rod-and-frame test

n. An experimental apparatus used to measure people's accuracy in judging spatial orientation without visual clues, which has been called field independence. It consists of a long box with a hood which blocks visual perception outside the box at one end and a rod inside a square frame at the far end of the box, both of which can be rotated independently. The subject is presented with a series of preset alignments of the rod and frame and required to adjust the rod to a vertical position. The test measures accuracy in adjustment.