Convergent and discriminant validity of measures of cognitive styles and abilities

Used 10 measures (e.g., Group Embedded Figures Test, Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices) that yielded 15 scores representing the following constructs: analytic style, global style, analytic ability, global ability, and general spatial ability. 50 undergraduates participated. In a factor analysis, the ability measures formed an ability factor, but the stylistic measures failed to converge and formed 4 factors. The Group Embedded Figures Test correlated significantly with the ability measures, but with only 1 of the 2 analytic measures, and it failed to correlate negatively with any global style measure. Most Ss preferred an analytic approach. Results indicate that present field dependence-independence measures are best interpreted as ability tests rather than measures of a cognitive style. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).