The role common region (CR) plays in acquiring scientific information from node-link displays was studied by testing 88 subjects under conditions of knowledge maps demonstrating or not demonstrating CR. Field-dependent subjects scored better than the field-independent subjects for maps demonstrating CR, whereas the opposite was true for maps not…

The focus of research on cognitive processes has shifted toward an examination of the relationship between memory and interindividual differences of personality. A review of the research on two such personality traits (i.e., locus of control and field dependence-independence) shows that studies of locus of control as a factor in learning and…

Fifty-two field-dependent and 52 field-independent female undergraduates were studied under four study technique conditions using a taped lecture. Analyses of test performance and notes taken by students revealed a significant interaction of cognitive style and study technique. Performance differences and relevance for future notetaking research…

Describes a study that examined five influences on college students' schemata to determine what affected their ability to make effective use of instructional thematic maps. Topics include use of the Group Embedded Figures Test to determine field dependence/independence; sex differences; student preferences for data representation types; and…

The idea of potential and usable processing space is explored, and consequent teaching strategies are discussed. Simultaneous studies of the effect of working memory space and field-dependence on science performance at secondary and tertiary levels are reviewed. How students filter out "signal" from "noise" during various…

The relationship between field dependence-independence (FDI) and the ability to read and comprehend printed text was examined in this study. The effect of the structure of instructional text on the learning process of individuals at various points on the continuum of FDI was also studied. The following hypotheses were developed: (1) there would be…

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. Patterns of performance were consistent with processing styles characteristic of field dependence-independence. (Author/LMO)

Described in this documentary report are the school lives of seven children and their approaches to learning over a period of 5 years. Chapter 1 presents short introductory vignettes. Each child illustrates a distinctive mode or approach to learning: formalist/traditionalist, reasoner/problem-solver, patterner/adapter, mapper/explorer,…

The influence of matched or mismatched cognitive styles on perceived satisfaction and performance among students and teachers was examined in eight secondary school classrooms comprising 192 students. Results revealed the predicted interaction effect (favoring matched styles) on student perceptions of satisfaction and a similar trend on…

A learning style model, which identifies specific learning patterns of prospective teachers and teaching behaviors which relate to those identified learning patterns was tested on 20 female elementary education majors. The subjects were administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which determined the dominant personality type (Sensing/Thinking,…

Pairs of undergraduate students were instructed to engage in metacognitive activities, elaborative activities, or neither while listening to prose passages. Results of a recall test suggested that metacognitive activity facilitated cooperative learning, while elaborative activity transferred to a later individual learning activity. (Author/GDC)

The purpose of several studies was to examine the effects that differentially coded (black and white or color) illustrations had on students who were classified as field independent, field neutral, and field dependent on tests measuring different educational objectives. The effects of visual and verbal test formats were also examined. In general,…

A media attribute approach was used in a study which hypothesized that compositional syntactic placement may bridge the processing link between the learner's cognitive capacity and the demands of a simple concept attainment task. Compositional syntactic placement refers to the relative horizontal position of the primary symbol or object within a…

This study involving sixth graders found imaging was the most effective method of instruction, regardless of whether instructions to image came before or after subjects listened to a story. Field independent students outperformed their field dependent peers regardless of type of treatment. Twenty-three references are provided. (Author/MBR)

Discussion of hypertext structures focuses on three studies of preservice teachers that assessed the effects of different methods of explicitly mapping expert knowledge structures onto hypertext on the acquisition of structural knowledge. Topics addressed include time on task, semantic networking, cognitive limitations of browsing behavior, and…