Category Width and Sharpening versus Leveling Cognitive Styles of Chinese and American University Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the category width and the sharpening versus leveling cognitive styles of Chinese and American students. Two measures, the Category Width Scale and the Square Lag Test, of the two styles were given to 150 Chinese and American students. Analysis showed a significant difference between the Chinese and American groups on the cognitive style of category width. The Chinese subjects scored as broader than their American peers in categorization. In addition, a significant difference was found between the 96 men and 54 women on the sharpening versus leveling style. The men scored as sharper than the women in size distinction. These results were compared with previous findings.