Cognitive Style, Personal Characteristics and Harmony in Student Flats

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Abstract
A total of 149 students (79 males and 70 females) living in single‐sex flats, with typically five occupants per flat, on a university campus were given two questionnaires to assess the personality characteristics of their flatmates, the degree of socialisation in their flat, the harmony in their flat and who they found it easiest to relate to. They also received the Cognitive Styles Analysis to assess their personal styles on the two dimensions Wholist‐Analytic and Verbal‐Imagery. Nine personality characteristics were listed and students indicated which of their flatmates most exhibited that characteristic. A factor‐analysis of the responses indicated that the characteristics could be grouped as four factors: shy, helpful, impatient and assertive. On the style dimension of Wholist‐Analytic, for Analytics, the mean rating was highest for shy and decreased to assertive, while for Wholists the reverse occurred. The effect on socialisation and harmony in flats of both the majority style in the flat, and the degree of balance between styles in the flat, was examined. With respect to majority style, both socialisation and harmony were highest in the case of Wholist‐Verbalisers. For the degree of balance, females were highest in socialisation and most harmonious when with people of a style similar to their own, while for males they socialised least and were least harmonious when with those of the same style. Students were also asked to choose the flatmate they got on best with. There was a significant effect for the Verbal‐Imagery style with female Verbalisers getting on better with female Imagers, than with female Verbalisers, but with no preference in the case of males. The findings were discussed in terms of their practical implications for groups living or working together.

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