovation focuses on individuals in tighter employee relationships and teams in organizations. This book presents an individual work psychology for those settings where creative professionals (be it artists, scientists or inventors) see organizations (e.g. publishers or universities) more as service-providers to their own work. In such comparatively free professional settings other support issues seem to become more relevant: For instance grants and awards conferred to individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • A Dissertation Entitled Should I Look for More Or Not?
    A Dissertation entitled Should I Look for More or Not? Construction and Assessment of a New Adaptive Information Search scale by Chandrima Bhattacharya Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Psychology Dr. John D Jasper, Committee Chair Dr. Jon Elhai, Committee Member Dr. Stephen Christman, Committee Member Dr. Jason Rose, Committee Member Dr. Ainsworth Bailey, Committee Member Dr. Patricia R. Kommuniecki, Dean College Graduate Studies The University of Toledo August 2015 Copyright 2015, Chandrima Bhattacharya This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no parts of this document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author An Abstract of Should I Look for More or Not? Construction and Assessment of a New Information Search Scale by Chandrima Bhattacharya Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Psychology The University of Toledo August 2015 The current work proposes and tests a new adaptive information search scale (AISS) which assumes maximizing (prefer to look through all choices) and satisficing (satisfied with a good enough choice) are not unidimensional constructs and, can identify maximizers, satisficers and adapters. Study 1 found the maximizing scale developed by Schwartz et al. (2002) could not predict the variability of information search as a function of choice complexity. In Study 2, the AISS scale was developed, refined and tested using item analysis and exploratory factor analysis. In Study 3, the scale was administered to a separate sample of 728 to test its constructive validity using CFA.
    [Show full text]
  • The Subjective Side of Cognition: on the Development of Non-Cognitive Variables Influencing Cognitive Development Across the Adult Lifespan
    Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2011 The subjective side of cognition: on the development of non-cognitive variables influencing cognitive development across the adult lifespan Mascherek, Anna Christine Abstract: Die vier Studien, die in der vorliegenden Doktorarbeit vorgestellt werden, beschäftigen sich mit der übergreifenden Fragestellung wie und mithilfe welcher Prozesse Individuen ihre eigene kognitive En- twicklung managen, regulieren und aktiv beeinflussen. Zwei Aspekte wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit genauer untersucht: Erstens wurde die Entwicklung von interindividuellen Unterschieden im Ausmaß in dem sich Individuen gezielt und bewusst intellektuell betätigen und somit ihre eigene kognitive Leistung beeinflussen näher untersucht. Zweitens wurde die Entwicklung von interindividuellen Unterschieden in der metakognitiven Fähigkeit die eigene kognitive Leistung einzuschätzen und der potentielle Einfluss dieses Prozesses auf die kognitive Entwicklung untersucht. Nach der fundierten Darstellung des theoretis- chen Hintergrundes in Kapitel 1, werden in Kapitel 2 die folgenden Fragen detaillierter adressiert: Gibt es Unterschiede in Typischem Intellektuellem Engagement zwischen jungen und älteren Erwachsenen? Ähneln diese Unterschiede bekannten Alterseffekten in theoretisch verwandten Konstrukten? (Studie 1). Wie entwickelt sich Typisches Intellektuelles Engagement über fünf Jahre im höheren Erwachse- nenalter? (Studie 2). In Kapitel 3 wird
    [Show full text]
  • Epistemic Curiosity and Related Constructs: Lacking Evidence of Discriminant Validity
    Personality and Individual Differences 49 (2010) 506–510 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Personality and Individual Differences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid Epistemic curiosity and related constructs: Lacking evidence of discriminant validity Patrick Mussel * University of Hohenheim, Institute for Social Science (540F), 70593 Stuttgart, Germany article info abstract Article history: Epistemic curiosity, the ‘‘desire for knowledge that motivates individuals to learn new ideas, eliminate Received 10 March 2010 information-gaps, and solve intellectual problems” (Litman, 2008), has been identified as a crucial vari- Received in revised form 10 May 2010 able in different areas and stages of life. However, several constructs have been proposed that might be Accepted 12 May 2010 highly similar regarding construct domain, but are based on different theoretical positions and were Available online 9 June 2010 investigated under different labels. Three of these constructs, namely need for cognition, typical intellec- tual engagement, and openness for ideas, were investigated regarding discriminant validity. Based on two Keywords: studies with 395 and 191 participants, no evidence of discriminant validity could be found. Especially, Curiosity correlations within several measures of curiosity, interpreted as convergent validity, had mean correla- Need for cognition Typical intellectual engagement tions of .60 and .59 for the two studies, respectively. Correlations between curiosity measures and the Openness to experience related constructs need for cognition, typical intellectual engagement, and openness for ideas, inter- Openness to ideas preted as discriminant validity, were virtually identical (.59 and .57, respectively). Furthermore, explor- Personality atory factor analysis indicated that one factor explained the variance of the investigated constructs reasonably well.
    [Show full text]
  • Openness to Experience: a Four-Factor Model and Relations to Creative Achievement in the Arts and Sciences
    SCOTT BARRY KAUFMAN Opening up Openness to Experience: A Four-Factor Model and Relations to Creative Achievement in the Arts and Sciences ABSTRACT Openness to experience is the broadest personality domain of the Big Five, includ- ing a mix of traits relating to intellectual curiosity, intellectual interests, perceived intelligence, imagination, creativity, artistic and aesthetic interests, emotional and fan- tasy richness, and unconventionality. Likewise, creative achievement is a broad con- struct, comprising creativity across the arts and sciences. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between openness to experience and creative achievement. Toward this aim, I factor analyzed a battery of tests of cognitive ability, working mem- ory, Intellect, Openness, affect, and intuition among a sample of English Sixth Form students (N = 146). Four factors were revealed: explicit cognitive ability, intellectual engagement, affective engagement, and aesthetic engagement. In line with dual- process theory, each of these four factors showed differential relations with personality, impulsivity, and creative achievement. Affective engagement and aesthetic engagement were associated with creative achievement in the arts, whereas explicit cognitive ability and intellectual engagement were associated with creative achievement in the sciences. The results suggest that the Intellectual and Openness aspects of the broader openness to experience personality domain are related to different modes of information processing and predict different
    [Show full text]
  • Research Proposal
    Running head: UNCERTAINTY AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS 1 The Effects of Uncertainty on Interpersonal Relations in Terms of Prolonged Satisfaction Ratings John Smith Roanoke College UNCERTAINTY AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS 2 Abstract Research shows that there is a curvilinear relationship between uncertainty and obtained pleasure. That is, an individual caught in a situation of high uncertainty will experience increased pleasure up until a specific maximum threshold, where that pleasure will then be replaced with discomfort or unease. Studies also show that individuals vary with the amount of uncertainty they prefer in any given situation, and that those individuals scoring high on several measures of cognitive ability (e.g., need for cognition, complexity preference, and openness) and risk taking are more likely to prefer higher levels of uncertainty. While research has been done on the relationship between uncertainty and pleasure in terms of music, movies, game preference, and random acts of kindness, little research has been done on the application of uncertainty to interpersonal relations. It would seem, however, that those preferring a certain degree of uncertainty in other aspects of their lives, would also prefer a degree of uncertainty within their own personal relations with others. Those scoring high in cognitive ability and risk taking would thus receive greater pleasure from pursuing relationships high in uncertainty. Likewise, those scoring low in cognitive ability and risk taking would be less likely to pursue a relationship high in uncertainty, and would gain less pleasure from such a relationship. This study aims at examining the relationship between levels of uncertainty and preference for risk taking and cognitive ability in terms of prolonged satisfaction in relationships.
    [Show full text]
  • How Abbreviated Measures of Personality Change the Way We Think About Personality and Politics
    Selling Ourselves Short? How Abbreviated Measures of Personality Change the Way We Think about Personality and Politics Bert N. Bakker, University of Amsterdam Yphtach Lelkes, University of Pennsylvania Political scientists who study the interplay between personality and politics overwhelmingly rely on short personality scales. We explore whether the length of the employed personality scales affects the criterion validity of the scales. We show that need for cognition (NfC) increases reliance on party cues, but only when a longer measure is employed. Ad- ditionally, while NfC increases reliance on policy information, the effect is more than twice as large when a longer measure is used. Finally, Big Five personality traits that have been dismissed as irrelevant to political ideology yield stronger and more consistent associations when larger batteries are employed. We also show that using high Cronbach’s alpha and factor loadings as indicators of scale quality does not improve the criterion validity of brief measures. Hence, the measurement of personality conditions the conclusions we draw about the role of personality in politics. he study of personality and politics has—after lying often multidimensional scales. As is well known, such short relatively dormant for several decades—received re- forms are less reliable (Gosling, Rentfrow, and Swann 2003; Tnewed interest from political scientists (e.g., Bakker, Schmitt 1996) and may measure only some subdimension of a Rooduijn, and Schumacher 2016; Bullock 2011; Feldman and trait (Cronbach 1949; Smith, McCarthy, and Anderson 2000) Johnston 2014; Gerber et al. 2010; Malka et al. 2014; Mondak leading to either regression dilution or overestimation of the and Halperin 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • Running Head: UNCERTAINTY and INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS
    Uncertainty in Relations 1 Running Head: UNCERTAINTY AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS The Effects of Uncertainty on Interpersonal Relations in Terms of Prolonged Satisfaction Ratings Allyshia R. Smith Faculty Advisor: Chris Buchholz Roanoke College Uncertainty in Relations 2 Abstract Research shows that there is a curvilinear relationship between uncertainty and obtained pleasure. That is, an individual caught in a situation of high uncertainty will experience increased pleasure up until a specific maximum threshold, where that pleasure will then be replaced with discomfort or unease. Studies also show that individuals vary with the amount of uncertainty they prefer in any given situation, and that those individuals scoring high on several measures of cognitive ability (e.g., need for cognition, complexity preference, openness to experience) and risk taking are more likely to prefer higher levels of uncertainty. While research has been done on the relationship between uncertainty and pleasure in terms of music, movies, game preference, and random acts of kindness, little research has been done on the application of uncertainty to interpersonal relations. It would seem, however, that those preferring a certain degree of uncertainty in other aspects of their lives would also prefer a degree of uncertainty within their own personal relations with others. This study aims at thoroughly examining the relationship between levels of uncertainty and various personality and cognitive traits. Uncertainty in Relations 3 The Effects of Uncertainty on Interpersonal Relations in Terms of Prolonged Satisfaction Ratings Interpersonal relations play an important part in an individual’s life. Humans as social creatures are motivated to establish and maintain intimate relations with others.
    [Show full text]
  • Need for Cognition, Need for Affect and Their Relationship to Hypnotic Susceptibility
    Running Head: Need for cognition, affect and susceptibility to hypnosis i Need for Cognition, Need for Affect and Their Relationship to Hypnotic Susceptibility by Michael Salerno In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in The Department of Psychology State University of New York New Paltz, NY 12561 December 2011 Notice: Signature Page Not Included This thesis has been signed and approved by the appropriate parties. The signature page has been removed from this digital version for privacy reasons. The signature page is maintained as part of the official version of the thesis in print that is kept in Special Collections of Sojourner Truth Library at SUNY New Paltz. SUNY New Paltz theses are copyright protected and may be used for education or personal research only. Reproduction or distribution in part or whole is prohibited without written permission from the author. Need for cognition, affect and susceptibility to hypnosis iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................................1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................3 Hypnosis and the Induction Process ....................................................................................4 Theories of Hypnosis Reviewed ..........................................................................................6 Personality and Hypnotic Susceptibility ............................................................................12
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Personality and Cognitive Differences Affecting Three Person Negotiations
    1 PERSONALITY AND COGNITIVE DIFFERENCES AFFECTING THREE PERSON NEGOTIATIONS Jonathan Finch, Alex Hinch, Batu Otkeren, Michelle Zhu Advisor: William P. Bottom, Ph.D. Honors Thesis BSBA Program Olin Business School Washington University in St. Louis May 2015 2 Abstract Research has examined the influence that individual personality and cognitive characteristics have on dyadic negotiation, but not on coalition formation in more complex settings. We investigated the link between outcomes of three-person, asymmetric negotiations by undergraduate students with various Big 5 personality characteristics and need for cognition. We hypothesized that need for cognition and extraversion will have a positive impact on negotiation outcomes, while agreeableness will have a negative impact. Furthermore, we hypothesized that priming subjects on the merits of individualism prior to negotiations will lead to more competitive behavior, while priming teams toward collaboration will have the opposite effect. Participants with high need for cognition may be more inclined to analyze the situation and to develop and implement the strategic planning needed to claim greater value through coalition bargaining. Extraverted participants may be more likely to initiate and sustain the back and forth communication needed to form coalitions easily. Those with high agreeableness, on the other hand, may be more likely to accept offers proposed to them that may give them far lower value than they might be able to extract otherwise. Indeed, the very first coalition experiments on n-person games by Kalisch et al. (1952) made reference to the apparent impact of personality differences in outcomes but these were never directly tested empirically. In our study, participants completed a series of personality measures then were primed with either an article on cooperation or individualism before engaging in a three-person negotiation as either a high power monopolist or as one of two low power players.
    [Show full text]
  • Does Need for Cognition Have the Same Meaning at Different Ages?
    ASMXXX10.1177/1073191116636449AssessmentSoubelet and Salthouse 636449research-article2016 Article Assessment 2017, Vol. 24(8) 987 –998 Does Need for Cognition Have the Same © The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Meaning at Different Ages? DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191116636449 10.1177/1073191116636449 journals.sagepub.com/home/asm Andrea Soubelet1 and Timothy A. Salthouse2 Abstract Determining whether Need for Cognition (NC) has the same meaning across age may help understand why there are dramatically different age trends for cognitive abilities and for NC in adulthood. Data from 5,004 participants aged between 18 and 99 years were used to examine both internal relations and external relations of NC. Internal relations were investigated with measures of reliability, examination of factor invariance, and test–retest coefficients across three age groups. External relations were investigated by examining relations of NC with cognitive abilities, engagement, personality, self-rated cognition, and affect. Results suggest that NC may be a broad construct that could reflect motivation to seek out intellectual challenge. In addition, examination of both internal and external relations of NC indicated that the meaning of the construct may be the same across the life span. Finally, the current article showed that the strongest predictor of NC was Openness to Experience, at any age. Keywords Need for Cognition, age, invariance, cognition, engagement, openness to experience, negative affect Need for Cognition (NC) is a theoretical construct intro- et al., 2010; Hill et al., 2013; Soubelet & Salthouse, 2010; duced by Cacioppo and Petty (1982) as a dispositional von Stumm, 2012; von Stumm & Ackerman, 2013).
    [Show full text]
  • Paper: Influence of Need for Cognition and Need for Cognitive Closure on Information Behaviour
    Alexandre Fortier University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario Paper: Influence of need for cognition and need for cognitive closure on information behaviour Abstract: This project examines the influence of need for cognition and need for cognitive closure on information behaviour. Clear links between variations in the two variables observed in the literature and aspects of information behaviour are presented, along with a mixed methods design for the project. Résumé : Ce projet examine l’influence du besoin cognitif et du besoin d’une finalité cognitive sur le comportement informationnel. Sont présentés des liens clairs entre les variations pour les deux variables observées dans la littérature et les aspects du comportement informationnel, ainsi que la conception de la méthodologie mixte du projet. 1. Introduction Individuals differ in the ways in which they interact with information, and research on information behaviour (IB) has demonstrated that these variations can be examined through various lenses. Multifaceted models encompassing affective, cognitive and contextual dimensions are necessary to fully understand the complexity of human IB, as behaviour is essentially a function that depends on both the person and the environment (Lewin 1936, 12). In this respect, this project seeks to understand the effect on IB of two psychological theories of cognitive styles: need for cognition and need for cognitive closure. These two factors, while being closely related, remains intrinsically different. In this paper, the two factors and their influence on IB are first presented. In this respect, key elements drawn from the psychology literature are linked with IB notions studied in library and information science (LIS). A preliminary methodology for this project is then suggested.
    [Show full text]