Measurement of Rigidity, a Non-Verbal Test

Abstract

This paper describes the construction and validation of a nonverbal test of rigidity (the BRT). Test items are 15 pairs of visual stimuli differing with respect to the laws of Praegnanz. Standardization on 132 students in undergraduate psychology courses indicated the necessity of separate norms for males and females. Three validation studies, employing the method of contrasted groups, established the ability of the BRT to differentiate “more rigid” from “less rigid” groups. Both odd-even and Kuder-Richardson (Form. 20) reliability coefficients were calculated, yielding values of .78, and .98, respectively. It was recommended that the use of the BRT be restricted to research purposes until studies in progress are completed.

Self‐report multiple mood instruments

“…Schmeidler & Lewis (1971) measured state changes associated with alpha feedback training by using 16 mood adjectives typed on cards and shown to each of 13 subjects; the Breskin Rigidity Test (Breskin, 1968) was also given. Subjects were then allowed 'free exploration' in order to produce the alpha state, and, at the end of 15 minutes, the two tests were administered once again.…”

The tree to the left, the forest to the right: Political attitude and perceptual bias

“…For each participant, the scores for each question were added, yielding an overall score that ranged from 0 to 13. High overall scores indicated high cognitive rigidity (Breskin, 1968).…”

Psychological Differentiation and the Response of Opiate Addicts to Pharmacological Treatment

“…The subject is asked to choose which figure of each pair he prefers, and the test score is the number of figures chosen which satisfy the Gestalt criteria. The magnitude of the score is believed to be directly related to degree of rigidity, and a number of validity studies have demonstrated such a relationship (Breskin, 1968). California F Scale.…”

“…The Breskin Rigidity Test (BRT) was employed to examine the possible role of rigidity in the addicts' reported use of heroin. The BRT is a nonverbal task consisting of 15 pairs of common, abstract figures (Breskin, 1968} constructed such that one figure of each pair satisfied Gestalt perceptual criteria while the other violated them. The subject is asked to choose which figure of each pair he prefers, and the test score is the number of figures chosen which satisfy the Gestalt criteria.…”