Verbal and visual learning styles

Abstract

Three studies are reported concerning the development of a questionnaire to assess verbal and visual learning styles. The test instrument is based upon Richardson's Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire (VVQ). In the first study, it is shown that the VVQ requires more than a single bipolar dimension, and that when two dimensions are extracted, the hypothesized visual dimension is defined mainly by dream vividness and is not related to self-reported mental imagery. In the second study, an expanded questionnaire is constructed to assess the verbal and dream dimensions located in the first study, as well as a visual dimension more related to mental imagery. Both the verbal and visual scales are designed to be more relevant to preferences in learning. The three scales are shown to possess adequate reliability and construct validity. In the third study, the correlations of the three scales with various mental abilities are explored: as hypothesized, the verbal learning style is most strongly correlated with verbal ability and the visual learning style with spatial visualization. Possible directions for future research are discussed: further validation of the three scales, investigation of the development of learning styles, and the use of the style scales in studies of learning.