Variations on the Petrie Aftereffect Procedure for Measuring the Augmenter/Reducer Personality Dimension

Abstract

In Study I the kinesthetic aftereffect was assessed by using a wide inducing block and the Petrie (1967) measurement procedure without its initial 45-min rest period. In Study II the aftereffect was examined by employing a wide inducing block and the so-called traditional procedure (Herzog and Weintraub, 1982), following repeated inductions with a narrow inducing stimulus. In both studies, aftereffect scores generally were correlated as predicted with other indexes of the augmenter/reducer personality dimension, although the magnitudes of the relationships were somewhat lower when compared to those of typical findings. Based on research to date, suggestions are offered for increasing the magnitude of relationships between the aftereffect and questionnaire measures of augmenting/reducing.