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.

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