Individuals have different perceptions about the thinking process. Some really enjoy grappling with complex ideas and innovating new ways of thinking, whereas others prefer to rely on familiar ways of handling people and situations. Consider the questions that follow and note how well they fit your experiences according to the following scale: 5 = extremely characteristic of you; 4 = somewhat characteristic; 3 = neither characteristic nor uncharacteristic; 2 = somewhat uncharacteristic; and 1 = extremely uncharacteristic.
Then add up your score and refer to the following analysis.
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1. I prefer complex problems to simple problems. |
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2. I like to have the responsibility of handling a situation that requires a lot of thinking. |
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3. Thinking is my idea of fun. |
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4. I would rather do something challenging than something that requires little thought. |
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5. I look forward to situations in which I will have to think in depth about something. |
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6. I find satisfaction in deliberating hard and for long hours. |
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7. I prefer to think about long-term projects rather than small, daily ones. |
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8. I dislike tasks that require little thought once I’ve learned them. |
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9. The idea of relying on thought to make my way to the top appeals to me. |
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10. I really enjoy a task that involves coming up with new solutions to a problem. |
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11. Learning new ways of thinking excites me. |
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12. I prefer my life to be filled with puzzles that I must solve. |
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13. The notion of thinking abstractly is appealing to me. |
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14. I would prefer a task that is intellectual, difficult, and important to one that is somewhat important but does not require much thought. |
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15. I feel satisfaction after completing a task that required a lot of mental effort. |
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16. I usually end up deliberating about issues even when they do not affect me personally. |
Your score: out of 80
High need for cognition. You enjoy the thinking process and are self-motivated to apply your thinking skills to a variety of situations. You select important information and tend to be conscientious and open to new experiences.
Medium need for cognition. You find some satisfaction in expending mental effort but also find comfort in tasks that are established and predictable.
Low need for cognition. You enjoy completing less taxing, daily tasks that don’t require a lot of reflection. You generally find thinking about difficult tasks unsatisfying. You prefer relying on your tried-and-true ways of thinking and you don’t like to be presented with puzzles to solve.
Source: Adapted from J. T. Cacioppo & R. E. Petty (1984).