Individual Differences and Heritability of Thinking Styles and Working Memory Capacity: A Dual-process Perspective

Abstract

Dual process theories propose that human decision-making involves the interplay of two distinct information processing systems, or modes of thinking: rational (logical) and experiential (intuitive). Previous research shows that individuals differ in their preferred modes of thinking and that these preferences for rationality and/or experientiality are believed to be predictive of a range of behaviours. Moreover, preference for rational thinking is believed to be intimately linked with working memory capacity (WMC). Three studies reported in this thesis investigated thinking styles, their relationship to WMC, their heritability and the extent to which they were associated with reasoning and decision-making performance across a range of tasks.