Models and Personality Traits in Occupational Psychological Testing

From a study of methods of test construction – criterion-keying, item analytic, factor analytic and using item characteristic curves – it is shown that, in the sphere of personality tests, only factor analytic methods can ensure univariate measures. A further scrutiny of factor analytic methodology reveals various technical defects which have created a chaos of different findings and factors in personality inventories. It is finally demonstrated that rotation to simple structure yields reliable and replicable factors and that when this is done, four or five factors account for most of the variance in personality inventories. It is concluded that in occupational testing only tests measuring these factors, or primary factors clearly related to them, should be used.     

Neuroticism: how does one slice the PI(e)?

Costa and McCrae's operationalization of the Five-Factor Model, the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness Personality Inventory—Revised (NEO-PI-R; Costa and McCrae, 1992a), measures five broad dimensions of personality: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. According to Costa and McCrae, the Neuroticism (N) domain scale subsumes six facets. Although derived rationally and tested factor analytically, the factorial structure of the facet scales has yet to be unequivocally confirmed with analytic methods imposed at the item level. Using confirmatory and exploratory factor-analytic techniques, this study examines and tests the structure of the N domain scale of the NEO-PI-R. Confirmatory factor analysis indicates poor replication of the structure of the N scale. Results of the exploratory factor analysis indicate that while three of the facets replicated quite well, the other three factors did not correspond to Costa and McCrae's formulation. Future research should elaborate on the factorial structure and construct validity of the N facet scales, especially if they are to be used and interpreted in personality and clinical assessment. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement and Utility of Continuous Unipolar Ratings for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

This study is designed to explore the measurement properties and utilities of the Myers-Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) items when the two competing alternatives of individual items were rated separately on a 7-step, free-response continuum. Data were collected from 125 college students who volunteered for this study. Ratings were also obtained from subjects on occupational preferences reported to be leading occupational choices for the 16 MBTI personality types. Major analytic results include the findings of: (a) high factorial validity of unipolar ratings in separate analyses of the two alternatives of MBTI items, (b) high reliability coefficients for all eight preference poles and high convergent and discriminant validities for each of the four MBTI scales, and (c) four significant factors emerging from the combined factor analysis of subjects scores on occupational preferences and MBTI personality poles. Finally, the empirical evidence was discussed about the linkage between Jung theoretical constructs of personality typologies and the MBTI scales. The possibility of just using unipolar ratings for MBTI items in a continuous-response format was also suggested.     

Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics (AEQ-M) in adolescents: Factorial structure,measurement invariance and convergent validity with personality

ABSTRACT

The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics (AEQ-M) is a self-report measure of emotions experienced in class, when self-studying, and during tests for the domain of mathematics. Our aim was to present a Portuguese version of this instrument for use with adolescents and to test its reliability, factorial structure, measurement invariance, and construct validity with personality dimensions. Our sample comprised 1,387 Portuguese students from the 7th, 8th and 9th grades (mean age = 13.2 years). Student responses to the AEQ-M were found to be reliable. Confirmatory factor analysis validated a seven-emotion × three-setting factorial structure. This model demonstrated measurement invariance across gender and grade. As a demonstration of construct validity, the emotions measured by the AEQ-M showed a pattern of associations with psychobiological personality dimensions that were in line with theoretical predictions. These results validate the AEQ-M as a suitable instrument for assessing adolescents’ mathematics-related achievement emotions and their associations with personality.     

Personality expression in Chinese language use

To date, little research has investigated personality expressions in languages other than English. Given that the Chinese language has the largest number of native speakers in the world, it is vitally important to examine the associations between personality and Chinese language use. In this research, we analysed Chinese microblogs and identified word categories and factorial structures associated with personality traits. We also compared our results with previous findings in English and showed that linguistic expression of personality has both universal‐ and language‐specific aspects. Expression of personality via content words is more likely to be consistent across languages than expression via function words. This makes an important step towards uncovering universal patterns of personality expression in language.     

The personality differentiation by intelligence hypothesis: A measurement invariance investigation

Stability in the measurement of personality is crucial to its construct and predictive validity. The personality differentiation by intelligence hypothesis suggests that intelligence may be a threat to the measurement of personality. This study builds on existing literature by applying multigroup confirmatory factor analytic measurement invariance techniques to the item-level responses of a commonly used personality inventory. In contrast to recently published findings, our results suggest that the measurement of personality is not equivalent across intelligence levels. Though these results have important implications for the use of personality in research and practice, we maintain that personality measures are still important predictors of key criteria. We discuss future research directions, and hope that the current study highlights the need to increase the sophistication of currently available measurement techniques, and will bring continued examination of the personality differentiation by intelligence hypothesis.     

A 3-D Look at the Russian Personality Traits Structure

Attempts to account for most important differences in personality by applying factor analysis to long lists of personality trait variables led to extraction of 5 or 6 orthogonal factorial dimensions. The present paper addresses an issue of more parsimonious three-dimensional visualization of a set of 6 factorial dimensions. Russian speaking respondents used the lists of 496 and 296 personality-relevant nouns for judging 1242 and 447 peoples, respectively. To visualize 6 factorial dimensions of the personality traits structure, a three-dimensional rugby (ball) cake model was suggested and examined by comparison of model-predicted and observed patterns of correlation of each noun with 6 factorial scales. Each noun was linked to one of 43 narrow personality traits predicted by the rugby cake shape. A shorter list of nouns was selected for exemplifying each pole of these traits and all these nouns were evenly written on the surface of the rugby cake shape. Topological features of such three-dimensional shape provided an explanation of failure to reduce 5–6 factorial dimensions to just three spatial dimensions by means of a pure empirical analysis of either loadings of trait variables on these dimensions or their correlations with them.     

Measuring interrogative suggestibility with the Italian version of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS): Factor structure and discriminant validity

The current paper provides an examination of the factor structure and discriminant validity of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS 1) and of its parallel form (GSS 2), as measures of interrogative suggestibility. In Study 1, we administered the two instruments to large Italian normative samples and we run Confirmatory Factor Analyses to evaluate the factorial structure of the subscales of GSS (Yield 1, Yield 2, and Shift). In Study 2, the GSS were administered together with cognitive, personality and affect measures. A three-factor solution was proposed to account for the factorial structure of both GSS 1 and GSS 2. This solution is consistent with the theory according to which the suggestive items of Yield 1, Yield 2 and Shift subscales correspond to separate aspects of the general construct of interrogative suggestibility. Furthermore, the results of the present research confirm that GSS 1 and GSS 2 satisfactorily discriminate interrogative suggestibility from cognitive, personality and affect constructs.     

On the replicability of the factorial structure of the sensation seeking scale

The present investigation sought to further examine the underlying factorial structure of the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS). Since the cross-national replicability of the structure postulated by Zuckerman was studied recently by researchers from Australia and Canada using the SSS form V (Ball, Farnill and Wangeman, 1983; Rowland and Franken, 1986), it seemed worthwhile to compare their results with the results obtained in a non-English speaking culture.One-hundred-and-sixty-nine Israeli female students completed the Hebrew version of the SSS within a selection type setting. The factor analytic results by-and-large replicated three out of the four Sensation Seeking subfactors identified by Zuckerman. A comparison of the factor analytic results with those obtained in the Australian and Canadian studies yielded a considerably high congruence between the Israeli and the Canadian samples. However, a lower congruence was achieved when each of these samples was compared with the Australian sample. As a result of the cross-national comparison, 16 items were identified as inadequate. In spite of the general replicability of the factor structure of the SSS in several cultures, the findings of this study support the conclusion reached by Ball et al. (1983) and by Roland and Franken (1986) that a refinement of the scale is desirable.     

Personality out of proportion?

The field of personality assessment has evolved the normative practice of centering scores on their means, evaluating associations among measures with Pearson correlations, and using factor analytic methods to reduce redundancy and provide putative explanatory variables. At least some of these explanatory variables, or factors, have become well-known elements in trait theories of personality structure (e.g., the Five-factor model). Hofstee and Ten Berge (2004/this issue) suggest an alternative set of procedures arising from treating the midpoints of bipolar rating scales as true zero points. These procedures lead to a very different view of personality structure in which one factor provides a nearly sufficient summary of personality judgments. I scrutinize the methodological choices implied by these procedures here. This evaluation leads to the conclusion that Hofstee and Ten Berge provide methods and results that cannot serve to replace normative practice and well-known findings but do provide insight into important questions not typically addressed by personality assessors.     

Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale of Hewitt in a Dutch-Speaking Sample: Associations With the Big Five Personality Traits

We administered the Dutch Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale of Hewitt and Flett (1991, 2004) in a large student sample (N = 959) and performed a confirmatory factor analysis to test the factorial structure proposed by the original authors. The existence of a method factor referring to the negatively keyed items in the questionnaire was investigated by including it in the tested models. Next, we investigated how the 3 perfectionism dimensions are associated with the Five-factor model (FFM) of personality. The 3-factor structure originally observed by the authors was confirmed, at least when a method factor that refers to the negatively keyed items was included in the model. Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were both distinguished by low extraversion and low emotional stability. Self-oriented perfectionism's positive relationship with both conscientiousness and openness to experience differentiated the 2 perfectionism dimensions from each other. Other-oriented perfectionism was not well-characterized by the Big Five personality traits.     

Factor structure and measurement invariance of a short measure of the Big Five personality traits

The main purpose of this study is to assess the factor structure and the measurement invariance of the Mini-International Personality Item Pool (Mini-IPIP; Donnellan, Oswald, Baird, & Lucas, 2006). The Mini-IPIP is a brief instrument evaluating personality traits according to the Big Five models. Two samples were collected comprising nearly 800 participants. Confirmatory factor analyzes revealed a five-factor solution consistent with the Big Five model. Measurement invariance analyses showed that the Mini-IPIP was reasonably invariant across samples, genders and age groups. Overall, results pointed to a satisfactory factorial structure and an adequate invariance of the measure.     

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perception of Creative Personality as a Predictor of Their Support of pedagogy important for fostering Creativity: A Chinese Perspective

Previous studies have suggested that teacher’s personality traits and pedagogy are the important areas of investigation in creativity research; however, little is known about the relationship between teachers’ personality traits and creativity-fostering pedagogy. This study proposed a model describing 3 types of perceived personality traits that contribute to teachers’ support of important creativity-fostering pedagogy. The model was tested on a sample of 875 Chinese early childhood teachers. This study first established factorial validity of the measurement scales, the Creative Personality Questionnaire (CPQ) and the Early Childhood Creative Pedagogy Questionnaire (ECCPQ). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the 4-factor structure of the ECCPQ, but failed to replicate the 5-factor structure of the CPQ. An alternative 3-factor model was obtained as a personality measure. The results of multiple regression and structural equation modeling analysis showed that the proposed model was partially supported by the data. Although cognitive abilities factor of creative personality, as expected, was the strongest predictor of self-reported important creative pedagogy, surprisingly openness did not explain unique variance in any of the creative pedagogy factors. One distinct path tapped a relation between the discipline personality traits and teacher-oriented pedagogy was identified, which was seldom addressed in Western creativity research. It may reflect a cultural-specific indigenous variations.     

论人格特质“大七”因素模型

概要介绍和评价了人格特质“大七”因素模型。该模型继承了传统特质分类研究中的“词汇假设”思想和因素分析方法．并在选词标准及方法的客观性上有所改进和提高．在“大五”基础上增加了两个评价维度。文章指出“大七”存在一些问题。     

Style and substance in social desirability scales

The purpose of the present study was to examine the nature of a social desirability measure under two different types of instructions for filling out personality questionnaires in an occupational selection setting. 1230 male applicants for public vehicle driving licences were administered Cattett's 16PF and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. One was given standard instructions for filling out these questionnaires; the second was given special instructions designed to reduce social desirability response bias. Social desirability was indexed by the Lie scale of the EPQ. Based on Eysenck's theorizing concerning the meaning of the Lie scale, the following hypothesis was tested: the factorial location of the Lie scale in the personality domain will differ under the two forms of instructions. It should appear separately from other personality factors under the standard instructions, whereas under the special instructions it should be subsumed under the personality factor which measures conformity. The results supported this hypothesis. The discussion focuses on the meaning of the Lie scale under conditions that elicit social desirability bias and on the role of special instructions in reducing this bias.     

"TO SEE OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE US!": RELATIONS AMONG SELF-PERCEPTIONS,PEER-PERCEPTIONS,AND EXPECTED PEER-PERCEPTIONS OF PERSONALITY

The need for convergent validity in the measurement of personality variables and past failures to demonstrate such properties are briefly reviewed. Two apppoaches to the problem using several types of data obtained from various subject populations and employing alternative factor analytic methods and factor score estimation procedulres are described. The results indicate that convergent factor patterns and substantial convergence and discriminant validities among factor score estimates are obtainable when sufficient care is taken in the design and development of measure variables .of each type and when analysis methods appropriate for the problem are used.     

Approach-avoidance motivation in personality: approach and avoidance temperaments and goals

The present research examined the role of approach and avoidance motivation in models of personality. Specifically, it examined the hypothesis that approach and avoidance temperaments represent the foundation of several basic dimensions espoused in the trait adjective, affective disposition, and motivational system approaches to personality. Factor analytic support for the hypothesis was obtained in Studies 1, 2, and 6; measures of extraversion, positive emotionality, and behavioral activation system loaded together on 1 factor (Approach Temperament) and measures of neuroticism, negative emotionality, and behavioral inhibition system loaded on another factor (Avoidance Temperament). This 2-factor structure was shown to be independent of response biases. In Studies 3-7, approach and avoidance temperaments were shown to be systematically linked to achievement goals (both nomothetic and idiographic). The findings are discussed in terms of an integrative approach to personality.     

Beyond congruence measures for the evaluation of personality factor structure replicability: An exploratory structural equation modeling approach

The present study aims to illustrate an encompassing approach to the evaluation of personality factor structure replicability based on novel exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) methods. This approach comprises formal tests of measurement invariance applied to the flexible ESEM framework and overcomes the limitations of congruence measures that have traditionally been used to assess factor replicability in personality research. On the basis of 1566 responses to the widely-used NEO Five-Factor-Inventory (NEO-FFI), we demonstrate this ESEM approach in the context of examining the invariance of the NEO-FFI factor structure across gender. The approach is shown to converge with traditional congruence measures and extend these measures for examining factorial structure consistency. In addition, more general replicative data supporting the validity of the NEO-FFI are reported. We discuss the ESEM approach as a viable alternative to the congruence approach and acknowledge some important limitations of the method.