This volume aims to present a comprehensive, balanced and up-to-date covering of theory and research on thinking, learning and cognitive styles - from a number of diverse, theoretical perspectives. It includes empirical evidence testing the validity of these perspectives and demonstrates their application in school situations as well as situations involving other kinds of organizations. International representation is emphasized, with chapters from leaders in the field of styles. Each chapter's author has contributed sets of theory and published empirical data. The book's central premise is that cognitive, learning and thinking styles are not abilities, but rather preferences in the use of abilities. Traditionally, many psychologists and educators have believed that people's stresses and failures are attributable mainly to individual differences in abilities. However, for the past few decades research on the roles of thinking, learning and cognitive styles in performance within both academic and non-academic settings has indicated that they account for individual differences in performance that go well beyond abilities.
New theories better differentiate styles from abilities and make more contact with other psychological literatures; recent research, in many cases, is more careful and conclusive than are some of the older studies. Cognitive, learning and thinking styles are of interest to educators because they predict academic performance in ways that go beyond abilities, and because taking styles into account can help teachers to improve both instruction and assessment and to show sensitivity to cultural and individual diversity among learners. They are also of interest in business, where instruments to assess style are valuable in selecting and placing personnel. The state of the art research and theory in this volume should be of particular interest to scholars and graduate students in cognitive and educational psychology, managers and others concerned with intellectual styles as applied in educational, industrial and corporate settings.