Dogmatism and perceptual rigidity

Early efforts to relate personality rigidity and perceptual rigidity have left volumes of data which are somewhat ambiguous and largely inconclusive. These studies have, in general, rested upon two assumptions: (1) that any measure of perceptual rigidity may be related to a measure of personality rigidity, and (2) that the relationship between the two variables is linear. Subsequent data have placed both assumptions in doubt. Several studies indicate that only certain forms of perceptual rigidity may be directly related to personality rigidity (Baer, 1961; Bogen, 1962; Chown, 1959). Other studies have, directly or indirectly, introduced the possibility of a non-linear relationship between the two variables (Christie, Havel, & Seidenberg, 1958; Rokeach, 1960; Taylor, 1960). Apparently, then, the search for this particular link between personality and perception needs additional effort,. This study dealt with the relationship between personality rigidity, as measured by Rokeach\u27s dogmatism scale, and three measures of perceptual rigidity: closure, perseveration, and frequency of hypotheses