Response latency evidence for viewing personality traits as schema indicators

Abstract

This research presents response latency evidence demonstrating that traditional personality traits fit into a self-schema conceptualization. Specifically, trait presence facilitates the processing of trait-consistent, self-descriptive information and inhibits the processing of trait-consistent, self-nondescriptive information. Study 1 showed that, for each of 12 psychopathology traits, response latencies for endorsing trait-consistent personality test items were negatively related to scale scores; response latencies for rejecting trait-consistent items were positively correlated with scale scores. Further, scale scores were independent of the response latencies for processing scale irrelevant items. Study 2 was based on a measure of 20 normal personality traits. First, response latencies showed at least modest test-retest stability for a 1-week interval. Second, the pattern of positive and negative correlations between latencies and scale scores emerged even more strongly than in Study 1. Third, the effect was generalized to alternate indicators of trait level. Implications for the conceptualization of traits and of self-schema are discussed.