Related Measures of Constructive and Rational Thinking

ABSTRACT

Testing hypothesized positive links between rational beliefs about personal conduct and practical intelligence indicators, the responses of 137 American undergraduates to the Idea Scale (Kassinove, Crisci, & Tiegerman, 1977) were correlated with their responses to the Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI) of Epstein and Meier (1989). Idea Scale scores correlated significantly, p < .01, and positively with each of the four CTI scales addressing constructive thinking, but negatively with its four nonconstructive thinking scales. Anchored by measures of global constructive thinking and negative thinking, the full set of correlations was bipolar and quite orderly. The CTI's two shortest and least internally consistent scales—Naive Optimism and Validity—yielded the weakest correlations, suggesting that they need improvement. Beyond firmly linking rational beliefs with constructive thinking, these findings encourage better definition and further exploration of the wide variety of nonintellective cognitive modalities influencing everyday automatic thought.