The paper reviews studies of field articulation, that is, dimensions of field dependence-independence in social as well as perceptual domains. Field independence, one's ability to isolate an item from its surroundings, is contrasted with field dependence, manifested in one's difficulties analyzing and focusing on specific aspects of a task. The paper traces the experimental basis of the field articulation phenomenon from early Gestalt psychologists such as Witkin through ego psychologists such as Rapaport, Kagan, and Kogan. Studies are also addressed that deal with child rearing attitudes and cognitive styles, touching upon such variables as age, social class, sex, and maternal attitudes. The final series of studies considered examine the relationship of parental child rearing attitudes and cognitive styles in Turkey (marked by a conservative and inhibitive family structure dominated by an autocratic father). (CL)