The interactive effects of instructional set, field dependence, and extraversion on the Holtzman Inkblot Technique

Studied the interactive effects of examiner, instructional set, field dependence, and extraversion on the reactions of 81 males and 39 females to five Holtzman Inkblot Technique factor scores. Half of the Ss were told that the HIT was a measure of mental health and half that it was experimental in nature, which produced two instructional sets. Field dependence was measured with the Embedded Figures Test and extraversion by the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Subjective anxiety was tapped via the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results revealed no differences among five examiners. However, three of the five HIT factors and the STAI were affected significantly by the instructional set. The effects, while significant, were not massive. Field dependence interacted with instructional set; field dependent Ss reacted with generally more changes in scores than did field independent S. Unlike field dependence, extraversion appeared unrelated to instructional set effects. The results are discussed in terms of how the factor scores interacted with the field dependence and instructional set in psychologically meaningful ways.