COGNITIVE AND MOTIVATIONAL DETERMINANTS OF INTUITION

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify cognitive and motivational components of intuition. The methodology was based on the meaning system, which enables identifying cognitive variables involved in a specific cognitive act, and on the cognitive orientation (CO) theory which enables assessing cognitions supporting specific behaviors. The hypotheses were that the findings would enable identifying cognitive and motivational variables unique for intuition. We expected that the cognitive and motivational variables separately would predictintuition and that both together would enable a better prediction than each separately. A set of cognitive variables related to intuition was identified and accounted for 29.2% of the variance. It included variables indicating interpersonally-shared and personal meanings, attending to overall general contexts and specific details, to the abstract and the concrete. The four belief types of the CO predicted intuition and accounted for 30.4% of the variance. The four types referred to the themes concerning emotions, opening-up, fast solutions, comprehensive view, and self reliance.Both sets of the cognitive and motivational variables together accounted for 39.19% of the variance. The findings show that both cognition and motivation contribute to intuition and need to be considered for predicting intuition, assessing it, and intervening for its improvement.