Field dependence-independence and dental students' clinical performance.

The construct of field dependence-independence (FDI) is a bipolar characterization of cognitive style and functioning that has achieved wide interest outside the field of dental education. Since dental educators lack effective preadmission predictors of clinical grades or performance, the authors examined two tests of FDI as potential new predictors. The Embedded Figures Test (EFT) is a recognized FDI descriptor test based on the ability to identify rapidly and accurately a series of simple geometric figures "embedded" in more complex figures; such performance is characteristic of the field-independent individual. Similarly, rapid and accurate performance on the Inverted Tracing Test (ITT) (mirror tracing of simple figures) may also be characteristic of the field-independent individual. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the EFT and ITT parameters correlated more closely with clinical grades that did Dental Admission Test (DAT) predictors. The results suggest that individuals who tend to be field-independent, rather than field-dependent may hav an advantage in the dental school's clinical curriculum.