Note—On the Validity of the Analytic-Heuristic Instrument Utilized in “The Minnesota Experiments”

Abstract

The results of this study indicate that the aspect of cognitive style addressed in “the Minnesota experiments” may pertain to a decision maker's choice of a planned or spontaneous solution strategy. Whether or not such a characterization is equivalent to an analytic-heuristic classification is beyond the scope of this note. It would appear that the analytic-heuristic cognitive dimension is a richer and more robust construct. Any MIS/cognitive style implications from “the Minnesota experiments” should therefore probably not be extended beyond the “planned vs. spontaneous” dichotomy that is apparently provided via the AHQ.