Social implication of field dependence/independence: Within-group homogeneity and between-group differentiation effects 1The author would like to thank Gabriel Mugny, Juan-Manuel Falomir and Juan-Antonio Pérez for their comments. Special acknowledgement to Karima Amrani and Erika Hofmann for their assistance in translating and to Marie-Laure Curchod for her very valuable help in finding participants.

Abstract

If implication of field dependence/independence in social processes has been proved, an articulation between psychosocial theories and diffèrential theories is necessary to understand this implication. One study examined a possible link using social identity theory, homogeneity and differentiation between groups, taking into account the level of social categorization in the auto-categorization theory perspective and the well-known individual difference variable of field dependence/independence. The 2 levels of categorization (explicitly or not categorized at the intergroup level) × 2 field dependence/independence (more field-dependent versus more field-independent) show that when participants are not categorized into a group level but considered as individuals, field dependence/independence regulates the perception of homogeneity of members of the same social category. This result indicates higher homogeneity perception for field-dependent subjects compared to field-independent subject. However, when they are themselves members of one of the groups (i.e. they are categorized), the motivational involvement erases the effect of field dependence/independence in the perception of group members' homogeneity.