1. What is a process? How do processes differ from techniques, and why is it important to distinguish clearly between the two?
2. Describe the four stages in Wallas’ cognitive process model (Kirton, Figure 6, p. 165).
a. Predict how a more adaptive and a more innovative problem solver might approach each of these stages (assuming they are acting in accord with their preferred styles).
b. What impact would different levels (both type and degree) have on the stages of this process?
3. In the schema for cognitive function (Kirton, Figure 1), each of the main elements (cognitive affect, cognitive resource, and cognitive effect) is allocated a specific operating process through which it exerts its influence. Describe the process (or processes) associated with each of these elements.
4. In Guilford’s cognitive process model (Kirton, Figure 7, p. 168), he proposed that both divergent and convergent operations play an integral role in the cognitive process of all humans.
a. What are divergent and convergent operations?
b. How might these operations differ in individuals with a more adaptive problem solving style as compared to those with a more innovative problem solving style?
c. What impact would different levels have on divergent and convergent thinking?
5. Within the Scientific Method, what is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
a. What impact might different levels and styles have on inductive and deductive reasoning?
b. What impact might different levels and styles have on experimentation?
6. Based on the key concepts presented in the “Style and Technical Domains” excerpt (Jablokow, 2003), how do more adaptive and more innovative individuals differ in the way they tend to treat the core of a technical domain? The boundaries of that domain? What impact do these differences have on practical, everyday operations?