An exploratory investigation of several indices of cognitive functioning within a political domain and their relationship to socio-politico ideology is reported. The term cognitive functioning was sub-divided into three main components, cognitive complexity, cognitive flexibility, and intolerance of ambiguity, and two minor components, cognitive coping and predictive accuracy. The subjects were 46 university students. Correlations and factor analysis showed essentially two general factors of cognitive functioning, neither of which was related to socio-politico ideology. Socio-politico ideology, however, was related to the Budner Intolerance of Ambiguity Scale indicating that the greater one's conservatism, the greater one's intolerance of ambiguity. Socio-politico ideology was defined by the S4 Conservatism Scale recently developed for use within Scandinavian contexts.
BanksA. S.Cross-polity time series data.New York: MIT Press, 1971.
3.
BarronF.Complexity-simplicity as a personality dimension. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1953, 48, 163–173.
4.
BieriJ.AtkinsA. L.BriarS.LeamanR. L.MillerH.TripodiT.Clinical and social judgment: The discrimination of behavioral information.New York: Wiley, 1966.
5.
BrownR. W.A determinant of the relationship between rigidity and authoritarianism. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1953, 48, 469–476.
6.
BudnerS.Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality, 1962, 30, 29–50.
7.
CrockettW. H.Cognitive complexity and impression formation. In MaherB. A. (Ed.), Experimental personality research.New York: Academic Press, 1965. Pp. 47–89.
8.
DavidsA.Some personality and intellectual correlates of intolerance of ambiguity. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1955, 51, 415–420.
9.
DouglasN.MessickS. J.SolleyC. M.How “rigid” is the “authoritarian?”Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1957, 54, 137–140.
10.
EinhornH. J.The use of nonlinear noncompensatory models in decision making. Psychological Bulletin, 1970, 73, 221–230.
11.
FeatherN. T.Organization and discrepancy in cognitive structure. Psychological Review, 1971, 78, 355–377. (a).
12.
FeatherN. T.Value differences in relation to ethnocentrism, intolerance of ambiguity and dogmatism. Personality, 1971, 2, 349–366. (b).
13.
FrenchE. G.Interrelation among some measures of rigidity under stress and nonstress conditions. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1955, 51, 114–118.
14.
Frenkel-BrunswikE.Tolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. American Psychologist, 1948, 3, 268.
15.
Frenkel-BrunswikE.Intolerance of ambiguity as an emotional and perceptual personality variable. Journal of Personality, 1949, 18, 108–143.
16.
GoodsteinL. D.Intellectual rigidity and social attitudes. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1953, 48, 345–353.
17.
GurrT. R.New error compensated measures for comparing nations: Some correlates of civil violence. Center of International Studies, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Research Monograph, Princeton Univer., 1966, No. 25.
18.
GurrT. R.The conditions of civil violence: First tests of a causal model. Center of International Studies, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Research Monograph, Princeton Univer., 1967, No. 28.
19.
GurrT. R.A causal model of civil strife: A comparative analysis using new indices. American Political Science Review, 1968, 62, 1104.
20.
JonesM. B.Authoritarianism and intolerance of fluctuation. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1951, 50, 125–126.
21.
KennyD. T.GinsbergR.The specificity of intolerance of ambiguity measures. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1958, 56, 300–304.
22.
KesslerM. R.KronenebergerE. J.Dogmatism and perceptual synthesis. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1967, 24, 179–182.
23.
KiddA. H.KiddR. M.Relation of F-test scores to rigidity. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1972, 34, 239–243.
24.
KoenigF. W.KingM. B.Jr.Cognitive simplicity and prejudice. Social Forces, 1962, 40, 220–222.
25.
KouninJ. S.Experimental studies of rigidity: I. The measurement of rigidity in normal and feeble minded persons. Character & Personality, 1941, 9, 251–272.
26.
KutnerB.GordonN. B.Cognitive functioning and prejudice: A nine-year follow-up study. Sociometry, 1964, 27, 66–74.
27.
KuusinenJ.NystedtL.The convergent validity of four indices of cognitive complexity in person perception: A multi-index-multimethod and factor analytical approach. Reports from the Psychological Laboratories, University of Stockholm, 1972, No. 371.
28.
LarsenK. S.Affectivity, cognitive style and social judgment. Dissertation Abstracts, 1970, 30, 9-A, 4018.
29.
LewinK.Field theory in social science.New York: Harper, 1951.
NystedtL.MagnussonD.Integration of information in clinical judgment task: An empirical comparison between six models. Reports from the Psychological Laboratories, University of Stockholm, 1973, No. 388.
34.
O'ConnorP.Ethnocentrism, “Intolerance of ambiguity” and abstract reasoning ability. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1952, 47, 5, 26–530.
35.
RokeachM.Generalized mental rigidity as a factor in ethnocentrismJournal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1948, 43, 259–277.
36.
RussettB. M.World handbook of political and social indicators.New Haven: Yale Univer. Press, 1964.
37.
SidaniusJ.Further tests of a Swedish Scale of Conservatism. Reports from the Department of Psychology, University of Stockholm, 1976, No. 467. (a).
38.
SidaniusJ.A Swedish Scale of Conservatism. Reports from the Department of Psychology, University of Stockholm, 1976, No. 465. (b).
39.
SidaniusJ.Intolerance of ambiguity and socio-politico ideology: A multidimensional analysis. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1977, in press.
40.
SidaniusJ.EkehammarB.Cognitive functioning and socio-politico, ideology: A multidimensional and individualized analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 1976, 17, 205–216.
41.
VannoyJ. S.Generality of cognitive-simplicity as a personality construct. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1965, 2, 385–396.
42.
WernerH.The concept of rigidity: A critical evaluation. Psychological Review, 1946, 53, 43–52.
43.
WhiteB. J.AlterR. D.RardinM.Authoritarianism, dogmatism and usage of conceptual categories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1965, 2, 293–295.
44.
WilsonG. D.PattersonJ. R.A new measure of conservatism. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 1968, 7, 264–269.
