Field Differentiation and Intelligence

Abstract
Cognitive style research indicates that field dependence is not releated to overall intelligence, verbal reasoning, or rote learning, but is only related to perceptual organizational ability as reflected in particular performance subtests of the WISC. Zigler maintains that cognitive style is a measure of general intelligence. After 412 male and female college students were screened on the Group Embedded Figures Test, 75 field dependent and 75 field independent Ss were identified and given a group paired-associate learning task (for rote learning) and the Verbal Reasoning subtest of the Differential Aptitude Tests. The results indicated that the field independent Ss had significantly higher scores on both the verbal reasoning and rote learning tasks, tending to support the position that cognitive style is a measure of general intelligence.

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