Visual contrast sensitivity in individuals with fixed and mobile field-dependent cognitive styles

Vorobyev Y.; Shoshina I.; Kostromina S.

doi:10.14529/jpps250402

Y. Y. Vorobyev Saint Petersburg State University (Mendeleevskaya line 2, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia) https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3147-4025 y.vorobiev@spbu.ru
I. I. Shoshina Saint Petersburg State University (Mendeleevskaya line 2, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0777-1122 shoshinaii@mail.ru
S. N. Kostromina Saint Petersburg State University (Mendeleevskaya line 2, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9508-2587 s.kostromina@spbu.ru

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14529/jpps250402

Keywords: contrast sensitivity, cognitive style, field dependence–independence, magnocellular and parvocellular neural systems, dorsal and ventral cortical pathways, global and local information processing

Abstract

Introduction. Field dependence–independence has traditionally been described as a psychological construct, yet recent evidence links perceptual characteristics of this style to neurophysiological mechanisms of visual information processing. This underscores the importance of identifying its neurophysiological correlates. Aims: To compare visual contrast sensitivity in individuals with fixed and mobile field-dependent cognitive styles. Materials and methods: Sixty-three adults (21 men, 42 women; mean age: 35 ± 7.92 years), all employed in industrial settings, participated in the study. Field dependence–independence was assessed using the Gottschaldt Figures Test, and contrast sensitivity was measured with visocontrastometry. Results: Significant differences in contrast sensitivity were found between individuals with a fixed and a mobile field-dependent cognitive style. Contrast sensitivity in the low-spatial frequency range was higher in individuals with a fixed field-dependent cognitive style, which is considered evidence of more pronounced activity of the global information analysis mechanism. Conclusion: Differences in field dependence appear to reflect distinct patterns of interaction within large-scale neural networks responsible for global and local visual processing. Contrast sensitivity can serve as an objective measure of these neurophysiological mechanisms, offering deeper insight into field dependence as a cognitive–neurophysiological phenomenon

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Author Biographies

Y. Y. Vorobyev , Saint Petersburg State University (Mendeleevskaya line 2, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia)

PhD student

I. I. Shoshina , Saint Petersburg State University (Mendeleevskaya line 2, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia)

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Leading Researcher, B.G. Ananyev Research Center for Human Studie

S. N. Kostromina , Saint Petersburg State University (Mendeleevskaya line 2, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia)

Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Personality Psychology

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