field dependence
LowAcademic, Technical
Definition
Meaning
A psychological/cognitive style where a person's perception and understanding are heavily influenced by and embedded within the surrounding context or 'field'.
1. In psychology: a cognitive style characterised by difficulty separating details from the overall context or background. 2. In software/engineering: the degree to which a system component relies on the state or environment of other components. 3. In agriculture/ecology: reliance on external factors like soil conditions or climate.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a technical term in psychology and cognitive science, often contrasted with 'field independence'. Can be used as a compound noun ('field-dependence', sometimes hyphenated) or as an adjective ('field-dependent').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major lexical differences. Spelling may occasionally differ in hyphenation ('field-dependence' slightly more common in UK English; 'field dependence' as two words slightly more common in US).
Connotations
Identical technical connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low frequency in both varieties, confined to academic/technical contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] exhibits/shows/displays field dependence.The [study/test] measured/assessed field dependence.A high level of field dependence correlates with [outcome].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None directly; the term itself is technical.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rarely used. Might appear metaphorically in leadership/management training to describe a manager who cannot separate issues from their context.
Academic
Primary context. Common in psychology, education (learning styles), and cross-cultural studies journals.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Core context in psychology, cognitive science, human-computer interaction (UI design), and some engineering domains (system design).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The individual tends to field-depend when solving visual puzzles.
- The module was redesigned to field-depend less on external libraries.
American English
- The software is architected to field-depend on a central configuration service.
- Children with this learning style may field-depend more on teacher guidance.
adverb
British English
- The data was processed field-dependently, considering the whole dataset as one unit.
- He perceives the world quite field-dependently.
American English
- The system behaves field-dependently, failing if any external service is down.
- She solves problems field-dependently, always looking at the bigger picture first.
adjective
British English
- She has a more field-dependent cognitive style.
- The old system was highly field-dependent and difficult to maintain.
American English
- Field-dependent learners often prefer collaborative work.
- We need to reduce our field-dependent code to improve modularity.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- In the test, people with high field dependence could not find the simple shape hidden in the complex drawing.
- Some teaching methods are better for field-dependent students.
- Psychological studies often measure field dependence using the Embedded Figures Test, where participants must identify a simple shape within a more complex background.
- The researcher concluded that field dependence correlated positively with a preference for group learning activities.
- Critics of the field dependence-independence construct argue that it oversimplifies cognitive styles into a rigid dichotomy, ignoring cultural and situational factors.
- The software's excessive field dependence meant that a change in one database schema necessitated modifications across dozens of unrelated modules.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a person lost in a vast FIELD, unable to find their way out because they DEPEND entirely on the landmarks within that field to navigate. They cannot separate their own position from the surrounding scenery.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MIND IS AN OPTICAL INSTRUMENT (lens/focus). Field dependence is a LENS THAT CANNOT FILTER OUT THE BACKGROUND.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate literally as 'зависимость от поля' (which suggests addiction to a sports field or farm). The established psychological term is 'полезависимость'.
- Avoid confusing with 'field' as in 'sphere of activity' (поле деятельности). Here, 'field' is the perceptual/contextual background.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'field dependency' (more common in software) interchangeably with the psychological term 'field dependence' (the standard term in cognitive psychology).
- Confusing it with 'reliance on external resources' in a non-perceptual sense.
- Incorrect hyphenation: 'field-dependence' (acceptable variant) vs. 'fielddependence' (incorrect).
Practice
Quiz
Which statement best describes a field-dependent person?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a cognitive style or preference, not a disability. It describes *how* a person perceives and processes information, not a deficit.
Yes, research suggests cultural background can influence the prevalence of this cognitive style, with more collectivist societies often showing a higher tendency towards field dependence.
The primary psychological instrument is the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) or the Embedded Figures Test (EFT), where participants locate a simple shape within a complex figure.
Not exactly. While field-dependent individuals may find it harder to ignore irrelevant context, it is a specific perceptual-cognitive trait, whereas distractibility is a broader attentional control issue.