THE EFFECT OF NEED AND ABILITY TO ACHIEVE COGNITIVE STRUCTURING ON COGNITIVE STRUCTURING

The authors explored the hypothesis that the relationship between need for structure and cognitive structuring behavior is moderated by the ability to achieve cognitive structure (AACS). Need for structure is d efined as the preference to use cognitive structuring as a means to ac hieve certainty. AACS refers to the extent to which individuals are ab le to use information-processing processes (cognitive structuring or p iecemeal) consistent with the level of their need for structure. The a uthors suggested that only under high AACS would there be a positive c orrelation between need for structure and cognitive structuring behavi or. In contrast, under low AACS the correlation would be negative. To examine this hypothesis, the authors used different operationalization s of the need for structure, AACS, and cognitive structuring behavior The results of the 5 studies in which this was done confirmed the hypo thesis.