Making the most of ecological interface design: the role of cognitive style

A composite database was created by compiling data obtained from 45 participants in four experiments with the DURESS II microworld. This database consisted of measures of performance, demographic data, a summary of the experimental manipulations conducted in these studies, and data from two cognitive style tests. Eight linear regression analyses were conducted to determine which variables were the strongest predictors of performance. The results indicate that the strongest and most consistent predictor of performance was the interaction between a holist cognitive style score and an interface based on the principles of ecological interface design (EID). Thus, individuals who used an EID interface and who had high holist scores were the best performers. It seems that these individuals have the relational thinking ability that is required to exploit the value of the higher order functional information provided in an EID interface. This empirical result has important implications for future research on EID, and more importantly, for operator selection.