Concept Learning in Relation to Open- and Closed-Mindedness and Academic Aptitude

Abstract

High- and low-scoring Ss on 4 scales of closed-mindedness and the ACT test were compared for proficiency on a concept-learning (CL) task in a study of personal characteristics related to individual differences in CL. Scales were the F Scale, Dogmatism Scale (D), Intolerance of Ambiguity Scale (IA), and Gough-Sanford Rigidity Scale (R). The CL task was an adaptation of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, with two different tasks being attempted by each S, one immediately after the other. Ss were 54 students in an introductory psychology class. High F and IA scores were associated with poorer performance on the initial CL task ( p ≤ .05, 1-tailed t test). High ACT scorers tended to perform better on first and second CL tasks. Low but significant ( p < .01) relationships between F scores and IA, R, and D were found, using Pearson r. No significant correlation between ACT scores and any personality scale was found. Conclusions were that (a) closed-mindedness hindered initial adaptation to CL tasks more than capacity to solve CL tasks which come later, (b) when a coming shift in classification principle is known, closed-mindedness does not hinder S in making the shift, and (c) academic aptitude was positively related to CL proficiency.