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.