Field dependance. Independence as measured by rod-and-frame test: a factor related to motor skill and ability

Introduction

Rod-and-Frame Test (RFT) has long been used to measure field dependence-independence (FDI) in the research of motor ability (Liu, 2003). During the administration of RFT, only a tilted rod in the middle of a tilted square frame are visible to the seated participants, who are required to adjust the tilted rod to the physically vertical position without the reference of verticality. Field-independent (FI) individuals tend to use their body information (in this case, the sense of verticality) as the referent and can adjust the rod to a relatively vertical position. Some people, however, are influenced by the tilted square frame and have difficulty in adjusting the rod to a vertical position, and hence classified as field-dependent (FD) people. Given FI and FD individuals’ difference in the capability of using body information, including kinesthetic feedback, many studies have been done investigating the differences between FI and FD individuals in motor ability, sport choice and physical activity engagement. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine and summarize the research results regarding the relationship of FDI and motor skill and ability.

Methods

Twenty-five published and presented articles since 1970s addressing the influences of FDI as measured by RFT on sport ability, sport choice, rate of acquiring novel motor skill, and physical activity engagement were identified and analyzed.

Results

The identified studies provided highly consistent results that FDI as measured by RFT is related to sports/motor ability and skill in the same direction. Specifically, the following findings were revealed: (a) Athletes as a whole are more FI than non-athletes (Brady, 1995; Liu, 1988, 1991; McLord, 1987; Raviv & Nabel, 1990), (b) athletes in closed-skill dominated sports are more FI than those in open-skill dominated sports (Barrell & Trippe, 1975, Liu, 1996, 2003; MoLord, 1985), (c) FI individuals are faster than FD individuals in learning novel motor skills (Jorgensen, 1972; MacGillivary, 1979), (d) FI adolescents have a higher level of daily physical activity than FD adolescents (Liu & Chepyator-Thomson, 2003), and (e) there are more FI adolescents than FD adolescents getting involved in organized sports (Liu, 2004 ).

Discussion / Conclusions

People with higher sports skill or motor ability must rely on accurate proprioceptive information to make rapid postural adjustments while moving through space, and therefore they should be more FI as measured by RFT, which is related to the ability of using proprioception, than those with lower sports skill or ability. Similarly, FI individuals should be faster in learning novel motor skills than FD individuals. With higher sports potential, it is also reasonable that FI adolescents are more likely than FD adolescents to get involved in organized sports, which contributes to their higher daily physical activity level. In addition, while athletes in closed-skill dominated sports perform based primarily on their own sense of internal receptors, the athletes in open-skill dominated sports perform largely according to ever-changing environment, therefore the former demonstrates higher FI level than the latter. In summary, FDI as measured by RFT is related to sports ability, sports choice, and physical activity involvements.

References

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