Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Individual Behavior Consistencies as Interactive Styles: Their Relation to Personality

  • Article
  • Published:
The Psychological Record Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Two experimental studies were carried out in order to find within-subject consistencies as individual differences in a concurrent choice situation simulating risk-taking. In a first experiment, six adults were exposed to different values of probability and numbers of reinforcement in a task involving betting on two simultaneous horse races displayed on a microcomputer monitor. In the second experiment, two subjects were exposed to a within-session replication of the first experiment. The results in both experiments support the reliability of within-subject consistencies when experimental tasks are built as open contingencies. The conceptual and experimental implications of the data are discussed in relation to the study of personality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ATKINSON, J. W., & FEATHER, N. T. (1966). A theory of achievement motivation. New York: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • FERSTER, C. B., & SKINNER, B. F. (1957). Schedules of reinforcement. New York: Appleton Century Crofts.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • GARDNER, R. W., HOLTZMAN, P. S., KLEIN, G. S., LINTON, H. B., & SPENCE, D. P. (1959). Cognitive control. A study of individual consistencies in cognitive behavior. Psychological Issues, 4, 1–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • GARDNER, R. W., JACKSON, D. N., & MESSICK, S. J. (1960). Personality organization in cognitive control and intellectual abilities. Psychological Issues, 4, 1–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • HAKE, D. (1982). The basic-applied continuum and the possible evolution of human operant social and verbal research. The Behavior Analyst, 5, 21–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HARZEM, P. (1984). Experimental analysis of individual differences and personality. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42, 385–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HARZEM, P., LOWE, C. R., & BAGSHAW, M. (1987). Verbal control in human operant behavior. The Psychological Record, 28, 405–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HAYS, W. L. (1963). Statistics for psychologists. New York: Rinehart and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • KANTOR, J. R. (1924–1926). Principles of psychology. New York: Alfred Knopf.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • KLEIN, G. S. (1958). Cognitive control and motivation. In G. Lindzey (Ed.), Assessment of human motives. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • MORSE, W. H., & KELLEHER, R. T. (1970). Schedules as fundamental determinants of behavior. In W. N. Schoenfeld (Ed.), Theory of reinforcement schedules. New York: Appleton Century Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • MURRAY, H. (1943). Thematic apperception test manual. Cambridge, Ma: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • RIBES, E. (1985). Human behavior as operant behavior: An empirical or conceptual issue? In C. F. Lowe, M. Richelle, D. E. Blackman, & C. M. Bradshaw (Eds.), Behavior analysis and contemporary psychology. London: L. Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • RIBES, E. (1987). Some thoughts on thinking and its motivation. Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, 13, 317–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • RIBES, E., & SANCHEZ, S. (1990). El problema de las diferencias individuates: Un anâlisis conceptual de la personalidad. In E. Ribes (Ed.), Problemas conceptuales en el anâlisis del comportamiento humano. Mexico: Trillas.

    Google Scholar 

  • RORSCHACH, H. (1921). Psychodiagnostik. Arbetein zur angewandten psychiatrie, Bd., II, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • RYLE, G. (1949). The concept of mind. New York: Barnes & Noble.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHOENFELD, W. N., & COLE, B. K. (1972). Stimulus schedules. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • SHIMOFF, E., & CATANIA, A. C. (1981). Uninstructed human responding: Sensitivity of low-rate performance to schedule contingencies. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 36, 207–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SKINNER, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Guadalajara, 12 de diciembre 204, Col., Chapalita, Guadalajara, 45030, Jal., México

    Emilio Ribes-Iñesta & Silvia Sánchez Sosa

Authors
  1. Emilio Ribes-Iñesta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Silvia Sánchez Sosa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The authors acknowledge the assistance of H’ector Preciado in running part of Experiment 2 and doing the corresponding data analysis. The improvements in the manuscript suggested by Peter Harzern are also gratefully acknowledged.

(He is on leave from the National University of Mexico-Iztacala.)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ribes-Iñesta, E., Sánchez Sosa, S. Individual Behavior Consistencies as Interactive Styles: Their Relation to Personality. Psychol Rec 42, 369–388 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399608

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399608

Search

Navigation