Hemispheric specialization and individual differences in cognitive processing

Abstract

In this paper we have tried to show the utility of an assessment instrument, the SAEC- A & C (Analytical Series for the study of Cognitive Style, open and closed answers) to identify individual disposition in the use of different ways of cognitive information processing: parallel processing, serial one or both. Likewise, we have tried to verify, in the face of the problem-solving task, the existence of a relationship between both ways of information and mood, since we supposed that the more adequate the information processing strategy used to accomplish a task, the lower the stress level and higher the activation of the subjects. The results show that, in the sample studied, made up of women, the SAEC-C discriminated both ways of information processing, and that the older the subjects, the stronger the tendency to use serial processing.