Individual and gender difference of the cognitive style in modulating the cognitive conflict on information processing

Abstract

People’s thoughts and behaviors might be influenced by different complex information from a multimedia environment. The cognitive psychological research on the information processing propose that we experience in a situation where we have to select and process specific information, and the ability to control and modulate thoughts and behaviors, helps to solve the problem caused by the complex information. This study attempts to observe the cognitive conflict caused by processing complex information composition, to understand the individual differences in information processing on the basis of cognitive style, and suggest a theoretical foundation to solve the given issues with individual characteristics and gender differences. Based on the top-down/bottom-up process of information, this study designed a face-word emotional Stroop task and an eye-tracking task. The result of the tasks shows that cognitive style modulates cognitive conflict and information processing differs by gender. Based on this result, this study could suggest the necessity that the authorities in cognitive psychology need to expand the understanding of information processing and consider cognitive style as an important personal characteristic related with the processing of information. This research also suggests the possibilities of the advent of optimized educational/media services that consider the characteristics of personal information processes.