TWO COGNITIVE STYLES AMONG LIBRARY SCIENCE STUDENTS: FIELD-DEPENDENCE/INDEPENDENCE AND TOLERANCE-INTOLERANCE FOR AMBIGUITY.

摘要

Three hundred and eighty-six subjects representing thirteen schools accredited by the American Library Association participated in a study of field-dependence/independence and tolerance-intolerance of ambiguity. Scores on Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and Budner Scale for Tolerance-Intolerance of Ambiguity (BSTIA) provided variables to determine relationships with age, sex, undergraduate subjects majors, preferences for type of work environments and types of tasks in the field of information services.;No significant relationship existed between scores on GEFT and any of the variables. BSTIA scores were significantly related to undergraduate subject major (F = 3.61, p < .01). In order of most to least tolerant by subject major the following sequence was determined: science, humanities, social science, education, and business. BSTIA scores were significantly related to preference for type of library or work environment as a career objective (F = 3.838, p < .01). Subpopulations defined by preferences for work environments were most to least tolerant in the following order: non-traditional information environment, academic library, special library, public library and school media center.;Findings included a GEFT mean for the total population of 11.44, S.D. 5.32. Mean and S.D. for the BSTIA were 49.82 and 10.16, respectively. The GEFT and BSTIA were negatively correlated (Pearson ratio = .19 p < .001) leading to the conclusion that field-independence is associated with tolerance for ambiguity and field-dependence is related to intolerance of ambiguity. Low and significant correlations between BSTIA factors led to the general conclusion that complexity, novelty, and insolubility are independent (p < .01, p < .001, p < .001) but related components of ambiguity.