Hypotheses derived from integtativc complexity theory were tested in a concept identification task preceded by thorough concept training. Since less than a sufficient amount of information was presented, the subject determined which additional information he needed to identify the concept. In accordance with the theory, higher complexity subjects obtained information most efficiently and made fewer errors than subjects of lower complexity. Expected differences in the variety of concept rules utilized by subjects at different integrative complexity levels in the concept identification task failed to materialize. This was attributed to the overtraining of subjects in the 10 concept rules prior to the experimental phase, and hence a second study was carried out with no pretraining on concept rules. In this replication, lower complexity subjects used the smallest variety of concept rules on the problem with the fewest concepts possible. However, there were no significant differences among individuals of different integrative complexity levels in the efficiency of processing information and in error rate. Crockett (1965), in addition to Schroder, Driver, and Streufert (1967), felt that a cognitive system should be considered complex . in structure only when it reflects a high degree of differentiation and the elements are integrated hierarchically by relatively extensive bonds of relationship. Others (e.g., Clayton & Jackson, 1961; Kelly, 19SS) have defined cognitive structure solely in terms of its degree of differentiation. Schroder et al., in their theory of integrative complexity, however, stated that although the number of dimensions is not necessarily related to the integrative complexity of the conceptual structure, the greater the number of dimensions, that is, the greater the amount of differentiation, the more likely is the development of integratively complex connections among the dimensions. Low integrative structure is similar to a hierarchical information integration in which the connections among dimensions 1 This study is based in part on a thesis presented by the first author to the faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master's degree.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Carol Ummel Lindquist, Paul Sutcliffe, and Gary Jund in the collection of the data in the reported experiments. They would also like to thank Patrick Laughlin for his comments regarding this paper.2 Requests for reprints should be sent to Leonard
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