Content area
Abstract
The integrative and differentiative cognitive style of immigrant Middle Eastern groups of Canada and Euro-Canadian groups with varying levels of Western education was studied. The Embedded Figures Test, a test of visual differentiation, was used to assess the differentiative cognitive style, while one modified task, the multidimensional classification task, and one new task, an object sorting task involving major and minor properties, were used to assess integrative cognitive style. Results showed both culture and education within culture effects. Middle Eastern groups showed higher levels of integrative thinking but lower levels of differentiative thinking compared to Euro-Canadian groups. Considering the education within culture effect, the results indicated, on all three tasks, that the Middle Eastern subcultural group with some Western education showed equal levels of integrative thinking compared tot he university-educated group as indicated by results of the multidimensional sorting task and the object sorting task, however they were less differentiative on the Embedded Figures Test.
