Physiological Concomitants of Psychological Differentiation

Abstract

Thirty‐two male college students who scored above 50 (standard score) on the Closure Flexibility (CF) test were designated field independent (FI), and eight who scored below 50 were designated field dependent (FD). It was found that FI subjects were able to discriminate between the conditioned tone (CS) and the un‐reinforced generalization tones by the amplitude of their GSR significantly better (p < 0.01) than were FD persons. Although it cannot be asserted with certainty that this relationship is dependent on the autonomic response system, there is tentative support for this position. It seems probable that even the FD subjects could distinguish between the two most different pitched tones; yet they failed to make this distinction by their GSR responses. This lack of differentiation by the FD subject appears to be a function of a less well‐differentiated autonomic nervous system. This study demonstrates that the stimulus generalization gradient involves an interaction between the cognitive style of the organism and the impinging stimuli, not merely the quantitative physical characteristics of the stimuli.

Differences Among Age and Sex Groups in Electrodermal Conditioning

“…In the case of conditioned cardiac deceleration, however, these polar groups are reversed with the field-dependent *Ss exhibiting much greater deceleration during the second five seconds of the CS than the field-independent Ss, Hein, Cohen, & Shmavonian (1966). Similar findings have been published by Courter, Wattenmaker, and Ax (1965).…”

Perceptual Mode and Cardiac Conditioning

“…A previous report dealt with the galvanic skin response (GSR) data in the field-dependent and field-independent subjects (Hein, 1964). Essentially the same GSR findings were reported by Courter (1965). This paper deals with the heart rate data in these two groups.…”

The role of individual differences in field dependence as a factor in learning and memory.

“…In contrast, gradients of stimulus generalization drop off much more sharply for field-independent people (Courter, Wattenmaker, & Ax, 1965;Hustmyer, 1969;VanVeen l Peters, Knott, Miller, & Cohen, 1973;Wattenmaker, 1965;Werble, 1963). In contrast, gradients of stimulus generalization drop off much more sharply for field-independent people (Courter, Wattenmaker, & Ax, 1965;Hustmyer, 1969;VanVeen l Peters, Knott, Miller, & Cohen, 1973;Wattenmaker, 1965;Werble, 1963).…”

“…Most studies have supported the hypothesis that conditioned responses are about as large to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus as they are to the conditioned stimulus itself for field-dependent subjects, providing that the stimuli vary continuously and unidimensionally (e.g., in pitch or brightness). In contrast, gradients of stimulus generalization drop off much more sharply for field-independent people (Courter, Wattenmaker, & Ax, 1965;Hustmyer, 1969;VanVeen l Peters, Knott, Miller, & Cohen, 1973;Wattenmaker, 1965;Werble, 1963). In the attempt to account for this result, it has been suggested that field-independent people may be better able to discriminate among stimuli selected from a continuously variable stimulus dimension through the aid of mediational processes not effectively available to field-dependent people.…”