REVISITING THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE COGNITIVE STYLE INDEX: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIAN STUDENT SAMPLES

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the factor structure of the Cognitive Style Index (CSI) within the Indonesian cultural context. After undergoing cultural and linguistic adaptation, a field test was conducted involving a total of 326 university students. The collected data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis to test three models of the analytic–intuitive cognitive style: a unidimensional model (Model 1), a two-factor model with a higher-order factor (Model 2), and an uncorrelated two-factor model (Model 3). Of the original 38 CSI items, only 20 had adequate factor loadings. The results supported Model 3 as the better-fitting model (χ²(170) = 271.475, p < .001; RMSEA = 0.053 [95% CI 0.041–0.064]; CFI = 0.916; SRMR = 0.057; TLI = 0.906; ω = 0.888). Based on this, cognitive style measurement using CSI yields two separate scores, analytic and intuitive, for each individual. The study recommends adding new items, particularly for the intuitive dimension, to better reflect the characteristics of Asian populations, who tend to favor more intuitive and holistic thinking styles over analytical and formal ones. Furthermore, future development of cognitive style instruments should incorporate contemporary perspectives that view cognitive style as an adaptive function responding to environmental demands and challenges.