Relationships between personality variables and bizarreness effects in free recall

Relationships between 6 personality variables and each of 3 different measures of recall for bizarre and common sentences were examined. The personality variables investigated included measures of sensation seeking, novelty experiencing, desire for novelty, arousal-seeking tendency, social potency, and conservatism. Recall was measured in terms of sentences accessed, target words recovered per accessed sentence, and misplaced target words. The results indicated the typical pattern of bizarreness effects on recall and significant relationships between personality variables and these effects. Arousal seeking and conservatism were positively related to a bizarreness advantage in sentences accessed. Additionally, high social potency was related to the recovery of more details from common than bizarre sentences, and high desire for novelty was related to a greater bizarre misplacement effect. The results are discussed in terms of orienting and defensive responses to bizarreness.     

Relationships between personality and time-related strains

Using data from a Dutch representative national sample of 1,249 respondents (40% women and 60% men), all engaged in paid labor, the relationships between Big Five personality traits and time-related strains (i.e., Time Pressure and Work Pressure) were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that Emotional Stability was negatively and Openness to Experience was positively related to both types of time-related strains. Emotional Stability and Agreeableness were more strongly negatively associated with generalized Time Pressure than with context-specific Work Pressure. This supports the Strong versus Weak Situations Hypothesis of Mischel.     

Cognitive functioning of older people in relation to social and personality variables

Age differences in performance on memory measures and in subjective ratings of memory adequacy were examined in the context of 12 social, personality, adjustment, and lifestyle measures. Participants were 285 men and women, aged 65 to 93, of middle- and working-class backgrounds. A series of multivariate and univariate analyses revealed that a large proportion of the age differences and virtually all of the social-class differences on memory measures could be accounted for by contextual variables, with education, intellectual activity, extroversion, neuroticism, and lie scores (on the Eysenck Personality Inventory) all accounting for more of the variance in memory performance than did age. Self-rated memory adequacy was not correlated with performance, and although the expected finding of lower ratings by older participants was obtained with the working-class group, the opposite was true for the middle-class group. Implications of these results for understanding age differences in memory are discussed.     

Relationships between personality facets and accident involvement among truck drivers

Prior research on the personality characteristics of truck drivers and accident involvement has relied primarily on the Big Five personality factors (e.g., Extraversion), and has largely focused on self-reported number of accidents rather than more objective, independent records. We examined the association between personality characteristics and accidents among professional truck drivers at the facet level of personality using company records of accidents over time. Analyses suggested that more empathetic individuals had lower rates of accident involvement, whereas more anxious, guilt-prone, exhibitionistic, and risk-taking individuals had higher rates. We discuss implications for decreasing rates of accidents, the selection of drivers, and use in other industries where physical safety is a concern.     

Relationships between personality traits and positive/negative sexual cognitions

In this study we examined the relationship between gender, age, religion, neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, and obsessiveness on one side and the frequency and content of sexual cognitions experienced as being positive/pleasant or negative/unpleasant on the other. The sample was made up of 1,500 individuals (42.8% men and 57.2% women) aged between 18 and 72 years. Results indicated that all the socio-demographic variables as well as the traits neuroticism, openness to experience, and obsessiveness were important in the prediction of the overall frequency of positive sexual cognitions. Age and neuroticism, openness to experience, and obsessiveness were found to be significant in the prediction of the overall frequency of negative sexual cognitions. When considering the content of sexual cognitions (i.e., intimate, exploratory, sadomasochistic, and impersonal), all the socio-demographic variables and the trait openness to experience were found to be significantly related to all types of positive sexual cognitions. Neither socio-demographic variables nor personality traits were significantly associated with the content of negative sexual cognitions. Overall, this study highlights the weakness of the predictive value of personality traits on sexual cognitions, especially those experienced as being negative. We discuss the usefulness of classic personality traits in predicting sexual aspects.     

Relationships between Hand Test variables and maladjustment in school children

Twenty-two Hand Test variables significantly differentiated a group of children referred to school psychologists for social and emotional maladjustment from a control group matched on age and sex. Eleven variables emerged from a subsequent stepwise discriminant analysis, resulting in a 80.85% hit rate. Results are interpreted as providing statistical support for the use of the Hand Test as a screening and/or ancillary projective technique in assessing school children.     

Treatment outcome in personality disorder: The effect of social,psychological and behavioural variables

The study followed-up 245 patients referred to the Henderson Hospital (194 admitted for treatment and 51 not admitted) and for whom information had been collected on their social background and certain psychological variables allowing a classification and typology of personality disorder to be worked out. The study indicates that the therapeutic community treatment is effective with selected individuals showing the antisocial behaviour associated with such disorder. In particular this treatment is of benefit to the offenders with only one conviction and who are able to persevere with treatment for a period of 6 months for treatment to be maximally effective. The variation of psychological types within the broad category of personality disorder was demonstrated and this has a bearing on the outcome of treatment, the extrapunitive neurotic being of poorest prognosis with or without treatment. Yet even in this group, therapeutic community treatment can be effective.     

The relationship between occupational interests and personality variables in a psychiatric group

An abnormal group of psychotics and undifferentiated psychiatric patients displayed a common preference towards vocations associated with nutrition, design and social education and were more inclined to avoid technical and scientific occupations. The more introverted individuals expressed more interest for agriculturally-orientated occupations than extraverts, the latter group characterized by significantly greater interest towards commercially-related vocations involving a high degree of social involvement. Neurotics preferred both nutritional and agricultural occupational areas compared to their more stable counterparts. Furthermore, such high trait N Ss were less likely to select commercial trades. Persons with high scores on the P dimension were less inclined to choose administrative jobs than low P individuals. The more conformist P + individual (P + L +) exhibited a marked preference for creative, ‘gestalt’-oriented vocations. Low L scoring Ss expressed significantly more interest towards nutritional trades, and were likely to avoid commercial occupations.