Effects of Field-Dependency on Weight Comparisons

Abstract

20 field-independent and 20 field-dependent Ss were selected on the basis of performance on the Rod-and-frame Test and were asked to estimate a comparison weight in the context of two different original weights. Visual cues were controlled. 10 Ss in each group estimated a heavier weight which was paired on 2 consecutive trials with 1 of 2 lighter weights and the remaining Ss estimated a lighter weight in the context of two heavier weights. The difference in estimates of the same comparison weights served as an indication of contextual influence. The field-dependent Ss, estimating lighter weights, were influenced by context to a significantly greater extent than the other groups. The field-dependency dimension may affect performance on a variety of different perceptual tasks.