Drs. J. J. Hollander
Internal Report – Institute for Eclectic Psychology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Abstract
MindSonar is an online instrument that measures mindset, defined as a dynamic
interaction between values (content elements) and thinking styles (process
elements), for a context usually chosen by the respondent. It combines
respondents’ own criteria, categorised into seven value types derived from
Graves (1970), with thirteen thinking style scales derived from the meta
programs described by Bandler and Grinder. This article does two things. First, it
relates each thinking style to established constructs in mainstream psychology,
including proactive behaviour, extraversion, impulsivity–reflectivity, approach–
avoidance motivation, locus of control, perfectionism, adaption–innovation,
dispositional optimism, resistance to change, vocational interests, individualism–
collectivism and time perspective. A recurring finding is that mainstream
constructs can be described as configurations of several thinking styles, and that
they are usually bound to a single domain (social interaction, work or learning),
whereas thinking styles are content-free. Second, it reports a partial
confirmatory factor analysis (Gignac, 2009) of 68 items in a Dutch (N = 2,551) and
a Polish (N = 1,185) sample. In the Dutch sample twelve factors were recovered,
with two scales sharing one factor; in the Polish sample all thirteen scales
emerged as separate factors. Approximate fit was acceptable (RMSEA = .027 and
.030; CFI = .945 and .940). Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .46 to .88: nine scales
reached .70 or higher in both samples, three ranged between .63 and .75, and
one scale (Concept vs. Structure vs. Use) requires revision. Hypotheses for future
convergent validity studies are proposed.
Keywords: mindset, meta programs, cognitive style, thinking styles, values,
contextualised assessment, factor analysis.