Activity . the triangle. Those who can do it quickly will be called “field independent”; those who take long time will be called “field dependent”. Cultural Background and Experiences Different experiences and learning opportunities available to people in different cultural settings also influence their perception.
People coming from a pictureless environment fail to recognise objects in pictures. Hudson studied the perception of pictures by African subjects, and noted several difficulties. Many of them were unable to identify objects depicted in pictures (e.g., antelope, spear). They also failed to perceive distance in pictures, and interpreted pictures incorrectly.
Eskimos have been found to make fine distinction among a variety of snow that we may be unable to notice. Some aboriginal groups of Siberian region have been found to differentiate among dozens of skin colours of reindeers, which we would not be able to do. These studies indicate that the perceiver plays a key role in the process of perception. People process and interpret stimuli in their own ways depending on their personal, social and cultural conditions.
Due to these factors our perceptions are not only finely tuned, but also modified. Cognitive Styles Cognitive style refers to a consistent way of dealing with our environment. It significantly affects the way we perceive the environment. There are several cognitive styles that people use in perceiving their environment.
One most extensively used in studies is the “field dependent and field independent” cognitive style. Field dependent people perceive the external world in its totality, i.e. in a global or holistic manner. On the other hand, field independent people perceive the external world by breaking it into smaller units, i.e.
in an analytic or differentiated manner. Look at Fig. . .
Can you find out the triangle hidden in the picture? How much time do you take to locate it? Try to find out the time other students of your class take to locate Fig. .
: An Item to test the ‘Field Dependent’ and ‘Field Independent’ Cognitive Style P RINCIPLES OF P ERCEPTUAL O RGANISATION Our visual field is a collection of different elements, such as points, lines,