Table of Contents

Part I. The Nature of Thinking Styles: 1. What are thinking styles and why do we need them?; 2. Functions of mental self-government; 3. Forms of mental self-government; Part II. The Theory of Mental Self-government: 4. Levels, scope, and leanings of mental self-government; 5. Principles of styles of thinking; 6. The development of thinking styles; 7. Thinking styles in the classroom: what have we learned?; Part III. Thinking Styles in Home, School, and Society: 8. A capsule history of theory and research on styles; 9. Why a theory of mental self-government?

Promotional Information

Sternberg presents a theory of thinking styles that aims to explain why aptitude tests, school grades, and classroom performance often fail to identify real ability.

Reviews

"Sternberg is a prolific and insightful writer. The ideas contained in this book may be useful to educators, employers, and psychologists. The information provided may help those in a position to make decisions about the value of others' contributions more aware of stylistic differences that may have a great deal of impact on performance, but have very little to do with ability...[and] may help sensitize people to recognize the value of differences in mental self-government to help capitalize on those differences." Contemporary Psychology "[Sternberg's] examples are vivid and practical...Sternberg manages a clear, relatively jargon-free style and has organized his material in a user-friendly way." The Providence Sunday Journal "[Sternberg's] ideas are provocative...They help explain why some of the very brightest kids flourish only after they've left their days of drab schooling far behind." Teacher Magazine "A very readable book, which should interest a wide audience including upper-division undergraduates in education, psychology, and sociology." G.C. Gamst, Choice "This is a thoughtfully constructed book that undertakes a fresh look at cognitive styles...The book is enjoyable and essential for all students, educators, employers, researchers and others interested in cognition and intelligence." Roseanne L. Flores, Readings "In this stimulating and thought-provoking book, one of today's best-known psychologists provides a fascinating discussion of the many different ways people think and work today." Library and Information Science Annual