Field-dependence/independence: ability in relation to mobility-fixity

Previous authors have pointed out that, while the classic Rod-and-Frame Test (RFT) yields a measure of ability to perform field-independently, it is unsuitable for identifying stylistic preference, such as mobility-fixity within the field-dependence/independence dimension. To relate mobility-fixity and ability aspects of field-dependence/independence, we compared data obtained from two versions of the test: one with a "free" instruction, on which the subjects were invited to adjust the rod to any position(s) they preferred on each of 10 trials and a process-oriented version (RFT-P), involving 20 trials with the standard instruction but with a constant rod-and-frame configuration, making possible analysis of the process of adaptation. Mobility versus fixity was defined in terms of more or less frequent changes of rod positions and choice of a high or a low proportion of nongeometrical positions in the RFT-Free. 38 female and 23 male university students completed first the RFT-Free and thereafter the RFT-Process. Women were more field-dependent than men throughout the RFT-Process trials; there were no differences between the sexes over trials or in choice of positions in the RFT-Free. Compared with field-dependent subjects, field-independent subjects more often changed rod positions in the RFT-Free and preferred nongeometrical positions somewhat more. Among field-independent subjects, those with consistently low deviations in RFT-Process more often preferred a variety of nongeometrical positions in RFT-Free than did those with gradually increasing deviations. We conclude that field-independence is associated with mobility and field-dependence with fixity, as defined by the RFT-Free variables, and that a prerequisite for high mobility is a relative stability of field-independence as reflected on the RFT-Process. Theoretical implications of this conclusion are discussed.     

Relationships among defensive styles, cognitive styles, processing styles, and attentional styles of normal adolescents

Cognitive and psychodynamic theorists agree that an individual's personality and behavior are determined by both cognitive and dynamic processes. This study examined the relationship among three cognitive approaches--cognitive style, attentional style, and processing style--and examined their relations to defensive style. Adolescents from Grades 11 and 12 (146 boys, 164 girls) were examined in groups for cognitive style (Group Embedded Figures Test), attentional style (Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style), processing style (a sequential/simultaneous processing test battery), and defensive style (Defense Mechanism Inventory). Least squares completely randomized two-way analyses of variance (or analyses of covariance where applicable) were employed to assess the relations among the three cognitive measures and/or between the cognitive measures and defensive style. While most comparisons were nonsignificant, a significant relationship was observed between sequential processing and field-dependence and between simultaneous processing and field-independence. Also, a trend was noted between field-independence and ideational defenses and between field-dependence and repression-based defenses.     

Field-dependence, sensation-seeking, and preference of paintings

College students (122 males and 88 females) completed the Group Embedded Figures Test measure of field-dependence, and Sensation-Seeking Scale, and performed preference ratings on 40 slides of paintings. Factor analysis revealed six hypothesized and one unhypothesized preference dimensions that underlay preference ratings of paintings. It was hypothesized that the cognitive structuring ability associated with field-dependence would result in certain relationships between field-dependence and preference for paintings. Further, it was hypothesized that preference for novel, complex, and dynamic experiences, associated with sensation-seeking, would result in certain relationships between sensation-seeking and preference for paintings. For the full sample, three of five hypothesized relationships between field-dependence and preference for paintings were obtained, while three of four hypothesized relationships were found between sensation-seeking and preference for paintings.     

Validation of two cognitive measures to assess field-dependence/independence

The administration and scoring procedures for the Articulation of the Body-concept Scale and the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test were adapted to assess 3- to 8-yr.-old children's magnitude of field-dependence/independence. 300 3- to 5-yr.-old and 480 6- and 8-yr.-old children were administered the appropriate forms of the Embedded Figures Test, Articulation of the Body-concept Scale, and Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test. High reliability and validity estimates were found using a variety of procedures. Scores on these tests were correlated with each other to find the relationships among the tests for both the preschool and primary children. Correlations for the preschool children were stronger than those for the primary children. However, the results support the hypothesis that the administration and scoring procedures for the Articulation of the Body-concept Scale and the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test can be used to determine preschool and primary children's field-dependence/independence.     

Relationship between sex, age, education and field-dependence: a cross-cultural comparison

Past examination of the relationship between field-independence and age has indicated a developmental trend of increased field-independence up to 17 yr., with a movement toward greater field-dependence after this point. However, discrepancies between longitudinal and cross-sectional findings suggest that this relationship may be confounded by socioeconomic variables. The present study examined the age/field-dependence relationship in a sample of Northern Italians controlling for educational background. Results for females indicated statistical control of educational variables modified the age/field-dependence relationship, but did not for the male sample.     

A signal detection analysis of the rod and frame test

To help determine hut what Witkin’s Rod and Frame Test measures, the task was modified by presenting the luminous rod in one of two fixed positions, either vertical or not vertical, within a titled frame. S responded on a four-category scale representing his certainty that the rod was vertical Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated for each of 17 Ss and compared to traditional measures of titer field dependence-independence. The results showed that Witkin’s test is not contaminated to any great extent by response bias. However, the ROC analysis did reveal significant differences between field dependents and independents, not only in their sensitivity to verticality, but also in their- characteristic manner of responding.     

Field independence and simultaneous processing in preschool children

The present study examined the relations between field independence and simultaneous processing of preschool children as measured by the Preschool Embedded Figures Test (PEFT) and subtests from the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), respectively. Data partially supported the assumption that field-independent children would perform significantly better on simultaneous processing tasks in general. Significant age and sex differences on field-independence/field-dependence and simultaneous-processing abilities were found among the embedded figures task and selected portions of the K-ABC. Analysis of embedded figures further indicated age differences, but no significant sex differences.     

LIGHT INTENSITY AND PERCEPTION OF THE VERTICAL

N yborg H. Light intensity and perception of the vertical: Two experiments with the Rod-and-Frame Test. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1972, 13 , 314–326.—Radical changes in light intensity of the visual field did not influence perception of the vertical appreciably as tested by means of a modified Rod-and-Frame Test apparatus in which the illumination of the rod and frame or of the frame alone was changed. Large individual differences in response to the Rod-and-Frame Test were found but little effect of changes in light intensity. A hypothesis that field dependent subjects would be more influenced than field independent by changes in light intensity of the rod and/or the frame was rejected.     

A method for analysing performance in the rod-and-frame test

Abstract.— Scoring only the unsigned (absolute) errors in the Rod-and-Frame Test (RFT) is questioned because the method confounds a number of variables. Another way of scoring the RFT is proposed which differentiates between (1) the subject's constant error, (2) the effect of the tilted frame, and (3) the rod starting position effect. The method also allows estimation of the response consistency of the subject. What is more, the values for each subject of the constant error, of the frame tilt effect, and of the rod starting position effect may be tested for significance on the basis of the degree of response consistency observed for that particular subject, thus making the new method more person-oriented than the unsigned error method.     

The gap between rod and frame influences the rod-and-frame effect with small and large inducing displays

The role of the spatial separation between the ends of a rod and a frame’s inner edge (gap) in modulating the rod-and-frame effect (RFE) has been studied here with frames subtending either large or small retinal angles. With a large frame, rod settings were always in the direction of frame tilt (direct effects) and varied inversely with gap size. With a small frame, rod settings were in the direction of frame tilt for tilts between 7.5° and 15°; with larger frame tilts, rod settings in the direction opposite that of the frame were observed (indirect effects). Increasing gap size produced a tendency toward negativity (away from frame tilt). Consequently, direct effects were larger for small gaps, while the opposite was true for indirect effects. Overall, these results point to the importance of gap size in modulating the RFE, for both large and small displays.     

Assessment of field dependence in young children

In a series of exploratory studies to develop instruments for measuring field dependence in young children, a total of 312 Japanese middle-class children, ages 5 to 6, served as subjects. Without changing the essential nature of the original test, the geometric embedded-figures test attained relatively high internal consistency (KR-20 in the .80's) and stability (R = .83 to .52, at intervals of 1.5 to 13 mo.). Correlation pattern between the Embedded Figures Test and Wechsler subscales similar to that of older subjects was influenced by the speed factor in embedded figures and Wechsler performance scales. Correlation between Kato's portable Rod-and-frame test and embedded figures was significant only in boys. In addition, the correlation pattern between the rod and frame and the preschool Wechsler was not consistent with Witkin's conceptualization. A newly developed darkroom Rod-and-Frame Test correlated with embedded figures for both sexes. Additional analyses indicated the need for more refined instructions to subjects regarding the concept of upright. Some children had more than one anchoring point for responding. Nyborg's scoring method and the relationship of Piagetian spatial concept to rod-and-frame performance are discussed.     

Cognitive differentiation, back pain, and psychogenic pain drawings

Two groups of subjects with back pain were studied (n = 67). All subjects underwent a battery of psychological tests which included a test of psychological differentiation (the Rod-and-Frame Test), a test of psychological defenses (Meta-contrast Technique), and the Eysenck Personality Inventory. In addition, the subjects drew a pain picture and answered a questionnaire on pain-related issues. Each group of subjects was then subdivided into 4 groups depending on the judged abnormality of their pain drawings. The two main groups were compared overall and the subgroups of the two back-pain groups compared with each other. The Meta-contrast Technique results show that depression was quite common among back-pain subjects as a whole compared to a painless group of subjects. Differences were found on field-dependence; subjects with abnormal pain drawings were more field-dependent than those with "normal" pain drawings. Few other between-group statistical differences were noted between the two back-pain groups. Expected scores on hysteria were not noted among the abnormal drawing makers, neither were there differences between the groups on the items of pain duration, physical functionings, or of depression.     

Relationship between differentiation and integration of self and nonself: an investigation in terms of modes of perceptual adaptation

Differentiation and integration of self- and nonself-aspects of perception were investigated as features of the process of adapting to a spiral aftereffect (SAE) induced with massed trials. The cessation of the SAE at each trial was assumed to indicate that self-aspects of perception had been differentiated from nonself-aspects, changes in SAE duration over trials being considered to represent the integration of these aspects. Degree and stability of self-nonself-differentiation, reflected in the level and persistence of field-dependence measured on a serial version of the Rod and Frame Test, varied between individuals (N = 129). The results suggest that persistent field-independence requires both self- and nonself-aspects of perception to be adequately and continuously represented in an integrative process which is oriented towards stimulus-proximity, self-aspects of perception being successively replaced by nonself-aspects.     

Local and global visual mechanisms underlying individual differences in the rod-and-frame illusion

The role of local and global visual mechanisms in individual differences in the rod-and-frame (RF) effect was investigated. Field-dependent and field-independent observers, selected on the basis of Witkin and Asch’s (1948) classical procedure, were submitted to the small RF test (Coren & Hoy, 1986). Four frame tilts and two gap sizes were used. As expected, direct effects (i.e., rod settings in the direction of frame tilt) were observed at small degrees of frame tilt, while indirect effects (i.e., rod settings in the direction opposite that of frame tilt) were observed at larger frame tilts. Fielddependent observers showed larger direct effects in the case of the small gap. Indirect effects were comparable in both field-dependent and field-independent subjects, regardless of gap size. Following the model proposed by Wenderoth and Johnstone (1987), these findings indicate that low-level visual mechanisms, responsible for local orientation interactions, have a different gain in fielddependent and field-independent individuals. In contrast, global visual mechanisms, presumably acting     

Absence of depth processing in the large-frame rod-and-frame effect

Attenuation of the rod-and-frame effect (RFE) with depth separation (Gogel & Newton, 1975) was investigated with the rod and frame in either intersecting or parallel depth planes (PDP). In the former case, in which either the top of the rod or the frame was inclined 45 deg away from the observer, no attenuation was found for frames projecting a retinal angle of 39.2 or 13.5 deg. In the PDP paradigm, the rod was optically 60 cm nearer the observer than was the frame. The depth adjacency effect of Gogel and Newton was replicated, but only for small retinal angles (7.2 and 6.8 deg) of the frame and for a 15-deg frame tilt, but not for larger retinal angles (39.2 and 12.7 deg) or for frames tilted at 22 deg. The absence of attenuation with depth separation in large frames and its presence in small frames is consistent with the identification of these phenomena with properties of the ambient and focal visual systems, respectively (Leibowitz & Post, 1982).     

Determinants of the rod-and-frame effect: Role of organization and subjective contour

In Experiment 1, performance on a conventional (full) rod and frame was compared with that on three other displays. These included a closure condition in which only the corners of a luminous frame were present, a subjective contour condition in which the rod was seen against ablack square subjective surface, and a pattern condition in which four luminous disks were arranged to form the corners of a square pattern. In all cases, a square-like form was perceived. The rod-and-frame effect (RFE) was greatest on the full frame, which differed significantly from all the rest. Closure produced the next greatest influence, while the responses to subjective and pattern conditions did not differ from each other. Experiment 2 showed that a subjective frame was no more effective than the subjective surface of Experiment 1, and verified the importance of 90-deg corner elements in the rod-and-frame display. The conclusion drawn was that equivalent form organizations are not sufficient to produce equivalent levels of the RFE, but certain luminance-difference contours appear to be essential.     

Self-regulated learning in female students with different cognitive styles: an exploratory study

In the present study, the relationship between the cognitive style called field-dependence/independence and learning strategies was explored. Acquisition, encoding, retrieval, support, and meta-cognitive strategies of first-year psychology and social education students (all women; M age = 19.2 yr., SD=1.7) with upper and lower quartile scores on field-dependence/independence were assessed on two self-report questionnaires and compared. Field-dependent students reported greater use of some learning strategies, specifically Self-instructions, Counter-distractions, Self-questioning, Self-monitoring, and Self-evaluation. The possible mediation of cognitive style on the influence of social desirability and a failure to activate appropriate strategies on accuracy of self-reports of learning strategies are discussed. Arguments and data are presented in favour of a distinction among the association of cognitive style with a tendency and capacity to use specific strategies and the benefits and manner of their application.     

Modulation of the rod and frame effect: Retinal angle vs apparent size

Summary Two rod and frame displays, constructed in a 3:1 linear ratio, were used to assess the apparent vertical. When viewed at the common distance of 1.5 m, the larger-appearing frame also produced the greater retinal angle. With the small frame at .5 m and the large one at 4.5 m, the smaller-appearing frame produced the greater retinal angle. In both cases the rod and frame effect increased with increasing retinal size, rather than with the apparent size of the frame.This research was supported by NIH Grant EY 02264 from the National Eye Institute to the first author.     

Field-Dependence and Judgment of Weight and Color: Some Implications for Research on Human Performance

Based on the construct sensitivity of the nervous system and the assump- tion that field-dependence indirectly approximates level of sensitivity, pre- vious research found field-independent groups to be very superior to field-dependent groups in contrast sensitivity and ability to discriminate color and, to a lesser extent, ability to discriminate weight. In this study, weight judgment was reexamined with a more discriminating test, and color judg- ment was tested for purposes of validation. Seventeen women performed the weight task (15 weights, 75-145 g, in 5-g increments) on 2 successive days, three trials per day, and two trials on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue Test (color discrimination). A field-independent group (N = 5) performed signifi- cantly better than a field-dependent group (N = 6) on both tasks. Sample size is small, but this is the fifth replication (in five attempts) of the color results and a strong validation of the previous results with weights. We concluded that in human performance research involving sensory discrimination, ran- dom error may be reduced by taking into consideration the level of sensitivity of the participants.     

Mental capacity,mental effort,and cognitive style

This study tests the relationship between two theoretical models of human attentional capacity: Pascual-Leone's mental capacity and Kahneman's mental effort. It was found that significant and positive correlations exist between the empirical measures of the above constructs, and the relationship is demonstrated via construct validation by showing that the two constructs relate in the same manner to the subject's cognitive style (i.e., field-dependence/independence).