Effects of Field Independence and Dogmatism on Reversal and Nonreversal Shifts in Concept Formation

Abstract

40 St were administered the Dogmatism Test and a group Embedded Figures Test of field independence. Median splits on the two measures were employed to form 4 groups of 10 Ss each, representing the four possible combinations. All Ss were required to master an initial discrimination employing a concept formation task of the card-sorting variety. Subsequently, one-half of each sub-group was required to master the reversal of the initial task, whereas the other half of each sub-group was required to master a nonreversal task relative to the initial discrimination. This procedure resulted in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design. It was predicted on various theoretical grounds that (1) reversal shifts are easier than nonreversal shifts; (2) field-independent Ss would demonstrate superior performance regardless of shift condition; (3) open-minded Ss would be more successful regardless of shift condition; and (4) that field-dependent closed-minded Ss would experience special difficulty with shifts regardless of condition. All of the hypotheses were supported by the data.

Cognitive style differences within an analytical curriculum: Examples of success and nonsuccess

“…Limitations in memory storage and retrieval capacity, cognitive flexibility, and mental energy appear to some degree to influence children's success and nonsuccess with analytical tasks. This has been documented in studies of reading comprehension (Davis, 1987), concept formation (Ohnmacht, 1966), musical analysis (Schmidt & Lewis, 1987), and motor skill acquisition (e.g., Swinnen, Vandenberghe, & Van Assche, 1986). …”

The Teaching of Concepts: A Review of Instructional Design Research Literature

“…Some investigators have suggested that more examples are needed to learn abstract concepts than concrete concepts (Al-Issa, 1969;Clark, 1971;Reed & Dick, 1968;Russell & Saadeh, 1962), not because abstract concepts necessarily have more attributes, but because the abstract concepts having fewer perceptible examples and fewer perceptible attributes are more difficult to learn. Numerous research studies have shown that the following learner characteristics are directly related to concept learning: age (Bourne & O'Banion, 1971;Kofsky, 1966;Oliver & Hornsby, 1966;Tagatz, 1967;Wiviott, Note 6), prior knowledge (Wiviott,Note 6), and cognitive style (Davis & Klausmeier, 1970;Kagan, Moss, & Sigel, 1963;Lee, Kagan, & Rabson, 1963;Ohnmacht, 1966;Nelson, Note 7).…”

Migration and mental illness: What role do traditional childhood socialization practices play?

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