Changes: Herman A. Witkin

Latest revision as of 13:12, 10 January 2010

Professional Psychology: Debating Chamber · Psychology Journals · Psychologists

Herman A. Witkin (August 2, 1916—July 8, 1979) was an American psychologist whose interests lied in the spheres of cognitive psychology and learning. He was a pioneer of the theory of Cognitive styles and Learning styles (developed in cooperation with Solomon Asch, Donald Goodenough etc.), which he preferred to diagnose not by questionnaires but by more objective means, such as projective tests, task-solving tests etc. Author of the concept of field-dependency vs. field-independency.

Witkin's research showed that there were differences in how people perceived discrete items within a surrounding field. People at the one end of the extreme where perception was strongly dominated by the prevailing field were designated "field-dependent." Field-dependent learners see the forest. At the other extreme, people were considered "field-independent", if they experienced items as more or less separate from the field. Whereas field-dependent people see the forest, field-independent learners see the tree within the forest. Since scores on learning style tests form a continuous scale, the terms field-dependent and field-independent reflect a tendency, in varying degrees of strength, toward one end of the extreme (field-dependent) or the other (field-independent) (Witkin et al, 1977).

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-'''Herman A. Witkin''' (August 2, 1916—July 8, 1979) was an American psychologist whose interests lied in the spheres of [[cognitive psychology]] and [[learning psychology]]. He was a pioneer of the theory of [[Cognitive styles]] and [[Learning styles]] (developed in cooperation with [[Solomon Asch]], [[Donald Goodenough]] etc.), which he preferred to diagnoze not by questionnaires but by more objective means, such as projective tests, task-solving tests etc. Author of the concept of  [[field-dependency vs. field-independency]].
+'''Herman A. Witkin''' (August 2, 1916—July 8, 1979) was an American psychologist whose interests lied in the spheres of [[cognitive psychology]] and [[learning]]. He was a pioneer of the theory of [[Cognitive styles]] and [[Learning styles]] (developed in cooperation with [[Solomon Asch]], [[Donald Goodenough]] etc.), which he preferred to diagnose not by questionnaires but by more objective means, such as [[projective tests]], task-solving tests etc. Author of the concept of  [[field-dependency vs. field-independency]].
 Witkin's research showed that there were differences in how people perceived discrete items within a surrounding field. People at the one end of the extreme where perception was strongly dominated by the prevailing field were designated "field-dependent." Field-dependent learners see the forest. At the other extreme, people were considered "field-independent", if they experienced items as more or less separate from the field. Whereas field-dependent people see the forest, field-independent learners see the tree within the forest. Since scores on learning style tests form a continuous scale, the terms field-dependent and field-independent reflect a tendency, in varying degrees of strength, toward one end of the extreme (field-dependent) or the other (field-independent) (Witkin et al, 1977).
-==Tests developed==
+==See also==
+*[[Assessment of field dependence and field independence]]
-A number of instruments have been developed to measure a person's learning style. One of the easiest to administer, especially in group situations, is the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) (Witkin, Oltman, Raskin, and Karp, 1971). The GEFT is a perceptual test which requires the subject to locate a previously seen figure within a larger complex figure. The GEFT, which is comprised of 18 complex figures, can be administered in 20 minutes and can be quickly scored using answer templates from the test distributor.
+*[[Rod and frame Test]]
-Subject's scores on the GEFT range from 0 to 18 with the number correct being the score. The national norm on the GEFT is 11.4 correct. The higher the score above the group mean the more the person is considered to be field-independent. Conversely, the lower the score below the group mean the more the person is field-dependent. It must be stressed that learning styles are independent of intelligence. Remember, field-dependence/field-independence is more related to the PROCESS of learning, not the APTITUDE for learning. Both field-dependent and field-independent people make equally good students as well as teachers.
-According to Bonham (1987), Herman Witkin's Filed Independence-Dependence is the most widely known cognitive style, perhaps owing to the extent of its research. The theory has been continually revised for over 30 years. Current theory places field independence within the framework of psychological differentiation. Field independent persons epend more on self and seem readily to learn material that has a social context. Field independent students appear to be more adept to the usntructured classroom than their field dependent counterparts. Field independence appears to result in a greater development of cognitive restructuring skills.
-The more field dependent person is reliant on external referents as a result of their amount of differentiation of self from non-self. Dependent learners rely more on the teacher and peer support. Bythis theory, the independent student tends to be more analytical and attends less to peer pressure or teacher direction.
-The Embeded Figures Test (EFT) is designed to measure disembedding, a restructuring skill, which results from the use of style. According to Bonham (1987), the EFT was adapted from Gottschaldt's figures by adding colored patterns to increase complexity. Each complex figure included an embedded simple figure, which the subject is to identify as quickly as possible; there are 24 figures in the EFT. The group version (GEFT), is a paper-and-pencil instrument which requires students to attempt to discern simple geometric figures from more complicated patterns. Students find eight hidden figures by tracing over them.
-Casey (1993), citing Witkin (1976), reports reasonably high validity data (-.82 for male undergraduates, -.63 for female graduates) with Spearman-Brown and Tyron's variance coefficients of .89 to .95. Bonham (1987) notes a number of problems that seems to exist in relation to theory and isntrument including gender bias; sex differences were first reported then discounted. Instrumentation is questionable: the epception-of-the-upright equipment is now said to measure style while the EFT and GEFT insruments are said to measure ability. Critics note that the instruments are a measure of either general intellegence or some specific ability. It is not always clear what version is being used or why, nor how readers should interpret outdated literature (Bonham, 1987). Bonham sees two particular problems associated with the new model: the nature of hierarchies and use of a bipolar dimension that is really two dimensional.
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