Are parents' and children's thinking styles related?

Psychol Rep. 2003 Oct;93(2):617-30. doi: 10.2466/pr0.2003.93.2.617.

Abstract

This study extends the investigation of the validity of Sternberg's theory of mental self-government to mainland Chinese secondary school students and their parents. The assumption of a 'socialization effect' underlying the theory was subjected to broader investigation. 232 students and their parents responded to a range of demographic questions and to the Thinking Styles Inventory which is based on Sternberg's theory. The two major findings are that (1) Sternberg's theory is valid with both samples, and (2) students' thinking styles are related not only to their personal factors, e.g., sex, grade, and self-rated abilities, but also to their parents' thinking styles. These findings have implications for school teachers and counselors as well as for parents.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child Behavior*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parents*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*
  • Thinking*