Embedded Figures Test (EFT)

Description

The Embedded Figures Test (EFT) was designed by Witkin in 1971 to assess his concept of “field dependence – independence” (e.g., Witkin & Goodenough, 1981). Good performance on the EFT was taken as a marker of field independence, the ability to disembed information from context or surrounding gestalt. The test requires the participant to spot a simple form within a more complex figure; the color and form of the latter create a gestalt within which the part is hidden (see Fig. 1). In the Children’s EFT, the complex figure is also meaningful (e.g., a pram, within which the triangle to be found is hidden in the hood). Group-administered and short versions are also available.

Embedded Figures Test (EFT), Fig. 1

The participant’s task is to find the simple shape within the complex and camoflaging gestalt