MODE OP PERCEPTUAL DEFENSE AS A FUNCTION OF REPRESS! QN~SEN81TXZATX ON . by Roger Earl Enfield A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS

Three groups of 10 Introductory psychology students were tested for mode of perceptual, defense on a= tachistO" scoplc task# Scores on Byrne8s Repression-Sensltization (R"S) Scale defined these groups as, respectively, repres­ sors, neutrals $ and sensitizers, Byrne assumes that his scale classifies Individuals along a pervasive repressionsensitization continuum, defined at one end by avoiding de­ fenses, and at the other by approaching defenses. If so, perceptual defense and perceptual vigilance should be, re­ spectively, functions of repression and sensitization. No such relationship was found in the present study, which de­ fined as most threatening those stimuli producing the long­ est associative reaction times on a word-association test* Perceptual defense was defined as an increase (and perceptual vigilance as an increase then a decrease) in visual recogni­ tion threshold as threat increased, A post hoc analysis, however, indicated that the threat measure employed had con­ founded threat with associative strength. When associative variables were held constant across groups and analysis' re­ stricted to sexual taboo words, sensitizers obtained signifi­ cantly higher thresholds than did the other two groups (p< .05)• This finding is not consistent with Byrne1s v ' assumptions, but does support a growing body of evidence that indices of maladjustment Increase■directly with R-S score0