Perceptual Differences of S s Classified as Reward Seekers and Punishment Avoiders

College Ss classified as reward-seeking or punishment-avoiding were tested for field-dependency on Witkin's rod-and-frame test. Female Ss were significantly more field-dependent than male Ss ( p < .01). Whereas the punishment-avoiding females were more field-dependent than the reward-seeking females, the opposite relation between orientation and field dependency was found for the males, resulting in a significant interaction ( p < .05). These results were replicated when the effect of intelligence was factored out, indicating that orientation rather than intelligence produced the perceptual differences. These findings indicated greater perceptual rigidity in the punishment-avoiding females but not in the males.