FIELD INDEPENDENT-DEPENDENT DIFFERENCES IN ENCODING PROCESSES (PROSE LEARNING, INDIVIDUAL, MEMORY)

KATHRYN F COCHRAN, Purdue University

Abstract

This research focuses on the investigation of cognitive processes related to field independent-field dependent (FI-FD) differences in intellectual performance. Previous studies suggest that FI learners have a larger working memory, an information processing system thought to control many integrative cognitive processes. Since the construction of inferences from text requires the organization and integration of information, FI-FD differences in working memory were hypothesized to influence the speed and accuracy with which inferences are formed. It was expected that FI learners would be more likely to construct inferences necessary for comprehension while reading, to store them in memory, and to later verify them rapidly and accurately as true. For FD learners, limited working memory might restrict inference construction during reading, and require the inference to be formed during verification, resulting in longer reaction times. Twenty-eight FI and 28 FD undergraduates were randomly selected from students in a pretest group scoring beyond .9 standard deviations on the Hidden Figures Test. Subjects were individually presented with 11 passages and asked to verify the truth or falsity of necessary and unnecessary inferences, paraphrases, and explicit statements after reading each passage. The working memory measure followed and was similar to a digit span task. Reaction time data revealed that necessary inferences were verified more rapidly by FI than by FD learners. For the FI group, necessary inferences were verified as rapidly as paraphrases, but for the FD group, necessary inferences took longer to verify than paraphrases. No FI-FD differences were found for false sentences. The error data also showed that no FI-FD differences, but females made fewer errors than males on true sentences. The working memory capacity for FI learners was larger than for FD learners, and larger for females than for males. It is concluded that the results support the hypothesis that FI learners are more likely to construct inferences during reading, possibly as a result of working memory differences. The theoretical and educational implications of this research are discussed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Psychology|Experiments

COinS