The systems thinking paradigm and higher-order cognitive processes

Abstract

The present study examined a new psychological construct we have coined “The Systems Thinking Paradigm.” The systems thinking paradigm describes a cognitive style with which one is more likely to understand that complex phenomena in the world are comprised of multiple interconnected components and that change in any of these components can elicit oftenunpredictable variation in other parts of the system. We investigated systems thinking and its relationship to older psychological mechanisms in order to refine the systems thinking paradigm and explore its relationship intelligence, personality, and cognitive complexity. Results suggested that systems thinking, while related to verbal intelligence, openness to experience, and attributional complexity, makes unique contributions to creativity and to some extent to how people construe complex social problems. This study also found preliminary evidence for the notion that systems thinking, while related to other psychological processes, is likely to be a distinct construct.