Stephen Breskin

Measurement of Rigidity, a Non-Verbal Test

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.

Non-Verbal Rigidity, Creativity, and Problem Solving.

Rigidity vs flexibility has often been mentioned in discussions of creativity and problem solving. The present study investigated the relation of a non-verbal test of rigidity (Breskin Rigidity Test) to tests of semantic redefinition, associational fluency, inductive reasoning, and drawing completion. The performance of flexible Ss was significantly better than the performance of rigid Ss on all tests but the associational fluency test.

Random Generation of Apparent Speech Rhythms

In order to illustrate the misinterpretation of time series data, simulated temporal patterns of vocalizations and pauses were generated from a table of random digits. These data exhibited precisely those characteristics which, when seen in graphs of actual spontaneous speech, have heretofore been taken as evidence for cognitive planning. This concretizes a previously made point concerning the need to distinguish random process from causal connection.

Pause time and phonation time in stuttering and cluttering.

This study examined the potential usefulness of automated analysis of on-off speech patterns in the differentiation of stuttering from cluttering. Two groups of fifteen persons who had been previously classified as stutterers and clutterers served as subjects for this investigation. The data indicate that stutterers tend to have greater mean pause times and lower mean phonation times than clutterers. This result corresponds to the clinically observable characteristics of these groups. It is concluded that automated analysis of on-off speech patterns provides some basis for the differential diagnosis of stuttering from cluttering.

Correlation of Non-Verbal Rigidity and Intelligence in Elementary School Children.

Usually negative correlations are reported between intelligence and various measures of rigidity, indicating that rigid Ss tend to be less intelligent. Schaie (1958) and Mackie and Beck (1966) noted correlations ranging from -.32 to 3 0 using the Test of Behavioral Rigidity, while Levitt (1956) and Rokeach (1948) reported values of -.I3 and -.24 using the Water Jar Test. Fishers (1950) estimate was -.51 using the Rorschach as his measure of rigidity. Breskin (1968) has described a very brief non-verbal measure of rigidity (Breskin Rigidity Test, BRT) which requires S to state which of a pair of two visual stimuli he likes better. Each pair of stimuli differ such that one figure represents a good Gestalt (scored 1 if chosen), while the other figure does not (scored 0 if chosen). There are 15 such pairs of stimuli, and a score of 15 is the maximum rigidity score, while a score of 0 is the minimum. It has been assumed that the BRT requires no special intellectual skill (Breskin & Gorman, 1969). On the basis of this assumption and previous studies, the present study was done to estimate the correlation of BRT scores and intelligence (measured by the Kuhlmann-Anderson test, 1967). Elementary school children (44 from Grade 2, 4 9 from Grade 4, and 50 from Grade 6 ) were given the BRT under standard instructions (Breskin, 1968). Tests were group administered so that half of the Ss in each grade were given the BRT first, while the other half received the Kuhlmann-Anderson test first. BRT scores ranged from 0 to 15 ( M = 6.3, SD = 3.3), and Kuhlmann-Anderson IQs ranged from 70 to 140 (M = 105.4, SD = 15.4). A nonsignificant Pearson product-moment correlation of -.lo6 ( n = 143, p > .O5) between scores on the BRT and the Kuhlmann-Anderson test was obtained. Values of ,019 ( n = 44, p > .05), -.352 ( n = 49, p < .05), and -.043 ( n = 50, p > .O5) were obtained for the 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades respectively. Though the r of -.352 was significant, it accounts for about 12% of the variance for the 4th grade and about 4% of the total variance. The over-all correlation of -.I06 supports the assumption that the BRT is unrelated to intelligence.

Methods for quantifying on-off speech patterns under delayed auditory feedback.

Changes in the on-off patterns of speech under delayed auditory feedback (DAF) have been represented by gross measures such as total reading time, percent phonation time, and total pause time. The research reported in the present paper employed an analog-to-digital converter to assess changes (from normal speech to DAF speech) in 11 descriptive measures derived from the distribution of pause and vocalization durations. These measures reflected variations in individual speech performance under DAF which were consistent with the subjective ratings of the authors. It was concluded that independent correlates of subject, task, and environmental variables would be required to determine the usefulness of these measures.

Range of sequential constraint in monologue rhythms

Using an ad hoc model previous research has found the presence or absence of speech samples taken 4 to 5 sec apart to be statistically independent. The present paper applied a chi-square test to the 5-min monologues of 50 Ss, and found the range of sequential constraint to be 2 to 3 sec. The equivalence of this result to the average breath group in acoustic phonetic research was noted.

Two kinds of short-term memory and the serial position effect

The Ss were required to recall lists of eight letters which were presented either simultaneously or successively. Four rates of presentation were used; each rate for eight different lists. It was found that primacy was operative for successive presentation, and that both primacy and recency were operative for simultaneous presentation.