Cognitive Style and Individual Differences in EEG Alpha During Information Processing

Abstract

Abstract When presented with a task, it was hypothesised that different people tend to process the same information in different ways, using different areas of the brain, depending upon their cognitive style. The study used 15 adult subjects, who received the computer‐presented Cognitive Styles Analysis to assess their positions on two basic cognitive style dimensions: the Wholist‐Analytic and Verbal‐Imagery. In a computer‐presented task, subjects were asked to view words presented singly at a rate of two, five and 10 words/second and in pairs at five and 10 word‐pairs/second and to press a key when a word appeared which was in a target conceptual category (e.g. a fruit). The task comprised eight 30‐second trials. During the task, alpha band EEG was monitored at 15 locations. For the Wholist‐Analytic style, Analytics had, over all tasks, lower alpha power relative to the Wholists at all locations, and particularly posteriorly. With the Verbal‐Imagery dimension, there was style‐hemisphere effect, with Verbalisers having relatively more suppression on the left posterior temporal location T5 compared to right T6, and Imagers having the reverse. These results justify further exploration of the cerebral basis of individual differences in cognitive style.