An evaluation of the consequences of using short measures of the Big Five personality traits.

Animal personality

The measurement equivalence of personality measures across high- and low-stake test taking settings

Background/Objectives: This study explores the participation of college students in school scientific research and its influencing factors, aiming to provide a basis for promoting the cultivation of innovative medical talents in the field of public health. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 626 students from the School of Public Health at Guilin Medical University to understand their participation in scientific research and its influencing factors. Results: A total of 618 valid questionnaires were collected. The results showed that the proportion of respondents participating in scientific research was 49.68%, with significant differences in Age, Grade, Understanding of scientific research content, and personal willingness, P<0.05. Factors such as students Age (OR=0.579, 95% CI: 0.421~0.796), Grades (OR=0.362, 95% CI: 0.259~0.507), Understanding of Teacher Research Projects (OR=1.759, 95% CI: 1.274~2.429), Understanding of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students (OR=1.884, 95%CI: 1.333~2.662) and Familiarity with the "Challenge Cup" Extracurricular Science and Technology Works Competition (OR =1.421, 95% CI: 1.019~1.982), significantly affect students' participation in scientific research. Conclusions: College students' participation in scientific research has diverse characteristics and is influenced by multiple factors. Efforts to guide students' participation in research should take into account their grade level, age, and willingness to engage.

Personality as a Predictor of Unit Nonresponse in Panel Data: An Analysis of an Internet-Based Survey

Unit nonresponse in panel data sets is often a source of bias. Why certain individuals attrite from longitudinal studies and how to minimize this phenomenon have been examined by researchers. However, this research has typically focused on data sets collected via telephone, postal mail, or face-to-face interviews. Moreover, this research usually focuses on using demographic characteristics such as educational attainment or income to explain variation in the incidence of unit nonresponse. We make two contributions to the existing literature. First, we examine the incidence of unit nonresponse in an Internet panel, a relatively new, and hence understudied, approach to gathering longitudinal data. Second, we hypothesize that personality traits, which typically remain unobserved and unmeasured in many data sets, affect the likelihood of unit nonresponse. Using data from an Internet panel that includes self-reported measures of personality in its baseline survey, we find that conscientiousness and openness to experience predict the incidence of unit nonresponse in subsequent survey waves, even after controlling for cognitive ability and demographic characteristics that are usually available and used by researchers to correct for unit nonresponse. We also test the potential to use paradata as proxies for personality traits related to unit nonresponse. Although we show that these proxies are correlated with personality traits and predict unit nonresponse in the same way as self-reported measures of personality traits, it is also possible that they capture other idiosyncrasies related to future survey completion. Our results suggest that obtaining explicit measures of personality traits or finding better proxies for them could be valuable for more fully addressing the potential bias that may arise as a result of unit nonresponse.

Cannabis users differ from non-users on measures of personality and schizotypy

Behavioral measures of risk tasking, sensation seeking and sensitivity to reward may reflect different motivations for spicy food liking and consumption

The aim of this thesis was to investigate individual differences in entrepreneurial personality and their relationship to performance criteria. Specifically, three main objectives were proposed: (a) to develop a theoretical framework of the entrepreneurial personality, based on the principles of differential psychology, (b) to test how this personality construct related to other trait measures of personality, and (c) to assess how this personality construct related to performance outcomes. To this end, the current thesis presented an alternative framework for investigating the entrepreneurial personality, not currently present in entrepreneurship research. The framework followed a critical review of the entrepreneurship literature and a content analysis of the meaning of the concept. Based on this content analysis, a new operational definition of entrepreneurship was proposed: entrepreneurship is an activity related to innovation, recognition and exploitation of opportunities, and creation of value. In this framework, three main tenants were present: 1) the entrepreneurial behaviours identified by the content analysis cannot be exclusive to business founders, 2) there are individual differences in the tendency and ability to engage in these behaviours, 3) individuals who have a greater tendency and ability to engage in these entrepreneurial behaviours, are by definition, perceived as more entrepreneurial. Thus this operational definition provided a basis for a theoretical framework for distinguishing between more and less entrepreneurial individuals. In order to empirically investigate individual differences in entrepreneurial personality, a psychometric approach was undertaken, where a self-report inventory of entrepreneurial tendencies and abilities (META) was developed. The reliability and factor structure of this measure were established, and its construct validity in relation to a multitude of trait measures, including the Big Five personality traits, Trait Emotional Intelligence, Core Self-Evaluations, Locus of Control, Primary and Secondary Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, Vocational Interests, General Mental Ability, Divergent Thinking, as well as relevant demographic variables, was established. Furthermore, META was consistently found to be the single best predictor of performance outcomes across nine studies, including number of businesses started, corporate entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, innovative entrepreneurship, creative achievements within arts and sciences, task and contextual performance, income, engagement, and intentions to quit a current job. META was found to positively and moderately predict these performance outcomes, over and above (incrementally) established psychometric tests. In sum, the results of the doctoral thesis have important theoretical and practical implications for entrepreneurship research and practice. Specifically, the thesis provided a) a new theoretical framework for researching the entrepreneurial personality, b) support for the distinctness of this personality construct in relation to other trait constructs, c) demonstrated that this construct may be able to explain significant performance differences between individuals on criteria that are likely to be of substantial importance for individuals, organisations, and governments alike. The implications of a theoretical understanding and measurement of the entrepreneurial personality can be of practical importance for researchers concerned with investigating the entrepreneurial personality concept, organisations concerned with increasing their competitive advantage through human resources practices of selecting, developing, and managing entrepreneurial individuals, and for individuals and government bodies concerned with increasing the potential of start-ups and business founders to be successful in their new and established ventures by assessing the entrepreneurial tendencies of founders and their team, and customizing intervention strategies in more informed ways.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: The Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory as a Culturally Relevant Personality Measure in Applied Settings

Chronic pain is a multidimensional pathological state. Recent evidence suggests that specific brain properties and patients' psychological and physical traits are distorted in chronic pain patients. However, the relationship between these alterations and pain dimensions remains poorly understood. Here, we first evaluated multiple dimensions of chronic pain by assessing a broad battery of pain-related questionnaire scores (23 outcomes) of 107 chronic low back pain patients and identified 3 distinct chronic pain domains: magnitude, affect & disability, and quality. Second, we investigated the pain domains relationship with measures of personality, social interaction, psychological traits, and ability traits (77 biopsychosocial & ability [biopsy&ab] outcomes). Pain magnitude (out-of-sample [OOS] ) is associated with emotional control, attention, and working memory, with higher pain scores showing lower capacity to regulate and adapt behaviorally. Pain affect & disability (OOS associated with anxiety, catastrophizing and social relationships dysfunction. Pain quality did not relate significantly to biopsy&ab variables. Third, we mapped these 3 pain domains to brain functional connectivity. Pain magnitude mainly associated with the sensorimotor and the cingulo-opercular networks (OOS ). Pain affect & disability related to frontoparietal and default mode networks (OOS . Pain quality integrated sensorimotor, auditory, and cingulo-opercular networks (OOS ). Mediation analysis could link functional connectivity and biopsy&ab models to respective pain domains. Our results provide a global overview of the complexity of chronic pain, showing how underlying distinct domains of the experience map to different biopsy&ab correlates and underlie unique brain network signatures.

One common theme of adaptive hypotheses for the existence of stable individual differences in behavior (personality) or persistent correlations among behaviors (behavioral syndromes) is an association between intrinsic state (e.g., body size, mass, metabolism) and the behavioral traits of interest. Empiricists are tasked with assessing whether there is an association between intrinsic state and behavior, but the statistical methods to appropriately quantify the among-individual correlation between intrinsic state and behavior have only recently become widely known. We conducted a multiyear study in wild mice of two Peromyscus species (Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis and Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis) to assess the existence of stable individual differences in four different behaviors (presence of animal personality, as assessed by quantifying repeatabilities) and one measure of intrinsic state (body mass), the degree of association between these four behaviors (presence of behavioral syndromes), and the association of these behavioral traits with body mass using multivariate methods that allowed us to estimate the within-individual (residual) component and the among-individual component. We used standardized behavioral tests to measure struggle time (time spent struggling when removed from the trap) and exploration time (time spent exploring a novel surface) and used open-field trials to measure whether or not an individual entered the open field plus the total time it spent active in the open field. In P. leucopus, we assessed whether coarse but quick methods of assessing animal personality (struggle or exploration time) correlate with behavior using more in-depth estimates obtained by open-field trials. Additionally, we tested the ecological relevance of our personality measures by assessing their association with home range size in P. leucopus. In both species, struggle time, exploration time, and body mass were significantly repeatable and there was a significant among-individual correlation between struggle time and exploration time. However, in both species, there was no evidence for an among-individual correlation between our measure of intrinsic state (body mass) and personality traits. In one species (P. leucopus), we found that individuals that spent more time struggling or exploring a novel surface were also more likely to emerge into an open field and spent more time being active in an open field, but these four behavioral measures were not associated with home range size. Our results suggest among-individual correlation among these different behaviors but no among-individual correlation between behavior and intrinsic state. Over the past 15 years, it has become clear that nonhuman animals exhibit “personalities”: some individuals consistently differ in their behavior, and there is limited flexibility in their behavior when they experience environmental change. Biologists have now been searching for why and how animal personalities exist and their ecological and evolutionary consequences. Some explanations have focused on how condition or “internal state” may cause variation in animal personalities. In this study, we show that two species of wild mice exhibit personalities and that their personality traits are associated with one another, in that mice that were less docile were also more active, exploratory, and bold. We then show that their personality traits were not linked with body mass, suggesting a lack of association between internal state and personality. Our results provide important insights into the causes of personality in nonhuman animals.

Introduction: The approach that observes the manifestation of personality in behavior through repeatedly measured personality states has been gaining increasing research attention. Personality states, measured multiple times, form a density distribution, and previous research has shown that there is a large amount of intra-individual variability in these states. However, although there is considerable variability in personality states, the distribution mean (i.e., aggregated state) is considerably correlated with the corresponding personality trait. Besides the relationship of aggregated states with corresponding personality traits, research has also examined predictors of intra-individual variability in personality states. The development of taxonomies of psychological characteristics of situations enabled researchers to examine situational determinants of variability in behavior. Another aspect related to intraindividual variability in personality states identified in previous research is momentary affect. Finally, the validity of average personality states compared to personality traits as a measure of personality was examined through a comparison of their nomological networks. The aim of this research was to examine the expression of basic personality traits through states, characteristics of situations and current affect as its possible predictors, as well as to compare the relationships of traits and average states of personality with their nomological network, i.e. the network of their correlates. Methodology: The first step of the research consisted of the construction of a measure of the state of personality and its validation in a pilot study, which was followed by the main study. A pilot study was conducted on a sample of psychology students from the Faculty of Croatian Studies, 106 of them. In the main research, a sample of participants consisted of the students from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, mostly psychology students, and 170 of them. Experience sampling was used as a method of data collection. Participants reported four times a day for eight days about their personality states, characteristics of situations, and current affect. Data were also collected on their personality traits, as well as a set of correlates. Results: Replicating results from the previous studies, it was found that there is a great amount of intra-individual variability in personality states. Average personality states were also highly correlated with the corresponding personality traits. Variability in personality states within individuals could be predicted to some extent based on perceived characteristics of the situation and current affect, thus indicating that there are both stable and variable determinants of personality expression in behavior. By comparing the relationship that the average states and corresponding personality traits have with the nomological network of correlates, it was found that they are very similar, but could not be treated as equivalent. Conclusion: The obtained results indicate that the expression of personality in behavior is determined not only by stable characteristics (i.e., personality traits), but also by variable characteristics, which, in the current research included psychological characteristics of situations and momentary affect. This finding contributes to a perspective that represents a reconciliation of dispositional and situational approaches to describing behavior. Finally, a comparison of nomological networks of aggregated personality states and their corresponding personality traits contributed to the evaluation of construct validity of aggregated personality states as a measure of personality.

Objective The objective of this study was to explore the determinants of adherence in the EFFORT-D (EFFect Of Running Therapy) study in a specialised mental health care hospital setting. Methods Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) were given treatment as usual and half were randomised to an exercise intervention. Adherence was measured at 3 months (T3) and 6 months (T6) and was defined as participation in the overall study protocol (total n = 42, adhered n = 28) or intervention (total n = 24, adhered n = 9). Potential determinants were age, BMI, tobacco and alcohol use, severity of depression, anxiety, fitness (VO2max kg−1 and Wmax kg−1) and personality traits at baseline. ANOVA, Chi-square tests and block-wise logistic regression were performed, and reliability of the scales was determined. Results Numbers were found too low for analyses on smoking, drinking and anxiety. Higher agreeableness was significantly associated with better adherence to the overall study protocol (OR 1.2; p = 0.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.4) and severity of depression was negatively associated with adherence in the intervention group (OR 0.70; p = 0.046;95% CI: 0.49–0.99). Conclusions To adhere to a study protocol involving exercise or to a clinical exercise programme, MDD patients need substantial personal support. Measurement of personality traits and the severity of depression as potential predictors of adherence could be considered for this purpose. Keypoints Adherence to exercise and study protocols in a randomised controlled trial was low Patients with severe major depressive disorder need substantial personal support Measurement of personality traits could be considered

What's missing in sex chromosome aneuploidies? Representation and inclusion

In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), an Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD) was proposed that considers the severity of impairment in personality functioning (Criterion A) and elevations in five pathological personality traits (Criterion B) as the primary diagnostic criteria. The present study examined whether self-report measures of personality impairment are longer, more complex, difficult, and require more introspection than items from measures of pathological personality traits. Participants from two undergraduate university research pools (N = 460) completed two measures of personality impairment and one measure of pathological personality traits. For all measures, participants rated item difficulty and introspection needed to answer each item. Additionally, the study compared the readability statistics of each measure automatically calculated by Microsoft Word. Results indicated that personality trait measures were significantly easier to read than personality impairment measures, and that answering personality trait items required less perceived introspection compared to personality impairment items; however, no significant differences were found in the perceived difficulty of items across measures. These results provide the first empirical examination of differences between personality trait and impairment measures in terms of readability statistics and participant perceptions of difficulty of items and required introspection.