Extreme response tendency as a function of emotional adjustment and stimulus ambiguity.

Explored relationships between the tendency to check extreme categories on the semantic differential, emotional adjustment, and ambiguity of stimuli to be rated. 115 undergraduates were administered the Welsh A and R scales of the MMPI and asked to rate 9 stimuli on 21 semantic differential scales. Stimuli were chosen to reflect 3 levels of ambiguity (verbal concepts, TAT pictures, and Rorschach inkblots). 3 groups of 10 Ss each were formed representing high and low combinations of the A and R scales. Results suggest that anxiety (high A, low R) is related to extreme response tendencies and repression (low A, high R) is related to use of the neutral category. "Adjusted" Ss (low A, low R) tend to make more use of the intermediate categories. The relative tendency of high-A Ss to make extreme responses was most pronounced when stimuli were most ambiguous. Discussion focused on the relationships between scale-checking behavior, "psychopathology," and meaningfulness of material to be rated. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)