Cognitive styles are mental patterns that guide our perception, allowing us to manipulate and organize information in a concrete way.

There are many types, but one especially researched is Herman Witkin’s Field Dependence and Field Independence .

In this article we will know what is meant by cognitive style; we will see that it goes beyond cognition, and we will know the fundamental differences between field dependents and field independents. In addition, we will know how this cognitive style can be evaluated.

What are cognitive styles?

Field Dependency and Field Independence are two cognitive styles . Generally, people have one of these two styles, although we may sometimes use one more than the other but have both.

But what are cognitive styles? They are concrete and differentiated ways of perceiving external information. Moreover, they include not only its perception, but also its management, its organization, its processing and the way to remember such information.

In other words, cognitive styles are mental patterns in charge of perceiving and organizing the information that comes to us through the senses (sensory systems). It includes, on the other hand, the way we solve problems.

Field Unit and Field Independence

Thus, there are different cognitive styles, always bipolar concepts: verbalizing vs. visualizing style, holistic vs. analytical style, leveling vs. sharpening style, tec. Specifically, the cognitive style of Field Dependence and Field Independence was proposed by Witkin.

This style refers, broadly speaking, to how we process information: whether globally and holistically (field dependence) or analytically, in detail and concretely (field independence).

Thus, field-dependents perceive the stimuli as a whole, as unitary blocks of reality; field-independents, on the other hand, usually isolate the different parts that make up the objects or stimuli. They isolate them and analyse them in detail, leaving aside the context in which the stimulus is immersed.

That is to say, when we look at a painting, for example, what do we look at? at its details separately? or at the whole of the painting, as a whole? If we look at the details, leaving the rest of the picture “aside”, we have an independent field style; on the other hand, if we look at and observe the picture as a whole, ignoring the specific parts, we have a dependent field style.

What does this style allude to?

That is, the Field and Field Independence Unit also has to do with how we handle and/or organize the information in the medium , and with what we do with each of the parts of the totality of a stimulus that we receive through one of our senses (in this case, sight).

Aspects in which they differ

But the Field and Field Independence Unit does not only refer to how we perceive the stimuli and how we organize our perception.

It also refers to characteristics of our personality and other aspects such as feelings or emotions. We will see the differences between these two cognitive styles, analyzing some of the parameters or aspects that are part of their characteristics and proposed by Jonassen and Grabowsky (1993).

1. Interpersonal relationships

Thus, while people with a field-dependent style tend to be more oriented towards interpersonal relationships and social relations in general, the field independents are more focused on themselves, on their intrapersonal relationship.

In other words, field-dependent people need social contact more, and field independent people tend to be lonelier and more reserved. On the other hand, while the former seek and need that affiliation, those personal relationships, the latter do not seek them, and are more distant and individualistic.

2. Social information

On the other hand, and in line with the previous point, dependents tend to show more attention to social information and people; on the other hand, independent people do not pay much attention to this type of information. They therefore focus on other aspects of a non-social nature.

Information management

Another difference in relation to Field Dependency and Field Independence is that the dependent style is characterized by people who accept the ideas as they are presented, that is, they do not try to analyze them as the independent ones would; thus, the latter not only “receive” the information (passively), but also manipulate it and analyze it in detail.

4. Stress management

Field dependents tend to be more easily stressed by external stimuli, while independent ones are not; they are not as affected by it, in fact they ignore it.

5. Conflict management

Dependents are more practical, move into action more quickly, and tend to try to resolve and resolve the conflicts they encounter. However, the independent ones are more philosophical, think more before acting, are more cognitive and therefore tend to think about problems rather than act on them.

In addition, dependents are guided more by facts, by the tangible, and dependents are guided more by ideas and concepts.

6. Influence of stimuli

Continuing with the aspects that differentiate the styles of Field Dependence and Field Independence, we find that the former is more influenced by the structure and format of the stimuli. This has to do with their more global analysis of information. In contrast, Field Independents are not so much influenced by these elements.

On the other hand, the dependent ones are more concerned with what stands out from the environment, and the independent ones are more concerned with developing internal hypotheses and focusing more on what they themselves generate.

How is it evaluated?

The test of excellence to evaluate field dependence and field independence is the Test of Masked (or Hidden) Figures , by Witkin, Oltman, Raskin and Karp (1971). This evaluation test consists of the presentation of two figures to the subject under examination: a simple figure and a complex figure. The subject is asked to find the simple figure in the complex figure.

How will the subjects act, according to their cognitive style? Field-dependent subjects will tend to have difficulty in finding the simple figure in the complex one, since they find it harder to isolate the integral elements of the figures, and are more fixated on the totality of the stimuli. That is, it is more difficult for them to separate the elements from their context.

On the other hand, the field-independent ones have more facility to do so, that is why it will be easier for them to identify the simple figure within the complex one, presenting better results than the field-independent ones in this sense.

Conclusions

Field Dependency and Field Independence is a cognitive style that encompasses not only cognitive processes, but also emotional processes and aspects of personality. These differences have been found after much research, since cognitive styles make up a particularly useful area of knowledge in learning psychology, basic psychology and cognitive psychology.

As we have seen, the field independents are people who are freer from context, more able to free themselves from it and observe the details of the reality that is presented to them. The dependent allow themselves to be guided more by the context, and in fact they often need it to solve problems.

On the other hand, although people usually have one of these two predominant styles, it is true that sometimes we can use a little of the other, depending on the task, the objective and the context of it.

Bibliographic references:

  • Garcia Ramos, J.M. (1989). Cognitive styles and their measurement: studies on the field dependence-independence dimension. Madrid: Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia.

  • Jonassen, D.H. and Grabowsky, B.L. (1993). Handbook of Individual Differences, Learning and Instruction. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

  • Ramos, J.M. (2006). Evaluation of the cognitive style “Field dependence/independence” in the context of anxiety problems. Clinical and Health, 17(1).