Predicting observers' ratings of the big five from the CPI,HPI, and NEO–PI–R: a comparative validity study

The present study compares the ability of three widely used personality inventories to predict averaged acquaintance ratings. Scores from 135 individuals on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI; Gough, 1987), Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI; Hogan and Hogan, 1992) and NEO Personality Inventory (NEO‐PI‐R; Costa and McCrae, 1992) were correlated with four sets of acquaintance ratings representing four variants of the Five‐Factor Model. Validity coefficients for the NEO‐PI‐R primary domain scales equalled or surpassed the CPI and HPI validity coefficients. Across all inventory scales and subscales, the magnitude of validity coefficients was moderated by the congruence between a predictor's and criterion's secondary factor loading. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.