Narrow Traits Research Articles

Broad and Narrow Personality Traits Predicting Academic Achievement Over Compulsory Schooling

Incremental predictive value of 5 broad and 13 narrow personality traits for academic achievement over and beyond age, gender, parental education, and country was examined in Russian and Slovene 8- to 15-year-olds. Personality data were collected from mothers (Russia: N = 994, Slovenia: N = 624) and adolescents (Russia: N = 481, Slovenia: N = 310) using the Inventory of Child Individual Differences–Short. Final grades in mathematics and Russian/Slovene language were considered as measures of academic success. The broad and the narrow traits predicted the grades, improving the criteria variance by 11% to 14% and 15% to 19%, respectively, over the background variables. Across the countries, informants and school subjects, younger age, higher parental education, female gender, openness (especially subjectively perceived intelligence), and low extraversion predicted academic achievements. Mother-assessed conscientiousness (especially low distractibility) was also predictive of school grades.

Inheritance of the narrow leaf mutation in traditional Japanese evergreen azaleas

Morphological mutations have been admired and preserved in the classical cultivars of the Japanese evergreen azalea since the Edo era (1603–1867). One such mutation is the presence of narrow leaves and petals. In this study, we investigated the characteristics and inheritance patterns of the narrow leaf-type mutational form of Rhododendron macrosepalum ‘Seigaiha’, R. kaempferi ‘Kin-kujyaku’, and R. kiusianum Yanagi-ba mutant. The leaves of all cultivars showed weak development in the transverse plane and thickened margins. Subsequently, based on this qualitative character, the inheritance of the narrow leaf mutation was investigated. F1 seedlings of cross combinations between normal and narrow leaf-type plants had normal leaf-type. All F1 progenies of cross combinations between narrow leaf-type plants had narrow leaves like their parents. In addition, seedlings obtained from backcross and sib-cross tests using narrow leaf mutants segregated into normal and narrow leaf-types at a 1:1 and 3:1 ratio, respectively. These results indicate that the narrow leaf trait of three different azalea cultivars, ‘Seigaiha’, ‘Kin-kujyaku’, and R. kiusianum Yanagi-ba mutant, is probably a recessive mutation caused by a single, common gene.

Age, sex and personality in early cannabis use

Previous studies analysing personality and cannabis use in adult samples suggest that cannabis users show significant higher levels of impulsivity, sensation seeking and schizotypy. However, there are few studies exploring this relationship in adolescence using psychobiological models of personality. Given the relevance of identifying individual differences that lead adolescents to early cannabis use to prevent future health problems, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between age, sex, personality and early cannabis use using a psychobiological model of personality in a sample of 415 students (51.8% boys) from 12 to 18 years. Chi2 tests showed significant higher prevalence of cannabis use in boys and in the group aged 15–18 years. Multiple analysis of variance showed significant higher scores in psychoticism, sensation seeking and in all its subscales in cannabis users group, while an interaction with age was found for extraversion and neuroticism: cannabis users scored higher than non-users in the youngest group (12–14 years) but lower in the oldest group in both dimensions. Finally, regression analysis showed that narrower traits of sensation seeking (experience seeking and disinhibition) were the most associated to early cannabis use. Results are discussed in terms of early cannabis users’ personality profiles and in terms of the self-medication theory.

Persoonlijkheid als voorspeller van werkprestatie en contraproductief werkgedrag

Personality as predictor of job performance and counterproductive work behaviour. The importance of specificity in personality measurement Personality as predictor of job performance and counterproductive work behaviour. The importance of specificity in personality measurement The main purpose of this study was to improve the prediction of job performance and counterproductive work behavior using personality measurements. Three characteristics were examined: (1) trait specificity, i.e., using narrow rather than broad personality traits; (2) contextual specificity, i.e., the specificity of the situational context to which respondents refer when completing a personality inventory, such as the home or work context; and (3) referent specificity, i.e., the specificity of the comparison other in self-reported personality. The results show that narrow traits are able to explain more variance than broad traits in the prediction of work outcomes, and that adding a relevant context to personality items leads to higher predictive validities. Furthermore, the findings suggest that using reference groups influences the way people respond to a personality test. Taken together, this article accentuates the importance of specificity in personality measurement for improving the prediction of work outcomes.

Distinctive Personality Traits of Information Technology Professionals

Drawing on Holland’s (1985) vocational theory, Schneider’s (1987) ASA model, and the Big Five / narrow traits model of personality, the present study examined key Big Five and narrow traits that distinguish 12,695 IT professionals from 73,140 individuals in other occupations. IT professionals had significantly higher levels of agreeableness and tough-mindedness, and lower conscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion, assertiveness, customer service orientation, optimism, and work drive. These findings reinforce the functional value and person-occupation fit of this distinctive trait profile for the work of IT professionals in an era of technological and organizational change. Implications are described for future research as well as the recruitment, selection, management and promotion of IT professionals, as well as their training, development, coaching, and mentoring.

Assessing individual differences in entrepreneurial potential and success

Several meta-analyses have shown that the Big Five personality dimensions predict both business creation and business success. Research also indicates that narrow traits, such as innovativeness, are better predictors of entrepreneurial activity than broader traits, such as the Big Five. Yet, past research has been limited in its focus, neglecting entrepreneurship outcomes beyond business creation and performance. Accordingly, this paper examines (a) the effect of personality on a wider range of entrepreneurial activities and outcomes and (b) the incremental validity of narrow traits, matched to the task of entrepreneurship, in the prediction of these outcomes. Structural Equation Models demonstrate that both Big Five and narrow personality traits predict various indices of entrepreneurial activity. Furthermore, narrow traits have a stronger and more consistent influence on entrepreneurial activity. Results thus indicate that personality inventories may be practically useful if increasing entrepreneurial.

Assortative mating: Personality and values

The purpose of the study is to analyze different aspects of assortative mating. One of the goals is to compare spouse similarity for personality (broad and narrow traits) and values. The second aim is to compare self-ratings and spouse ratings (“perceived assortment”). Lastly, the study compares perception of spouse and perception of the same-sex parent (for example, how wife perceives her husband and her father). The sample includes nearly 1000 married couples whose marriage duration varies from a few months to 50 years. The results support: (1) higher spouse similarity for values than for personality; (2) higher similarity for self-rating than for cross-rating and (3) difference between husbands’ and wives’ “spouse-parent” perception (husbands’ evaluations of their wives and mothers more similar as compared to wives’ evaluations of their husbands and fathers). The study is supported by RFBR (project 12-06-00342).

Two Faces of Consciousness on Knowledge Sharing Dilemmas: The Moderating Role of LMXSC

The current study takes a self and other-centered approach to examining two faces of consciousness on knowledge sharing dilemma in organizations. Building on these narrow traits of conscientiousness by Moon (2001), we propose that a facet of personality related to concern for others (duty) is positively related to knowledge sharing behavior, whereas a facet of personality related to self-interest and personal achievement (achievement striving) is negatively related to knowledge sharing. Consistent with the hypotheses, regression analyses involving data collected from 162 employee-supervisor dyadic samples demonstrate that the other-centered trait, duty, was positively related to knowledge sharing, whereas the self-centered trait, achievement striving, was negatively related to knowledge sharing. In addition, the authors found that low leader - member exchange social comparison (LMXSC) reflects characteristics of situations described by advocates of trait activation theory as strengthening the influence of consciousness on knowledge sharing. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Hierarchical representations of the five-factor model of personality in predicting job performance: Integrating three organizing frameworks with two theoretical perspectives.

Integrating 2 theoretical perspectives on predictor-criterion relationships, the present study developed and tested a hierarchical framework in which each five-factor model (FFM) personality trait comprises 2 DeYoung, Quilty, and Peterson (2007) facets, which in turn comprise 6 Costa and McCrae (1992) NEO facets. Both theoretical perspectives-the bandwidth-fidelity dilemma and construct correspondence-suggest that lower order traits would better predict facets of job performance (task performance and contextual performance). They differ, however, as to the relative merits of broad and narrow traits in predicting a broad criterion (overall job performance). We first meta-analyzed the relationship of the 30 NEO facets to overall job performance and its facets. Overall, 1,176 correlations from 410 independent samples (combined N = 406,029) were coded and meta-analyzed. We then formed the 10 DeYoung et al. facets from the NEO facets, and 5 broad traits from those facets. Overall, results provided support for the 6-2-1 framework in general and the importance of the NEO facets in particular.

Predicting Sales Performance Criteria With Personality Measures: The Use of the General Factor of Personality, the Big Five and Narrow Traits

The present study investigated the predictive validities of different hierarchical levels of personality for sales performance. The General Factor of Personality was expected to be most effective at predicting general sales performance, whereas the Big Five factors and its underlying narrow traits were expected to be most effective at predicting the specific sales performance criteria to which they are conceptually aligned. Six different sales performance measures were used in an international study involving 405 sales employees. The results suggest that General Factor of Personality is a valid predictor of general job performance but that some of the aligned narrow personality traits predict specific sales performance above and beyond the Big Five factors. The narrow trait Social Boldness has a negative relation with rated sales performance and sales results.

Identifying early childhood personality dimensions using the California Child Q-Set and prospective associations with behavioral and psychosocial development

The present study used an empirical, “bottom-up” approach to delineate the structure of the California Child Q-Set (CCQ), a comprehensive set of personality descriptors, in a sample of 373 preschool-aged children. This approach yielded two broad trait dimensions, Adaptive Socialization (emotional stability, compliance, intelligence) and Anxious Inhibition (emotional/behavioral introversion). Results demonstrate the value of using empirical derivation to investigate the structure of personality in young children, speak to the importance of early-evident personality traits for adaptive development, and are consistent with a growing body of evidence indicating that personality structure in young children is similar, but not identical, to that in adults, suggesting a model of broad personality dimensions in childhood that evolve into narrower traits in adulthood.

Correlates of daily leisure-time physical activity in a community sample: Narrow personality traits and practical barriers.

Previous studies examining correlates of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) have identified personality factors that are correlated with LTPA and practical factors that impede LTPA. The purpose of the present study was to test how several narrow traits predict daily reports of LTPA and to test whether traits that predict LTPA moderate the effects of practical barriers. 1192 participants completed baseline measures of personality, then reported their LTPA and several situational and environmental factors daily for 25 days. We used generalized estimating equations to measure how personality traits, practical barriers, and interactions between these factors affected (1) the odds of engaging in LTPA and (2) the duration of daily LTPA. Higher standing on Activity and Discipline and lower standing on Assertiveness predicted greater odds of engaging in LTPA and longer duration of LTPA, and higher standing on Aesthetics predicted shorter duration of LTPA. Poor weather conditions and less leisure time were associated with less LTPA, and effects of these barriers were generally greater among participants 30 and older. In participants older than 30, poor weather was associated with less LTPA among those with lower standing on Activity but was not associated with LTPA among those high in Activity. Despite Discipline's overall positive association with LTPA, less leisure time and less routineness were greater barriers for those high in Discipline. Assessing narrow personality traits could help target LTPA interventions to individual patients' needs and could help identify important new personality dynamics that affect LTPA.

Enhancing Criterion-Related Validity Through Bottom-Up Contextualization of Personality Inventories: The Construction of an Ecological Conscientiousness Scale for Ph.D. Candidates

In this article the concept of “ecological personality scales” is introduced. These are contextualized inventories with a high ecological validity. They are developed in a bottom-up or qualitative way and combine a relatively high trait specificity with a relatively high situational specificity. An ecological Conscientiousness or time management scale for Ph.D. candidates was developed. It significantly predicted Ph.D. performance criteria and showed incremental validity beyond Big Five (Study 1) and narrow trait and frame-of-reference scales (Study 2). These findings suggest that an ecological approach may contribute to further improving the criterion validity of personality measures.

HEXACO, social worldviews and socio-political attitudes: A mediation analysis

The Dual Process Model of Ideology and Prejudice states that ‘dangerous world’ and ‘competitive jungle’ beliefs shape Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), respectively. We investigated whether the associations of the HEXACO personality traits with SDO and RWA were mediated by these beliefs. Study 1 (297 Italian participants) investigated mediation at the general factor level. Study 2 (344 US participants) focused on the components of Honesty and Humility and of Openness-culture and Openness-curiosity. Personality associations with SDO were mostly mediated by Competitive Jungle beliefs, whilst personality associations with RWA were mostly unmediated. At the level of narrow trait components, different effects for Honesty and Humility and for Openness-culture and Openness-curiosity were revealed.

The nonlinear relationships between personality traits and job performance

The first purpose of this study was to examine the nonlinear relationships between personality traits (conscientiousness and emotional stability) and job performance(task performance and contextual performance). The second purpose was to examine the difference of inflection points in the nonlinear relationships between conscientiousness's narrow traits(achievement and dependability) and task performance. And the third purpose was to examine the moderating effect of job creativity on the nonlinear relationship between conscientiousness and task performance. Data were gathered from 211 employees who were working in various organizations in Korea. To reduce the effect from common method bias, task performance and contextual performance were rated by others(peers or supervisors). As results, there were significant nonlinear relationships between conscientiousness and job performance(task performance and contextual performance), and significant nonlinear relationship between emotional stability and task performance. But there was no nonlinear relationship between emotional stability and contextual performance. The inflection points in the nonlinear relationships between the conscientiousness's narrow traits(achievement and dependability) and task performance were different. Job creativity moderated the nonlinear relationship between conscientiousness and task performance. Finally, implication of results and future research tasks were discussed with limitations.

Individual differences, psychological contract breach, and organizational citizenship behavior: A moderated mediation study

This study examines two competing theories. Self-enhancement theory predicts that self-esteem and equity sensitivity (narrow traits) increase the perception of psychological contract breach and engage less in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), whereas self-consistency theory predicts that these two traits attenuate the perception of psychological contract breach and engage more in OCB. Agreeableness and Conscientiousness (broad traits) are expected to moderate the mediation. This study employs moderated mediation analysis to test a sample of 204 supervisor–subordinate dyads from two theme parks in northern and central Taiwan. The results show that employees high in self-esteem are less likely to perceive psychological contract breach and engage more in OCB, confirming self-consistency theory. The results also show that this mediation is observed when Agreeableness and Conscientiousness are higher than when they are lower. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Australian Tropical and Subtropical Rain Forest Community Assembly: Phylogeny, Functional Biogeography, and Environmental Gradients

AbstractTo compare community assemblage patterns in tropical northeastern and subtropical central eastern Australia across selected gradients and scales, we tested the relationship of species traits with phylogenetic structure, and niche breadth. We considered phylogenetic relationships across current‐day species in assemblages in relation to rain forest species pool sizes, and trait values along gradients including elevation and latitude. Trait values were quantified across scales for seed size, leaf area, wood density and maximum height at maturity for 1137 species and 596 assemblages using trait gradient analysis (TGA). Local assemblages of subtropical species had narrower trait ranges, and higher niche breadth values than corresponding assemblages of tropical species. Leaf size and seed size increased at low latitudes, and community phylogenetic structure was most strongly correlated with seed traits in the subtropics, reflecting dispersal and re‐colonization processes. Elevation accounted for little of the variance in community phylogenetic structure or trait variation across local and regional scales. Stable moist forest areas retained many species from ancestral rain forest lineages across a range of temporally conserved habitats; species within assemblages were less related; and rain forest assemblages had higher functional diversity, but lower niche breadth. This suggests that on average, assemblages of species in stable areas had greater trait variation and narrower distributions. Historic and recent rain forest contraction and re‐expansion can result in recolonized areas that are dominated by species that are more related (phylogenetically) than by chance, have smaller, widely dispersed seeds, and greater niche breadth (broader distributions).

Structural Analysis of the Facets and Domains of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA–PQ) and the NEO PI–R

Aluja, Kuhlman, and Zuckerman (2010) developed an instrument for American and Spanish populations (Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire [ZKA–PQ]) that includes 4 facets for each 5 basic traits of Zuckerman's psychobiological personality model. This new instrument is intended to improve the previous measure based on the same personality model, the Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ), by including the narrower traits (facets) defining the factors. This article explores the convergent and discriminant validity of the new instrument relative to the NEO PI–R in a sample from the Spanish general population. A series of exploratory factor analyses comparing both instruments was conducted. Results showed good convergent and discriminant validity between both instruments, although the ZKA–PQ had a slightly better structure than the NEO PI–R. The results support the validity of the ZKA–PQ factor domains and the facets composing them. The new instrument might be useful in both applied and research settings.

Genome‐wide linkage meta‐analysis identifies susceptibility loci at 2q34 and 13q31.3 for genetic generalized epilepsies

Genetic generalized epilepsies (GGEs) have a lifetime prevalence of 0.3% with heritability estimates of 80%. A considerable proportion of families with siblings affected by GGEs presumably display an oligogenic inheritance. The present genome-wide linkage meta-analysis aimed to map: (1) susceptibility loci shared by a broad spectrum of GGEs, and (2) seizure type-related genetic factors preferentially predisposing to either typical absence or myoclonic seizures, respectively. Meta-analysis of three genome-wide linkage datasets was carried out in 379 GGE-multiplex families of European ancestry including 982 relatives with GGEs. To dissect out seizure type-related susceptibility genes, two family subgroups were stratified comprising 235 families with predominantly genetic absence epilepsies (GAEs) and 118 families with an aggregation of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). To map shared and seizure type-related susceptibility loci, both nonparametric loci (NPL) and parametric linkage analyses were performed for a broad trait model (GGEs) in the entire set of GGE-multiplex families and a narrow trait model (typical absence or myoclonic seizures) in the subgroups of JME and GAE families. For the entire set of 379 GGE-multiplex families, linkage analysis revealed six loci achieving suggestive evidence for linkage at 1p36.22, 3p14.2, 5q34, 13q12.12, 13q31.3, and 19q13.42. The linkage finding at 5q34 was consistently supported by both NPL and parametric linkage results across all three family groups. A genome-wide significant nonparametric logarithm of odds score of 3.43 was obtained at 2q34 in 118 JME families. Significant parametric linkage to 13q31.3 was found in 235 GAE families assuming recessive inheritance (heterogeneity logarithm of odds = 5.02). Our linkage results support an oligogenic predisposition of familial GGE syndromes. The genetic risk factor at 5q34 confers risk to a broad spectrum of familial GGE syndromes, whereas susceptibility loci at 2q34 and 13q31.3 preferentially predispose to myoclonic seizures or absence seizures, respectively. Phenotype- genotype strategies applying narrow trait definitions in phenotypic homogeneous subgroups of families improve the prospects of disentangling the genetic basis of common familial GGE syndromes.

Assessing the Impact of Dispositional Resistance to Change on Organizational Attraction

In recent years there has been an increasing interest among researchers and practitioners to analyze what makes a firm attractive in the eyes of university students, and if individual differences such as personality traits have an impact on this general affect towards a particular organization. The main goal of the present research is to demonstrate that a recently conceptualized narrow trait of personality named dispositional resistance to change (RTC), that is, the inherent tendency of individuals to avoid and oppose changes (Oreg, 2003), can predict organizational attraction of university students to firms that are perceived as innovative or conservative. Three complementary studies were carried out using a total sample of 443 college students from Mexico. In addition to validating the hypotheses, our findings suggest that as the formation of the images of organizations in students' minds is done through social cognitions, simple stimuli such as physical artifacts, when used in an isolated manner, do not have a significant impact on organizational attraction.