Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

In order to test whether persons of global-passive cognitive style (Witkin) would be more influenced in perception of success or failure by a previous success- or failure-laden experience than would persons of an analytic-active cognitive style, 60 university students were tested for cognitive style and subjected to a successful, an unsuccessful or a neutral experience. Following a second experience, containing an objectively equal amount of success and failure, Ss estimated the degree of success which they had obtained on this second experience. Contrary to expectation, no effect of cognitive style was found; those Ss who had the successful first experience estimated their success on the second experience significantly higher than those who had the unsuccessful first experience.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Nuttin

Tâche, réussite et échec: théorie de la conduite humaine. Louvain: Publications Universitaires de Louvain, 1953.

Siegel

Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1956.

Vreven

Veld-anhankelijkheid en invloed van het resultaat van een socius op de perceptie van eigen resultaten. Unpublished license thesis, Univer. of Louvain, 1970.

Witkin

H. A.

Psychological differentiation and forms of pathology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1965, 70, 317–336.

Witkin

H. A.

Dyk

R. B.

Faterson

H. F.

Goodenough

D. R.

Karp

S. A.

Psychological differentiation: studies of development. New York: Wiley, 1962.

Witkin

H. A.

Lewis

H. B.

Hertzman

Machover

Meissner

P. B.

Wapner

Personality through perception. New York: Harper, 1954.

Cognitive Style and Perception of Success and Failure

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References