Development of Rational and Intuitive Information-Processing Style Inventory

Abstract

An inventory to measure information-processing style indicative of individual differences in rational and intuitive thinking (Pacini & Epstein, 1999) was developed. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the data from 290 participants to confirm the 2-factor structure of the information processing style inventory (IPSI): rationality and intuition. Moreover, the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and the discriminant/convergent validity of the IPSI were demonstrated. In Study 2, the relationship between IPSI scores and probability-reasoning was examined using data from 237 participants to assess the construct validity of the scale. The results indicated that respondents with an intuitive information processing style used representativeness heuristics, while those with a rational style used statistical principles.