Ramification of Metacognition and Cognitive Styles on Thinking Styles with impeding effect of Cognitive Rigidity in Engineers

This paper establishes a connection between the concepts of thinking styles in conjunction with cognitive psychology. The eventual goal is development of a deeper understanding and a formal methodology by examining the repercussion of metacognition and cognitive styles on thinking styles. The mediating role of cognitive rigidity with cognitive styles, metacognition, and thinking styles are also assessed. A sample of 205 engineers from different public and private engineering firms were taken which are used for data analysis. SPSS 22.0 and Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis with Smart PLS 3.0 software is used. Structural analysis was applied and suggested that cognitive styles and metacognition influence the thinking styles and the way the task is performed. Moreover, cognitive rigidity; stress, depression, and anxiety mediate the relationship between cognitive styles, metacognition and thinking styles. The thinking style in context to cognitive styles, metacognition helps in understanding and improving the efficiency by planning, evaluation, monitoring, and implication of the task that they are performing. Stress, anxiety, and depression act as cognitive rigidities hamper and impede the metacognition and cognitive styles. Implications, suggestions, and limitations for future research are also provided.