Relationship of Rod-And-Frame Test Performance to two Dimensions of the Personality Assessment System

Abstract

It was hypothesized that performance on the rod-and-frame test taps primitive level Externalizer-lnternalizer and Regulated-Flexible functioning as conceptualized in Gittinger's Personality Assessment System. Four criterion groups (primitive Flexible Externalizers, Flexible Internalizers, Regulated Externalizers, and Regulated Internalizers), each of which included 8 Ss, were defined by configural nomethetic scores on the Block Design and Digit Span subtests of the WAIS. A two-way analysis of variance indicated that rod-and-frame test scores were significantly related to primitive Externalizer-lnternalizer (p < .005) and to primitive Regulated-Flexible (p < .05) tendencies. Discussion considers personality correlates of WAIS performance and the construct validity of field dependence-independence.