Cognitive style: Effects of structure at acquisition and testing

Abstract

This experiment examined the recall and recognition performance of 53 field-independent and 55 field-dependent learners who were with or without structure at the time of acquisition and/or at the time of recall. Structure was provided in the form of an organizational chart that prompted reorganization of textual material while taking notes at acquisition, and that cued the recall of textual material at testing. Field-dependent learners recalled more of the textual material when provided with structure during both acquisition and recall or when structure was not provided at all. Conversely, field-independent learners recalled more of the textual material when structure was provided only at acquisition or recall. This pattern of interaction was also apparent for multiple-choice performance and for learningtechnique preference as indicated by responses to a questionnaire.