Adult personality and psychomotor performance: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Results are presented from cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of data from the Test of Behavioral Rigidity for 3,442 subjects over the age range from 22 to 84 years. Data are presented on the Behavioral Flexibility, Attitudinal Flexibility, and Social Responsibility questionnaire scales, as well as on performance score measures indexing Associational Flexibility, Instructional Set Flexibility, Copying Speed, and Associational Speed. Data on these scales were obtained for 5 samples examined 7 years apart (1956, 1963, 1970, 1977, and 1984). These data permit analyses of birth cohort differences and rate of change within the same individuals, as well as successive samples drawn from the same cohort over as long as 28-year periods. Results of the analyses confirm the presence of substantial generational differences, with generally only limited change over time within cohorts.