This study briefly reviews the literature on the relation between non-content aspects of speech and personality variables. Data on lengths of sound, silence, units and sound/silence ratio are then presented showing that in general speech patterns of Dutch subjects are similar to those of English-speaking subjects. There is also confirmation of some differences in speech patterns between extraverts and introverts, and some differences were found due to sex and intelligence.
Studies have shown that subjects are not random in their responses, even when attempting t o achieve randomness. In this study, normal and schizophrenic subjects were asked to give numbers from one to nine at random and paced. They were given an interpolated task, and then retested. Some statistical tests of degree of randomness were devised and it was shown that no subject was random, but that stereotypy decreased within and over test-retest. The results are discussed in terms of learning and extinction of stereotypy. Differonces between introverts and extraverts were rtlmost significant in the opposite direction from that predicted. Schizophrenics were significantly more stereotyped than normals. Finally, it was shown that for a normal subject, his test could be identified from other subjects' tests on the basis of retest protocol, the test protocol providing a kind of psychological 'fingerprint'.A number of writers have discussed the inability of human subjects to generate random sequences of choices from a finite set of responses. Tune (1964b) gives a review of the literature on evidence of response preferences, and puts forward the hypothesis that the non-randomness is due to limitations of short-term memory (Tune, 1964a). Weiss (1964) also gives a review and criticizes Tune's hypothesis of a limitation of short-term memory on the grounds that the problems of encoding and storing the necessary frequency information, even in short-term memory, are overwhelming (Weiss, 1965). He states that the use of memory devices may lead to even less success than is usual for most subjects. Weiss further points out that, according to the memory hypothesis, it would be most difficult for subjects' responses to become less stereotyped with time, as more and more information has to be stored. He suggests that in any alphabet of symbols some of the combinations of symbols will be dominant over others, and to randomize successfully a sequence of symbols the subject must inhibit attention to each response after it occurs.The present experiment set out firstly to test whether subjects become more or less random over time, and in this way to test the short-term memory hypothesis proposed by Tune. A second purpose of the experiment was to investigate possible differences in degree of randomness due to personality differences. Weiss (1964) remarked on large individual differences and suggested the need for investigation of the effects of organismic variables. Eysenck (1960) postulated that extraverts build up inhibitory potentials (both reactive inhibition, I,, and conditioned inhibition, faster than do introverts. A paced task such as giving random numbers at a certain speed would result in a build-up of inhibition, and, if there are patterns within the protocols,
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