Cognitive style and the behavioral differences of nursing students in the clinical setting.

This study examined the applicability of the naturalistic method of ecological psychology to the study of student nurse behavior in a hospital setting in relation to cognitive style. Naturalistic data were collected during a three-hour clinical experience of 12 students selected from a baccalaureate, medical-surgical class of 62 junior level students differing on field independence and field dependence as determined by scores on the Group Embedded Figures Test. Field independent and field dependent students were found to differ significantly in some of the following ways: frequency and duration of interactions with the instructor and with the patient, tendency to initiate behavioral units, and type of activities performed during the clinical experience. The naturalistic method was found to be a fruitful approach for the study of student nurse behavior.