Lower Levels Of Conscientiousness Research Articles

How feedback shapes flow experience in cognitive tasks: The role of locus of control and conscientiousness

Flow experience refers to a motivational state of complete concentration on a given task, which can immediately facilitate cognitive performance. Although research has identified feedback as strong antecedent of flow, differences between the effects of positive and negative feedback on flow and the moderating role of personality traits remain largely unexplored. In the present online-based experimental study, we investigated flow as mediator in the effects of normative feedback on performance in a logical reasoning task. Thereby, we also examined moderating effects of locus of control and conscientiousness on indirect effects of positive and negative feedback on task performance via flow. Our sample involved 240 participants, who were randomly assigned to three different feedback conditions (positive, negative, no feedback) after a logical reasoning task. Subsequently, the subjects solved a follow-up task for which they reported the degree of their flow experience. Moderated mediation path modelling showed that positive feedback exerted a positive indirect effect on task performance via flow for highly conscientious individuals. In contrast, negative feedback exerted negative indirect effects on task performance via flow for individuals, who exhibited an internal locus of control or low levels of conscientiousness. Finally, we derived theoretical implications for scholarly understanding of flow experience.

Adolescent Big Five personality and pubertal development: Pubertal hormone concentrations and self-reported pubertal status.

In early adolescence, levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness have been found to temporarily decrease, with levels of neuroticism increasing, indicating a dip in personality maturation. It is unknown whether these changes are related to the process of puberty, a major developmental milestone with numerous changes for children. Here, we first replicated the dip in personality maturity in early adolescence (N = 2640, age range 8-18, 51% girls, 65% non-Hispanic white, 21% Hispanic/Latino, 10% African American, 9% other, roughly 33% of families received means-tested public assistance) and tested associations between the Big Five personality dimensions and pubertal development and timing across late childhood and adolescence (n = 1793). Pubertal development was measured using both hormonal assays (DHEA, testosterone, and progesterone) and self-reports of secondary sex characteristics. Of hormonal measures, only higher DHEA concentrations were associated with lower conscientiousness and openness. Nonparametric moderation analyses using LOSEM indicated Complex Age × Sex interactions involving all three hormones. Self-reported pubertal development was associated with lower extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness. More advanced pubertal timing was also related to lower levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. All associations were small. As some evidence was found for small associations between pubertal development and lower levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness, a dip in personality maturation in these personality traits may be partly due to pubertal development in early adolescence. Overall, results did not indicate that pubertal development was the primary explanation of the maturity dip in adolescent personality. Many small influences likely accumulate to explain the dip in personality maturity in early adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of parental migration on non-cognitive abilities of left behind children in northwestern China

Despite the vast literature surrounding various aspects of left behind children (LBC)’s development in China, very few studies have examined the development of, and impact on their non-cognitive abilities as a result of parental migration. Using survey data consisting of 5002 eighth graders from 160 middle schools in northwestern China, this paper investigates how parental migration affects children’s non-cognitive abilities, as is measured by Big Five components of conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, and openness, as well as children’s grit. We narrow our analysis to long run and short run migration subsamples and use the propensity score matching method to address the potential selection bias issue. Our results show that mother’s migration is particularly harmful to the development of children’s non-cognitive abilities, as mother is usually the primary caregiver and mother’s migration makes less economic contribution to the family. In the long run, LBC with migrant mother tend to have lower levels of conscientiousness and grit; they also have higher level of neuroticism (or lower level of emotional stability). In the short run, when mother migrates, children tend to have lower levels of conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness.

Predictors and Effects of Usage of an Online Mindfulness Intervention for Distressed Cancer Patients: Usability Study.

BackgroundOne in three cancer patients experience high psychological distress. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in reducing psychological distress in this patient group. However, these interventions lack availability and flexibility, which may compromise participation in the intervention for cancer patients experiencing late symptoms like fatigue or pain. Therefore, mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly offered via the internet. However, little is known about the usage of these online mindfulness-based interventions.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to (1) predict uptake of and adherence to online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (eMBCT) using baseline patient characteristics (demographic, cancer-related, personality, and psychological variables) and (2) examine the relations between adherence and treatment outcomes in eMBCT for cancer patients.MethodsA total of 125 cancer patients were assigned to eMBCT in a parent randomized controlled trial comparing MBCT and eMBCT with treatment as usual in distressed cancer patients. Various usage measures of eMBCT were automatically tracked within the online program. Based on activity of use, participants were classified as nonusers, minimal users, low users, and intended users. Questionnaires were used to assess baseline characteristics (preintervention) and outcomes (pre- and postintervention). To answer the research questions, data were analyzed with t tests, χ2 tests, and linear regression models.ResultsBased on weekly activity, participants were classified as nonusers (n=17, 13.6%), who completed no exercises in MBCT; minimal users (n=31, 24.8%), who completed at least one exercise of one to three sessions; low users (n=12, 9.6%), who completed at least one exercise of four to seven sessions; and intended users (n=65, 52.0%), who completed at least one exercise of eight to nine sessions. Nonusers had more fear of cancer recurrence at baseline than users (uptake), and intended users were more conscientious than minimal and low users (adherence). Intended users reported a larger reduction in psychological distress and more improvement of positive mental health (ie, emotional, psychological, and social well-being) after the intervention than other participants.ConclusionsThis study showed that adherence was related to improved patient outcomes. Patients with strong fear of recurrence or low levels of conscientiousness should receive extra attention, as they are less likely to respectively start or complete eMBCT. Future research may focus on the development of flexible and adaptive eMBCT programs to fit individual needs.

Determinants of unemployment in multiple sclerosis (MS): The role of disease, person-specific factors, and engagement in positive health-related behaviors

Background: Rates of unemployment among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) are as high as 80%. Objective: This study examines disease, person-specific factors (e.g., personality, self-efficacy), and health-related behaviors, which may account for individuals leaving the workforce. Method: 252 individuals with MS were enrolled in a prospective study examining the factors related to unemployment in MS. Sixty-seven were “at risk” for leaving the workforce. These individuals were compared to those “not at risk” on measures of disease, person-specific factors, and health-related behaviors. Results: Certain disease factors differentiated those “at risk” and those “not at risk.” In particular, those “at risk” were more likely to have a progressive course and reported greater fatigue, sleep problems, pain, depression, and anxiety. They also reported lower levels of locus of control and MS self-efficacy and engaging in maladaptive coping. On a measure of personality, they endorsed higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. Finally, those “not at risk” reported engaging in more positive health-related behaviors. Taken together, disease course, fatigue, MS self-efficacy, and diet/exercise were the most significant factors, accounting for 16% of the variance. Conclusions: Findings suggest that greater consideration and interventions tailored to these factors is warranted, which may assist individuals with MS staying employed and/or making appropriate accommodations.

How Does Substance Use Affect Personality Development? Disentangling Between- and Within-Person Effects

Little is known about the effects of substance use on changes in broad personality traits. This 10-year longitudinal study sought to fill this void using a large, representative sample of the Dutch population (N = 10,872), which provided annual assessments of drug use (tobacco, alcohol, sedatives, soft drugs, ecstasy, hallucinogens, and hard drugs), Big Five personality traits, life satisfaction, and self-esteem. Using multilevel models, we examined the longitudinal associations between drug use and personality both between and within persons. Results indicated that individuals with low levels of conscientiousness, life satisfaction, and self-esteem, as well as high levels of neuroticism, used more drugs on average (between-person effects). In contrast, we found little evidence for personality change following substance use (within-person effects). We discuss these findings in the context of previous empirical and theoretical work and highlight opportunities for future research.

0202 Chronotype Moderates the Relationship Between Personality and Academic Performance in Young Athletes

Abstract Introduction Recent studies have shown that chronotype is associated with personality in adolescents. Other studies suggest that athletes are more conscientious, and that this personality trait is associated with higher academic performance among adolescents. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between personality, chronotype and academic performance in young athletes. Methods 27 young athletes and 13 young non-athletes (13-16y) completed the Horne & Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and the NEO-PI-3. Grades were taken from their final report at the end of the school year (Mgrades=year-mean performance on the two main school subjects). First, T-tests were conducted to compare both groups on personality traits. Then, a moderation analysis was conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro V3.4 to examine the moderation effect of the chronotype on the relationship between conscientiousness and Mgrades. Results Results show that young athletes are significantly more conscientious (M=4748±11,67) than non-athletes (M=38,31±9,59) (t(38)=2,46,p=.019). Conscientiousness and chronotype were entered in a regression analysis to predict Mgrades. The addition of the interaction term between chronotype and conscientiousness, to the regression analysis, explained a significant increase in variance in Mgrades (ΔR2=.34, F(1,23)=19.38, p<.001). Therefore, when the score is inferior to 57.75 at the MEQ (toward evening type), conscientiousness and Mgrades are significantly related (β=0.28, t(23)=2.07, p=0.05). Conclusion These results show that the chronotype moderates the relationship between conscientiousness and academic performance in young athletes. Specifically, in more evening types, higher level of conscientiousness is associated with higher grades and lower level of conscientiousness is associated with lower grades. On the other hand, for more morning types, the level of conscientiousness is not associated with grades. These results suggest that conscientiousness may be a protective factor against the impacts of adolescence sleep changes and disturbances, on academic performance. Support -

Problematic gaming behavior and the personality traits of video gamers: A cross-sectional survey.

Current psychological models for the development of specific internet-use disorders consider predisposing core characteristics (e.g. biopsychological constitution, psychopathology, early childhood experiences, and personality traits) that are involved in the early behavioral addiction process. The cross-sectional study discussed in this paper examined several likely relevant psychological variables in a group of 820 video gamers (217 women, 597 men), who visited the world's largest trade fair for video games in 2018. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess the extent of pathological gaming, Big Five personality traits, self-efficacy, depression symptoms, and general life satisfaction. In comparison to individuals with unproblematic gaming behavior, gamers with problematic gaming behavior scored significantly higher for neuroticism, depression symptoms, and time spent playing; and lower for self-efficacy, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness. No difference was found in terms of agreeableness. Gamers who preferred to play massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) or first-person shooter games (FPS) presented particularly high levels of time spent playing and increased problematic gaming behavior. When considering the entire group of 820 video gamers, high levels of depressive symptoms and neuroticism, extensive time spent playing, as well as low levels of conscientiousness were identified as significant predictor variables regarding problematic gaming. In total, 238 of the 820 video gamers (29.0%) demonstrated problematic gaming behaviors.

Osobowość nauczyciela w ujęciu psychologicznym

W artykule analizie poddano zagadnienie osobowości nauczycieli w kontekście psychologicznej teorii Wielkiej Piątki oraz osobowościowego komponentu postawy twórczej, jakim jest nonkonformizm. Głównym celem badawczym była diagnoza aktualnej kondycji osobowościowej nauczycieli w kontekście takich zmiennych, jak: typ szkoły, lata pracy, stopień awansu zawodowego, nauczany przedmiot, płeć nauczyciela. W badaniach zastosowano Inwentarz Osobowości NEO-FFI Roberta R. McCrae i Paula T. Costy oraz Kwestionariusz Twórczego Zachowania (KANH III). Przeanalizowano wyniki 258-osobowej grupy nauczycieli w wieku 26–60 lat. Przeprowadzone wnioskowanie statystyczne pozwoliło na sformułowanie następujących wniosków. Średnie nasilenie neurotyczności mają nauczyciele szkoły podstawowej i technikum, a najniższa neurotyczność występuje u nauczycieli liceum. Neurotyczność jest istotnie statystycznie wyższa u kobiet niż u mężczyzn nauczycieli. Nauczyciele przedmiotów zawodowych mają istotnie mniejszą otwartość na doświadczenie niż nauczyciele przedmiotów humanistycznych. Nauczyciel stażysta posiada istotnie niższe nasilenie sumienności niż nauczyciel dyplomowany i mianowany. Wyniki badań można wykorzystać do usprawnienia procedur rozwoju profesjonalnego nauczycieli.

Personality, social norms, and sexual harassment in the workplace

To investigate the association between personality traits, perceived social norms, and sexual harassment in the workplace, 199 white-collar workers answered an online questionnaire (96 men, 103 women). Based on logistic regression analysis, we investigated the associations between sexual harassment behaviors in the workplace, perceived social norms, and the personality traits extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. Results suggest that lower levels of openness are associated with higher levels of sexual harassment behaviors for both men and women. Furthermore, for both men and women, the association between openness and sexual harassment behaviors is greater if one perceives higher acceptance of sexual harassment by their peers. For men, sexual harassment behaviors are also associated with age, sexual harassment myth acceptance, and lower levels of conscientiousness. In contrast, for women sexual harassment behaviors are associated with higher levels of extraversion and neuroticism.

How changing admission practices affect sociodemographics, satisfaction, personality, gender, and dropout of students in the professional psychologist study program in Norway

How universities admit students to the professional psychologist study program in Norway has been the focus of a longstanding debate. In 2016, the University of Bergen changed its admission practice from being based on grades attained during a one-year university level introductory course in psychology to being based on grades from upper secondary school. Before this change took place, public predictions were made of lowered rates of male students, decreased socioeconomic diversity, personality changes, lowered student satisfaction, and higher dropout rates. In this quantitative study, we investigated these predictions two years after the change was implemented. Specifically, we examined whether students admitted directly from upper secondary school differ from those admitted indirectly via the one-year introductory course on measures of personality, sociodemographic background, and satisfaction with study program and career choice. We also examined possible changes in dropout rates and gender proportions. Overall, the results suggest that the two student groups were quite similar regarding socioeconomic background and personality traits. Some diverging trends, however, were observed. Students admitted from upper secondary school were somewhat more likely to report that their parents had a higher level of education and to perceive their family’s finances as very good. They reported less career choice satisfaction and lower levels of conscientiousness than their university counterparts. The rates of girls and student dropouts were also higher compared to students admitted from an introductory course. We cautiously conclude that there are small but perhaps notable differences between students admitted directly and indirectly and we discuss how these changes may affect the graduating psychologists.

Personality and online news commenting behaviours: uncovering the characteristics of those below the line

Commenting on the news is one of the most common forms of participation in news use and one of the most prevalent forms of citizen engagement online. However, very little research has focused on the characteristics of those who contribute to news websites and how this influences their commenting behaviour. Drawing on the Big Five Inventory of personality traits, this exploratory study examines how personality impacts upon the frequency of commenting and motivations for commenting on news websites. Overall, we find that less agreeable and more open to new experiences individuals commented more. Those individuals who demonstrate high levels of neuroticism were more likely to comment on stories which impacted them emotionally. Those who were disagreeable were more likely to comment on a story when they disagreed with the journalist. Those with lower levels of conscientiousness were more likely to comment if they disagreed with other commenters. Finally, disorganised and disagreeable individuals were more likely to comment to see the reaction of other commenters.

Forced distribution systems and attracting top talent

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test how an individual’s attractiveness to three types of appraisal systems relates to self-rated psychological entitlement and ethics; and constructs rated by others of: conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 148 students in graduate-level business courses and matching close friends/significant others were surveyed. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression and path analysis.FindingsPath analysis indicated acceptable fit for the overall model of attractiveness to three appraisal types.Practical implicationsAdvocates of forced distribution ranking systems (FDRS) suggest that such systems stimulate a high-talent culture and that achievers and strong performers are attracted to FDRS. In contrast, the findings suggest that FDRS are attractive to individuals with high levels of psychological entitlement and low levels of conscientiousness.Originality/valueAdvocates of FDRS and prior research have indicated that such systems reduce leniency bias and stimulate a high-performance and high-talent culture in which honesty is expected and poor performance is not tolerated. Others have found that high achievers and high performers are likely to find such systems attractive. The present study suggests that one downside of FDRS is its attractiveness to workers with low levels of conscientiousness and higher levels of psychological entitlement, which are two personality traits associated with lower levels of performance and a variety of negative outcomes.

For Body and Mind: Practicing Yoga and Emotion Regulation

The purpose of the present study was to examine if the length of yoga training may influence the use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression (as emotion regulation strategies) and whether this relationship may be moderated by personality traits. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that the link between the length of yoga practice and emotion regulation can rely most heavily on participants’ conscientiousness and extraversion levels. Ninety women in two groups participated in the study: those who have been practicing yoga for over a year and those who have been practicing for a shorter period of time. An Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was applied to measure the use the strategies of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Moreover, personality traits, based on the Big Five model were assessed. The results of the study provided support for our prediction: participants who engaged in yoga practice for a longer period of time (as compared to participants who practiced yoga for a shorter duration), reported using cognitive reappraisal more often. Furthermore, longer yoga practice was more beneficial than shorter practice especially for individuals with low levels of conscientiousness and extraversion. Thus, extraversion and conscientiousness seem to facilitate the process of drawing benefits from practicing yoga.

Revealed Traits: A Novel Method for Estimating Cross-Cultural Similarities and Differences in Personality

Cross-cultural research on personality has often led to surprising and countertheoretical findings, which have led to concerns over the validity of country-level estimates of personality (e.g., Heine, Buchtel, & Norenzayan, 2008). The present study explores how cross-cultural differences can be indexed via revealed trait estimates, which index the personality traits of individuals or groups indirectly through their likelihood of responding in particular ways to particular situations. In two studies, we measure self-reports of personality, revealed traits, and revealed preferences for different expected effects (e.g., experiencing excitement) of two cultural groups (U.S. and Singaporean participants). We found typical East–West differences in personality using self-report scales, such as lower levels of Conscientiousness- and Extraversion-related characteristics among Singaporean participants relative to U.S. participants. We found evidence of scale use extremity differences in self-report personality scales but not in revealed trait estimates. Using revealed traits, we found evidence of strikingly high levels of similarity in terms of overall action endorsement, revealed trait estimates, and revealed preferences. However, this was qualified by consistent differences in revealed trait estimates of Extraversion-related characteristics and less consistent differences in revealed trait estimates of Conscientiousness-related characteristics. We also found consistent differences in preferences for different expected effects; for example, Singaporean participants reported lower likelihood of performing actions expected to result in experiencing stimulation or excitement than U.S. participants. Results suggest that similarities in action endorsements and revealed traits may be driven by common preferences for social inclusion and benevolence, and differences may be driven by differing preferences for expending effort, experiencing stimulation, and social attention.

Personality stability and change between age 12 and 14 predicts relationships, sexual activity and same-sex sexual attraction at age 14

Improving sexual and reproductive health remains a public health priority worldwide. This study explored the contribution of personality to adolescent sexual behaviour. In total, 3460 Australian adolescents (1748 boys, 1712 girls) were sampled at age 12 and age 14. Results showed that mean-level increases in neuroticism and extraversion, and mean-level decreases in conscientiousness, were associated with an increased likelihood of being sexually active at age 14. Mean-level increases in neuroticism (and for girls, lower levels of conscientiousness) were associated with an increased likelihood of same-sex sexual attraction at age 14. Intra-individual stability of extraversion was related to the number of adolescent relationships and same-sex sexual attraction. Sexual risk taking and pregnancy were too rare at age 14 to reliably explore correlates.

Associations between personality and distress tolerance among trauma-exposed young adults

Low distress tolerance (DT) is related to negative mental health outcomes, particularly among trauma-exposed populations, who are at greater risk for mental health problems. However, little is known about potential etiological factors underlying the development of perceived (i.e., self-report) or behaviorally assessed DT. The present study examined associations between Big Five personality factors (i.e., openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and multiple measures of DT. Participants were 440 college students (71.4% women) endorsing a history of one or more potentially traumatic events. Participants completed the abbreviated Big Five Inventory (BFI), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), Discomfort Intolerance Scale (DIS), breath-holding task, and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Results of a series of hierarchical linear regressions indicated that higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of conscientiousness were significantly associated with lower DTS scores, but no other DT measures. Greater extraversion was significantly associated with greater DT on the DIS and the PASAT. Lower levels of openness were associated with lower DT on the breath-holding task. Individual differences in normal personality traits account for significant variation in multiple measures of DT and may provide insight into the etiology of various forms of DT.

INVESTIGATION OF SELF-RELATION TO MASCULINITY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Self-rising to masculinity in men in the study was determined by three components: awareness of the various components of the male motive choice, social and psychological adaptation, social and psychological attitudes. It uses a set of methods and techniques: theoretical - analysis, simulation, synthesis; Empirical: ascertaining experiment, the experiment forming; tested according to the procedures: the method to identify the various components of mindfulness motif A.V. Ermolina and E.P. Ilina; method of diagnosis of social and psychological adaptation and K. Rodzhersa R. Daymonda; The scale of conscience (V. Melnikov, Yampolsky LT); Mathematics and statistics - T-Wilcoxon; attended by 32 student 10 and 11 classes of 17-18 years. Obtained by these techniques results suggest that low levels of psychological readiness of the male has the choice of a third of the younger men in particular random sampling. At this level, students were assigned, with a predominance of outdoor installations, medium or low levels of conscientiousness and prone to maladjustment. These students are distinguished by ignorance or negative perception of the goals and objectives of the male choice, have a negative attitude, developed under the influence of external conditions.

Risk factors of self-aggressive behavior in epilepsy patients

Psychogenic movement disorder (PMD) and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are two subtypes of conversion disorder (CD). In this case-control study, we asked whether these subtypes varied as a function of personality and history of childhood abuse.Fifty-nine patients with PMD from the Human Motor Control Section Clinic at the National Institutes of Health, 43 patients with PNES from the Rhode Island Hospital Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, and 26 healthy volunteers (HC) received a battery of neurological, psychiatric and psychological assessments, including the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO PI-R), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ).One-way ANOVA between the three groups indicated significant differences in overall domains of Neuroticism (p = 0.001) and Conscientiousness (p = 0.009): Patients with PNES reported significantly greater levels of Neuroticism (p = 0.002) and lower levels of Conscientiousness (p = 0.023) than patients with PMD. Levels of Neuroticism remained significantly higher in both PMD and PNES than HC following correction for multiple comparisons. Patients with PNES reported greater levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms, overall psychopathology, greater history of sexual abuse, greater levels of alexithymia, higher levels of dissociative symptoms, and an earlier age at which they experienced their most distressing traumatic event than patients with PMD.These findings suggest that personality traits, type of abuse and age of onset of trauma varies as a function of CD subtype. Patients with PNES rated greater Neuroticism and lower Conscientiousness than patients with PMD. These differing psychological profiles may inform differing treatment approaches such as psychological therapies for PNES and physiotherapy (with/without psychotherapy) for PMD.

Origins of adulthood personality: The role of adverse childhood experiences.

We test whether adverse childhood experiences - exposure to parental maltreatment and its indirect effect on health - are associated with age 30 personality traits. We use rich longitudinal data from a large, representative cohort of young US Americans and exploit differences across siblings to control for the confounding influences of shared environmental and genetic factors. We find that maltreatment experiences are significantly and robustly associated with neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience, but not with agreeableness and extraversion. High levels of neuroticism are linked to sexual abuse and neglect; low levels of conscientiousness and openness to experience are linked to parental neglect. The associations are partially explained by the indirect effects of maltreatment on adolescence physical and mental health. Maltreatment experiences, in combination with their health effects, explain a substantial fraction of the relationship between adulthood conscientiousness and earnings or human capital. Our findings provide a possible explanation for why personality traits are important predictors of adulthood labor market outcomes.