Thinking about personal theories: individual differences in the coordination of theory and evidence

Abstract

In this study, we examined individual differences on an informal reasoning task that involved the coordination of theory and evidence. Using a structured interview paradigm adapted from the work of Kuhn (1991), a total of 96 participants were asked to generate evidence for two different self-generated theories. Results showed that individuals with high and low cognitive ability scores generated very similar types and patterns of evidence to the interview questions. The tendency to use the most sophisticated type of evidence in argument (covariation comparison) was not related to cognitive ability or thinking dispositions. However, the tendency to use an unsophisticated form of non-evidence (reiteration or elaboration of the original theory) was associated with both lower cognitive ability and lower actively open-minded thinking.