Abstract
Using the new Social Reinforcement Orientation Checklist, this paper reviewed data collected from four different cultures to verify the validity of the hypothesis that orientation toward use of social reinforcing actions in dealing with others can be regarded as a consistent personality tendency. The checklist has 50 items such as smiling broadly, shaking hands with others, etc., to be rated by a respondent on a 3-point scale to indicate the extent of using each item in daily social interactions. The checklist has satisfactory reliability, identifying consistent and stable personality differences in using reinforcement. Several studies of the correlations of checklist scores with personality traits of interpersonal attraction, sex differences, birth order, and occupation. High checklist scorers scored higher than low scorers on dominance, extraversion and sociability, indicating that the motivational basis of the tendency toward social reinforcement may lie in the desire for social influence and sociability. Also, high checklist scorers are perceived as more attractive than low scorers. There were consistent group differences in social reinforcement orientation indicating that some groups such as women, lastborn brothers, and students are more encouraged to use social reinforcement than comparable groups of men, firstborn brothers, and teachers. Social reinforcement can then be viewed as a consistent personality tendency that shapes an individual's conduct and so can be related to differences in personality and groups.