Impact of Cognitive Style on Problem Solving Ability among Undergraduates

Present study was conducted to find out the impact of cognitive style on problem solving ability of undergraduate students. Cognition is acquisition of knowledge which involves a series of mental skills. Style of thinking is used in cognitive psychology to describe the way an individual thinking, perceive and remember information or their preferred recurring pattern of perceptual and intellectual society. Also, culture provides people with a range of a cognitive style that are appropriate for different cognitive task in different context. Problem solving is a higher order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of more routine or fundamental skill. Cognitive style and problem solving ability both has the wide scope. Its knowledge is equally important to teacher, students and parents. Cognitive style is the approach taken toward solving a problem using problem solving ability. The study was conducted on 200 undergraduate students from various disciplines studying in different colleges located in Durg (Chhattisgarh) district. For the measure of cognitive style, Cognitive Style Inventory by Jha (1983) had been employed and for the measurement of problem solving Problem Solving ability test by Dubey (2008) had been employed. It can be concluded that, there was no significant impact of cognitive style on problem solving ability of undergraduate student of integrated and split style. Similarly no significant impact of cognitive style on problem solving ability of male undergraduate students of integrated and split style. The significant difference was found in the problem solving ability of females of integrated and split style. A significant difference was also accounted in the problem solving ability of science and non science students. Discipline of study has a major role in determining the degree of problem solving ability.