CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-REPORTED RIGIDITY AND RULE-GOVERNED INSENSITIVITY TO OPERANT CONTINGENCIES

Adults were selected on the basis of their scores on the Scale for Per sonality Rigidity (Rehfisch, 1958a). Their scores served as a measure of hypothesized rule governance in the natural environment. Experiment 1 studied the effects of accurate versus minimal instructions and hig h versus low rigidity on performance on a multiple differential-reinfo rcement-of-low-rate (DRL) 4-s fixed-ratio (FR) 18 schedule. When the s chedule was switched to extinction, accurate instructions and high rig idity were associated with greater preservation in the response patter n subjects developed during the reinforcement phase. In Experiment 2, the effects of rigidity and of accurate versus inaccurate instructions were studied. Initially, all subjects received accurate instructions about an FR schedule. The schedule was then switched to DRL, but only half of the subjects received instructions about the DRL contigency, a nd the other half received FR instructions as before. Accurate instruc tions minimized individual differences because both high and low score rs on the rigidity scale earned points in DRL. However, when inaccurat e instructions were provided, all high-rigidity subjects followed them although they did not earn points on the schedule, whereas most low-r igidity subjects abandoned them and responded appropriately to DRL. Th e experiments demonstrate a correlation between performances observed in the human operant laboratory and a paper-and-pencil test of rigidit y that purportedly reflects important response styles that differentia te individuals in the natural environment. Implications for applied re search and intervention are discussed.