Refinement of the Analysis-Holism Scale: A cross-cultural adaptation and validation of two shortened measures of analytic versus holistic thinking in Spain and the United States

Abstract

Holistic-analytic thinking styles are tools that allow us to process information in different ways as well as serving as strategies that help us navigate the world in the various domains of life, such as making causal attributions or categorizing. The Analysis-Holism Scale (AHS) is a 24-item scale that was developed to examine systematic cognitive differences regarding holistic-analytic thinking style. However, its length could be a potential problem for studies where space and time are limited. The aim of the present research is to assess the psychometric properties of the AHS items in order to assemble two shortened versions. To this end, we considered the assessment of item content conducted by a panel of experts and also the conceptual model and the latent structure of the original measure, preserving its psychometric properties. Across five independent samples (N = 2,254), the full-length scale was shortened to assemble one brief version with 12 items (AHS-12) and another one with only 4 items (AHS-4). Their latent structures were examined conducting a series of confirmatory factor analyses, the measurement invariance of these instruments was assessed across two different cultures (America and Spanish) and validity was examined based on its relationship with other constructs and experimental tasks. The results showed that the latent structures of both shortened versions were stable in different samples, that were invariant across two different cultures, and presented adequate evidence of validity. Hence, the AHS-12 and the AHS-4 can allow researchers a brief and precise evaluation of cognitive styles in contexts where time is limited, with the AHS-12 being a better candidate for the short version of AHS compared to the AHS-4.