Extraversion, psychoticism, sensation seeking and field dependence–independence: Will the true relationship please reveal itself?

In this paper, we look at the way key personality traits might interact. Specifically, we investigate whether performance on a standard task assessing the cognitive style of Field Dependence–Independence, the Group Embedded Figures Task (GEFT), is a function of an Extraversion (E) × Psychoticism (P) interaction. This hypothesis was evaluated using data gathered from two research projects conducted in our lab, and published in this Journal. We further explored the trait of sensation seeking, given that both impulsivity and sensation seeking map onto the E × P plane. We did find such an E × P interaction for the GEFT score in Study 1, but only for a particular age group of young adults, and could replicate this finding in Study 2. This disordinal interaction indicates that both non-impulsive (E−P−) and high sensation-seeking (E+P+) participants could be characterized as being field independent (FI). We discuss these findings and their implications for our understanding of impulsivity and sensation seeking.