MMPI personality type and cognitive flexibility as determined by the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test in psychiatric patients.
The relationship of cognitive flexibility with MMPI personality type, age, education, and IQ was investigated for a sample of 41 psychiatric inpatients. Cognitive flexibility was measured by the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test. An index for measuring divergent thinking behavior was obtained from determining the similarity of their admission MMPI profiles to a MMPI prototype profile for divergent (psychotic) ideation using the formula: Divergent thinking = PA + PT + SC - L - K. Results showed that in this sample, cognitive flexibility was related significantly and inversely to the level of divergent thinking (p = .02), but was unrelated to IQ test scores. Supplemental analyses indicated that the level of divergent thinking may mask the established relationship of cognitive flexibility with age and education.
Kunce
J T
JT
Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia 65211.
Blount
J B
JB
Tamkin
A S
AS
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003118:Color Perception; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D013850:Thinking