Text messaging, personality, and the social context

The purpose of this research was to undertake some analyses of how the language used in text messaging varies as a function of personality traits and the interpersonal context. After completing personality questionnaires, participants provided their most recent text messages and indicated their relationship with the message recipient on several dimensions. Correlations between Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) categories and personality traits and relationship status were examined. There were significant correlations between certain LIWC categories and extraversion (e.g., personal pronouns), neuroticism (e.g., negative emotion words) and agreeableness (e.g., positive emotion words), suggesting that personality traits are displayed in how one texts. One of the defining features of texting - linguistic alterations (e.g., abbreviations) - varied as a function of both personality traits and relationship status. Overall, the results provide a snapshot of what text messages look like, and how they reflect the texter’s personality and the interpersonal context.     

Perceiving personality in simple motion cues

People often ascribe intentions and personalities to simple motion cues. Two experiments were conducted to examine how variations in motion quality, such as amplitude and frequency, influence a simple stimulus’ ratings on different aspects of personality. In experiment one participants were asked to adjust the motion behavior of a computer animated ball according to different items, which were based on the five factor model of personality. In experiment two participants had to assign the ‘correct’ personality to stimuli that were based on data of experiment one. Recognition rate was high for most personality traits, but there were also some misidentifications. Results suggest that simple features of motion partly influence social perception and human communication.     

Information quality in personality judgment: The value of personal disclosure

We examined the relative quality of different types of information and its effects on accuracy in personality judgment. Three hundred and forty-four unacquainted undergraduates participated in a small group round-robin rating scheme. In one condition, participants were asked to disclose three things that were very important to them in life. In a second condition, participants were asked to disclose three distinctive personal facts: things that differentiated them from others. We found that (a) people believed values information was more personality-relevant than facts information and (b) although there was no clear advantage for one condition over the other in terms of generalized accuracy, there were some differences across conditions for specific traits. Implications for the study of information quality in personality judgment are discussed.     

Personality traits in leadership tasks

A common factor analysis was performed on the four personality dimensions measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and questionnaire measures of preferences for the four leadership tasks, Production, Administration, Enterprising, and Integration, described by Adizes. The sample was 1040 Norwegian adults. Three factors showed distinct common variances among the task preferences and the personality traits in a way that supported the construct validity of the traits. The implication of logical consistency among constructs based on self-report data is discussed, and it is argued that such concepts are valid and necessary at both personal and organisational levels although they may not predict performance as exactly as one might want for example in personnel selection.     

An exploratory analysis of the influence of personality and emotional factors on cerebral blood flow responses during painful stimulation in Fibromyalgia

This study explored the influence of certain personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism, alexithymia), emotional variables (depression, catastrophizing), and insomnia on cerebral blood flow (CBF ) responses to painful stimulation in fibromyalgia, using functional transcranial Doppler sonography. CBF velocities were recorded bilaterally in the anterior cerebral arteries (ACA ) and middle cerebral arteries (MCA ) of 24 fibromyalgia patients during exposure to two painful pressure conditions: (1) fixed pressure (2.4 kg) and (2) an individually calibrated pressure to produce an equal‐moderate subjective pain intensity in all participants (average, 3.5 kg). Psychological factors were assessed by means of questionnaires. Neuroticism, and the externally‐oriented thinking dimension of alexithymia were positively, and extraversion was inversely, associated with specific components of ACA and MCA CBF responses. Regarding catastrophizing and depression, correlations were positive for the fixed pressure condition and negative for the equal subjective intensity condition. The findings suggest that alterations in central nervous pain processing in fibromyalgia vary according to psychological factors. While most of the observed associations reflect a linear increase in nociceptive processing with the magnitude of negative cognitive and emotional states, the inverse associations for catastrophizing and depression during more intense painful stimulation may be ascribed to anti‐nociceptive effects due to activation of the defense reflex.     

The personality systems framework: Current theory and development

The personality systems framework is a fieldwide outline for organizing the contemporary science of personality. I examine the theoretical impact of systems thinking on the discipline and, drawing on ideas from general systems theory, argue that personality psychologists understand individuals’ personalities by studying four topics: (a) personality’s definition, (b) personality’s parts (e.g., traits, schemas, etc.), (c) its organization and (d) development. This framework draws on theories from the field to create a global view of personality including its position and major areas of function. The global view gives rise to new theories such as personal intelligence—the idea that people guide themselves with a broad intelligence they use to reason about personalities.     

Personality and Politics: Values, Traits, and Political Choice

Voters' political choices have presumably come to depend more on their personal preferences and less on their social characteristics in Western democracies. We examine two aspects of personality that may influence political choice, traits and personal values, using the Five Factor Model of personality traits and the Schwartz (1992 ) theory of basic personal values. Data from 3044 voters for the major coalitions in the Italian national election of 2001 showed that supporters of the two coalitions differed in traits and values, largely as hypothesized. Center-left voters were higher than center-right voters in the traits of friendliness and openness and lower in energy and conscientiousness. Regarding values, center-left voters were higher than center-right voters in universalism, benevolence, and self-direction and lower in security, power, achievement, conformity, and tradition. Logistic regressions revealed that values explained substantial variance in past and future voting and in change of political choice, trumping personality traits. We discuss explanations for the primacy of values and implications for the social cognitive view of personality.     

家庭环境影响青少年人格特质的性别差异

对855名青少年学生用家庭环境量表和中国人人格量表进行测试,结果表明：青少年的家庭环境对其人格特质的影响,存在显著的性剐差异;家庭亲密度和组织性是影响男孩人格特质的重要家庭环境因素,而家庭道德宗教观是影响女孩人格特质的重要家庭环境因素。新的家庭教育模式应充分考虑到家庭环境影响孩子人格特质的性别差异。     

The role of individual difference variables in ageism

The aim of this study was to examine the role that personality traits, empathy traits, and gratitude have on ageist attitudes and aging anxiety. Consistent with previous research, participants who exhibited greater aging anxiety were more prone to ageist attitudes. Participants with greater dispositional gratitude exhibited significantly less aging anxiety and less ageist attitudes. All of the Big Five personality traits, with the exception of extraversion, were found to be significant determinants of ageist attitudes, aging anxiety, or both. With the exception of personal distress, none of the empathy dimensions predicted either aging anxiety or ageist attitudes.     

The criterion‐related validity of a short commensurate measure of personality‐based person‐organization fit

Our goal was to develop a commensurate measure of personality‐based person‐organization fit and examine its criterion‐related validity for two retention‐related attitudes: job satisfaction and intention to stay. At T0, 637 employees completed our questionnaire. Two years later, at T1, 171 of the original respondents completed our questionnaire again. Results showed that the organizational personality perceptions are relatively stable. Polynomial regression analyses and surface plots revealed that job satisfaction and intention to stay are higher when there is perfect fit between the person and the organization compared to when the person and the organization differ in traits. However, in most cases, we found the work attitudes to be maximized when both the person and the organization score high on the personality traits.     

Green with envy and nerves of steel: Moderated mediation between distributive justice and theft

The relationship between distributive justice and theft is well established, but the underlying mechanism for this relationship is not yet well understood. We expect that the discrete emotions that individuals experience when they have been paid unfairly may influence how they behave and their personality traits help them cope with unfair pay. In the present study, we therefore use the appraisal model to examine which discrete emotion (i.e., anger, disappointment, and envy) mediates the relationship between distributive justice and theft and conservation of resources theory to examine how emotionality is a personal resource that varies among individuals to help them cope with unfair pay. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental condition where we manipulated the fairness of the pay that they received, measured the discrete emotions that they felt after being informed of their pay, and objectively measured how much they stole. The results indicate that envy mediates the relationship between distributive justice and theft and there is a moderating effect of emotionality on distributive justice and envy; and envy and theft. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Born to burnout: A meta-analytic path model of personality, job burnout, and work outcomes

We quantitatively summarized the relationship between Five-Factor Model personality traits, job burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), and absenteeism, turnover, and job performance. All five of the Five-Factor Model personality traits had multiple true score correlations of .57 with emotional exhaustion, .46 with depersonalization, and .52 with personal accomplishment. Also, all three dimensions of job burnout had multiple correlations of .23 with absenteeism, .33 with turnover, and .36 with job performance. Meta-analytic path modeling indicated that the sequential ordering of job burnout dimensions was contingent on the focal outcome, supporting three different models of the burnout process. Finally, job burnout partially mediated the relationships between Five-Factor Model personality traits and turnover and job performance while fully mediating the relationships with absenteeism.     

Boundless Creativity: Evidence for the Domain Generality of Individual Differences in Creativity

This study investigated correlates of domain‐general and domain‐specific components of creativity. 158 college students completed a questionnaire that assessed their motivational and personality traits (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, creative personality, and originality in word association) as well as intellectual abilities (SAT verbal and quantitative scores). Under two different instruction conditions (standard instruction or explicit “be creative” instruction), students also took a battery of multi‐item, product‐based tests of creativity in three domains (artistic, verbal, and mathematical creativity). Factor analyses showed evidence of domain‐generality of creativity. Furthermore, results from structural equation models showed that motivational and personality traits and intellectual abilities were associated with the domain‐general component of creativity. Only one variable (SAT quantitative score) was found to be associated with the domain‐specific component of mathematical creativity under the explicit “be creative” instruction condition. These results affirm the domain‐generality of creativity and challenge researchers to identify correlates of domain‐specific components of creativity.     

Prediction of performance facets using specific personality traits in the Chinese context

Recent research has shown that the contextual domain of job performance could be divided into an interpersonal and a personal facet. This study examined how personality variables relate differentially to these two distinct facets. Supervisory-level employees (N=187) completed the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI, Cheung et al., 1996) and provided their recent performance appraisal records. Results indicated that personality traits that relate to interpersonal orientation (e.g., Harmony and Leadership in the CPAI) better predict interpersonal versus personal contextual behaviors, whereas a trait associated with personal virtues such as moral obligation and loyalty to group (e.g., CPAI’s Veraciousness) predicts the personal but not the interpersonal domain. These results extend previous research findings that personality variables are valid predictors of the contextual domain of job performance, and demonstrate that the same personality variable differs in levels of predictive validity depending on the foci of the contextual behaviors.     

At the interface of social cognition and psychometrics: Manipulating the sex of the reference class modulates sex differences in personality traits

Psychometric surveys suggest that sex differences in personality are minimal. Herein, we argue that (a) the mind is likely biased toward assessing oneself relative to same-sex others, and (b) this bias may affect the measurement of sex differences in personality. In support of this, an experiment demonstrates modulation of sex differences on the HEXACO facets by manipulating the sex of the “reference class”—the group of people subjects compare themselves to when making self-assessments on survey items. Although patterns varied across traits, sex differences were relatively small in the “unspecified” and “same-sex” reference class conditions—but substantially larger in the “opposite-sex” condition. These findings point to a same-sex comparison bias that may impact the measurement of sex differences in personality.     

The Formation of Attitudes Toward New Immigrant Groups1

People often receive information about new immigrant groups prior to any direct contact with group members. However, it is not clear how this information shapes attitudes toward the groups. To explore this issue, 204 subjects were told about an unknown immigrant group that was presented as high or low in personal relevance. Subjects were then given positive or negative consensus information about the emotions that group members elicit from others, group members' personality traits, and group members' values. As expected, results indicated that the presentation of positive information about emotional reactions, personality traits, and values caused attitudes to be more favorable than did the presentation of negative information. Importantly, however, the combined impact of the emotion and personality trait information depended on whether the group was perceived to be of high or low personal relevance. Specifically, when the information about emotions and personality traits was similarly valanced (i.e., both were positive or both were negative), attitudes toward the group tended to be less favorable in the high personal relevance condition than in the low personal relevance condition. In contrast, when mixed information was presented (i.e., positive emotions and negative personality traits or negative emotions and positive personality traits), attitudes tended to be more favorable in the high personal relevance condition. In addition, attitudes, once formed, predicted further perceptions of the group and behavioral intentions toward group members. The implications of the findings for the reduction of prejudice toward new immigrant groups are discussed.     

Correlated change of Big Five personality traits across the lifespan: A search for determinants

Correlated change between different personality traits has recently caught the attention of researchers studying personality development. We conducted two studies to examine age effects (Study 1) and effects of cognitive ability (Study 2) on this phenomenon. Results indicated that correlated change was relatively stable from adolescence through adulthood, and then increased after age 70. Second, correlated change was greater among traits that have been linked to the same developmental processes (e.g., social investment or maturation of specific neurological systems). Third, cognitive ability was negatively associated with correlated change. Collectively, our findings suggest that personality change is partly driven by broad mechanisms affecting multiple traits. Associations with age and cognitive ability provide important leads regarding the possible nature of these mechanisms.     

Developing Pairwise Preference-Based Personality Test and Experimental Investigation of Its Resistance to Faking Effect by Item Response Model

Recent years have shown increased awareness of the importance of personality tests in educational, clinical, and occupational settings, and developing faking-resistant personality tests is a very pragmatic issue for achieving more precise measurement. Inspired by Stark (2002) and Stark, Chernyshenko, and Drasgow (2005), we develop a pairwise preference-based personality test that aims to measure multidimensional personality traits using a large-scale statement bank. An experiment compares the resistance of the developed personality test to faking with that of rating scale-based personality tests in the item response theory model framework. Results show that latent traits estimated from the personality test based on the rating scale method are severely biased, and that faking effect can be pragmatically ignored in the personality test developed based on the pairwise preference method.     

Personality Foundations of Ideological Divide: A Comparison of Women Members of Parliament and Women Voters in Italy

Empirical research is crucial for understanding the personality foundations of political preferences in modern democracies. However, few studies have addressed the personality of top politicians using standard methods to assess basic traits and personal values. In the current research, traits and values of 106 female members of the Italian Parliament were assessed in accordance with the Five‐Factor Model of personality and Schwartz's taxonomy. The same variables were measured in a sample of 864 voters taken from the general population. We investigate the extent to which differences in traits and values contribute to ideological orientation of politicians and voters of rival coalitions. A similar pattern of relations was found in both groups. Yet, traits and values contributed to partisanship of politicians much more than to political preferences of voters. Whereas values fully mediated the contribution of traits to voting, energy/extraversion and agreeableness contributed to political partisanship both directly and indirectly, through values.     

Evidence for the role of personality in the cognitive performance of older male drivers

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine whether in older male drivers the level of information processing under increasing cognitive workload varies with the level of personality traits.MethodThe study involved 60 male, active drivers aged between 65 and 81 (M = 71, SD = 4.4). During passive driving they performed central (a test in the n-back scheme, in three cognitive workload levels) and peripheral (memorizing objects characteristic for road traffic) tasks presented simultaneously in the central and peripheral visual fields. A wide-angle high-fidelity collimated visual system was used to display visual stimuli. In the central task, the reaction time and its correctness were measured, while the peripheral task measured the number of memorized objects. The EPQ-R questionnaire was used to assess personality traits, and the memory functions were assessed using the MMSE test.ResultsAs the central task-induced cognitive workload increases, the performance of both central and peripheral tasks deteriorates. These tasks were performed less accurately by drivers with a higher level of psychoticism than those with a lower level of this trait. This dependency related to all levels of cognitive workload. In contrast, the drivers with a higher level of neuroticism showed a lower level of performance of the peripheral task than those with a low level of this trait. This dependency concerned only the central task with a medium cognitive workload.ConclusionThe level of personality traits, especially the ones related to the emotional sphere, contributed to the decrease in the effectiveness of action (longer reaction time, increase in the number of errors, decrease in the number of memorized objects) in the conditions of increasing cognitive workload. A higher level of neuroticism and psychoticism can be conducive to making errors on the road. This applies especially to situations that pose high demands on the driver’s cognitive system.