Further evidence for the independence of Adaptive-Innovative (A-I) cognitive style from national culture

Abstract

The results of the validation of French and Dutch translations of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) are published for the first time. Data are compared to those of the original English version (Kirton, Journal of Applied Psychology, 61, 622–629, 1976; Adaptors and Innovators: Styles of Problem Solving, pp. 1–33, 1994) and the fully validated Italian (Prato Previde, Ricerche di Psichologia, 4, 81–134, 1984; Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 1–10) and Slovak (Kubes, Proceedings of International Conference, Psychology of Creative Scientific Work, pp. 151–167, 1989; KAI Manual—Slovak Language Supplement, 1992) translations. The high degree of overlap between the data from these five language versions, and their sound psychometric properties, lends further support to the view that the KAI is a valid measure of A-I cognitive style. Prato Previde (1991) has hypothesized that Adaptive-Innovative (A-I) cognitive style is a cognitive process within the individual which is largely independent of national culture. The similarity of the psychometric data from these different language versions of the KAI lends strong support to his hypothesis—at least for the national cultures represented by these five European languages.