New frontiers in the measurement of cognition: the ways of thinking instrument

Given the significant focus on cognition in both psychological assessment and intervention, a method of measuring an individual’s tendency to think in certain ways has considerable relevance. This paper describes the development and validation of the Ways of Thinking (WOT) instrument and provides examples of clinical applications. The WOT is an 83-item self-reported measure of dispositional thinking, developed using a psycholexical approach. Drawing on the methodology from which personality measures were derived, a comprehensive lexicon of the language used to describe differences in thinking was identified, operationalised, and validated. thinking. A clinical application for a client with panic disorder is described. Future research will focus on the utility of the WOT for comprehensive psychological assessments, as well as the development of validity scales and an interpretive manual.