The textbook, prepared on the basis of many years of reading a special course, outlines one of the most important sections of modern psychology - the psychology of cognitive styles that characterize individual differences between people in the ways of knowing the world around them. The history of the study of cognitive styles and the current state of the stylistic approach are described. A new interpretation of cognitive styles as metacognitive abilities is proposed, their role in the regulation of intellectual behavior is determined, including in the educational activities of schoolchildren. For students and teachers of psychological faculties, specialists in the field of general and differentiated psychology, school psychologists and teachers.