Cognitive Style Differences between Engineers and College Students

Abstract

The description of Witkin's field-independent individuals as those who tend to be analytical, logical, and able to extract subtle aspects from problems for analysis bears a close resemblance to the description of engineering job functions. It was therefore hypothesized that engineers would be more field-independent than Witkin's standardization sample. It was determined that 46 engineers and technicians were significantly more field independent, as measured by the rod-and-frame test, than Witkin's standardization sample. Alternate explanations for the obtained results are discussed, including intelligence, sampling, and shift to adult status.