The Unitary Construct Variously Named Overinclusion and Cognitive Style

Summary

To assess the relationships among field dependence, overinclusion, and retardedness, 87 individuals were administered Epstein's Overinclusion Test, the Embedded Figures Test, and two tests of retardedness—the O'Connor Finger Dexterity Test and a word association test. Ss included both males and females: 21 noninstitutionalized controls solicited via newspaper advertisements, 23 recently admitted and 21 long-term nonparanoid schizophrenics, and 22 recently admitted individuals with affective disorders. Results supported the direct relationship between overinclusion and field dependence. Sex differences appeared on these same two tests. Contradictory to the third hypothesis, the two tests of retardedness were directly related to both overinclusion and field dependence. These two latter concepts may therefore be manifestations of a single more comprehensive construct.