[Longitudinal changes in rigidity in old age]

This investigation attempted to deal with the question of longitudinal changes in the rigidity of attitudes and behaviour in a sample of elderly persons (68--90 years old). This was done by collecting data twice (1969/70 and 1976) from 86 subjects on a serie of measures of rigidity. At the same time additional data were collected on external variables such as intelligence, anxiety, state of health, extraversion, neuroticism, etc. Analyses of variance with the factors "time of measurement" and "sex" indicated a change in the predicted direction for the majority of the measures used. After an internal of six years, the capacity for adaptive and spontaneous flexibility had decreased, whereas intolerance and dispositional rigidity had increased. On the Riegel-scales R1 and R2, a rise in age was accompanied by a rise in rigidity, as measured in terms of statement in the form of personal judgments. Agreement with other judgments in the form of more generally formulated statements, on the other hand, decreased. Sex differences were found for Brengelmann's NR-scale and the Gottschaldt Hidden Figure test. Women were found to be less rigid than men, but also revealed less adaptive flexibility. A comparison of the test scores of longitudinal subjects and a comparable group of control group subjects yielded no signs of differences which would be traced back to a biased selection of the longitudinal sample.