This study investigated the effect of culture on the cognitive styles of Polynesian Asian, and Caucasian Americans in a multicultural school setting. The study attempted to test the Hill scales of cognitive development to determine if they would be a valid predictor of individual cognitive styles. In addition, the investigation tested the popular hypothesis, derived from previous studies on cognitive styles, that students come to school equipped with preferred modes of learning that are the result of the child's cultural milieu, and the teaching style of the mother. The participants in this study came from three sixth grade classes in an Hawaiian school, and were nearly equally distributed with regard to sex. Data were collected by having students respond to Hill's Cognitive Style Mapping Questionnaire. The data showed that sixth graders in a multicultural setting in Hawaii tend to demonstrate differing cognitive styles which they bring to school as a result of each child's dominant family culture, and the Hill scales seem to discriminate these differences along cultural lines. (Author/APM)