THE CONSISTENCY OF NIGERIANS' PERFORMANCE ON THREE TASKS MEASURING FIELD DEPENDENCE

Abstract

The study attempts to examine the consistency of Nigerians' performance on three measures of field dependence. The measures used were the Embedded Figures Test (EFT), Block Design (BD) and the Rod and Frame Box (RFB), and samples were drawn from a university (N = 48) and two local schools (N = 38) located in east‐central Nigeria.In line with previous studies, the most significant correlation was between EFT and BD. Interpretation of the partial correlations suggested that EFT and BD may share at least two common factors but that each appears to share only one of these with RFB. These factors were discussed in terms of the hemispheric processing requirements of these measures. It was suggested that EFT and BD, which involve cognitive restructuring, may require an ability to integrate the processing abilities of the two hemispheres, whereas RFB may only involve left hemisphere processing. This interpretation may also help to explain some of the sex and age effects found in the present study.More research is needed to help isolate the various processing requirements of the different measures of field dependence.