Personality Assessment Methods Research Articles

Personality research with non-human primates: theoretical formulation and methods.

Since the earliest periods of primatology study, researchers have been aware of animals' consistent individual differences in behavior or personality. Many papers have been published on this subject, but they lacked a common theoretical and methodological background. The present work is an attempt to provide such theoretical and methodological foundations to this field of biological science. In the theoretical formulation section, "biological study of personality" is first derived as an extension of the ethology paradigm, and non-human primate personality research is subsequently characterized as its strategic component. In the methodology section, brief reviews and discussions are presented on subjective and objective personality assessment methods with non-human primates with a reference to the reliability and validity concepts in human psychometrics. The work provides a theoretical framework and methodological suggestions for non-human primate personality research.

Professional characters: the personality of the future information workforce

Reports selected findings from research funded by the Library and Information Commission, which compared the personal qualities demanded by employers with the actual attributes of Information and Library Studies (ILS) students. Reviews the literature on previous personality assessment of ILS students and the importance of personal factors in library and information recruitment. Describes the method of personality assessment of 239 ILS students from four universities across the UK. Identifies the personality profiles of the twelve different groups tested. Explores the differences between various subgroups in terms of suitability for information work as previously defined by employers. Discovers significant gender and graduate status differences in emotional stability, dominance, self-sufficiency and social awareness.

Development and validation of a computerized screening test for personality disorders in DSM-III-R.

The available self-report instruments designed to measure personality disorder (PD) are time-consuming to administer and/or score and can be impractical for routine clinical use. There is a need for a computerized method of personality assessment based on contemporary systems of classification. A computerized DSM-III-R-based questionnaire was developed and validated against the structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R Axis-II disorders on a sample of 60 subjects. The computerized test showed moderate validity as a diagnostic instrument (mean kappa coefficient = 0.47). With adjusted cut-off scores it was valid as a screening instrument (mean sensitivity = 0.87). Antisocial, borderline and avoidant PD scores were strongly correlated across measures and not subject to significant observer bias.

On the Integration of Personality Assessment Methods: The Rorschach and MMPI

Despite being the most studied and used personality assessment tools, data from the Rorschach and MMPI generally disagree (Archer & Krishnamurthy, 1993a, 1993b). Independence is proposed to result from at least 3 factors: (a) the methods tap unique levels of personality, (b) personality has a complex organization, and (c) response styles generate considerable method variance that must be considered in nomothetic research. These ideas led to 5 hypotheses, each of which received support. Rorschach and MMPI response styles are uncorrelated, although response styles are quite consistent within a method family. MMPI-2 and Rorschach constructs of dysphoria, psychosis, or wariness are uncorrelated when response styles are ignored. However, robust convergent validity is evident when patients have similar response styles on each method (e.g., for dysphoria, M r = .59) and dysphoria is expressed in opposing ways on each method when response styles are discordant (i.e., M r = -.54). Data from the latter analyses were correlated with genuine clinical phenomena and implications were discussed for clinical practice and research.

Review of Personality Assessment Methods and Practices (2nd rev. ed.).

Review of Personality Assessment Methods and Practices (2nd rev. ed.).

An assessment of the construct validity of the Belbin Self‐Perception Inventory and Observer's Assessment from the perspective of the five‐factor model

This paper examines the construct equivalency of the two measures used in Belbin's (1994) Interplace system—the self‐report Self‐Perception Inventory MK2 (SPI) and the observer‐rating Observer's Assessment (OA)—with regard to their use as parallel forms and their construct validity relative to the five‐factor method (FFM) of personality assessment. A total of 152 managers (101 men, 51 women) completed the SPI and were assessed by four knowledgeable co‐workers each (608 raters) using the OA. Results showed that the convergent and discriminant construct validities of the two measures did not support the contention that they were parallel forms. A second study further examined the equivalency of the measures when 123 participants self‐rated both a normative SPI and the OA. Despite attenuating the effects of ipsativity and self vs. observer discrepancies the two measures were not supported as parallel forms. Finally, the construct validity of ipsative and normative versions of the SPI and a self‐rater OA was examined by correlating their respective role scales with a standard measure of the five basic personality dimensions, the NEO‐PI‐R. Though the ipsative, forced‐choice format of the SPI was identified as a source of invalidity, results showed that neither the SPI, either in ipsative or normative version, nor the OA evidenced convergent and discriminant construct validity relative to the NEO‐PI‐R. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Where "Does" the Buck Stop?: Assessing the Impact of Presidential Personality

Personality studies of important political figures have generally relied on either detailed but idiosyncratic case historical methods or the more rigorous but potentially misleading content analysis of a subject's public statements or writings. This paper employs a comparatively new method of personality assessment to evaluate the personality of postwar U. S. presidents. A Q-sort analysis produces a personality profile for each of six U. S. presidents and permits a comparison of these profiles with criterion profiles for presidential openness, effective leadership, and optimally adjusted personality. The Q-sort data provide no support for the hypothesis that a president's personality is related to his overall greatness rating by historians, but the data are consistent with the hypothesis that presidents rated high on openness may also exhibit greater integrative complexity in their policy deliberations during international crises.

Personality, functioning, and recovery from major depression.

The effect of personality on the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy in those with severe depressive illness has been investigated in a few studies, and the results are conflicting, with some demonstrating no effect and others the opposite. These studies, however, used hospital readmission as the only outcome measure, and the methods of personality assessment varied. To study this question in further detail, 40 patients were assessed while receiving inpatient electroconvulsive therapy, at the time of discharge, every 6 weeks for 6 months, and at 1 year after discharge. A number of outcome variables were assessed, including both symptomatic and social functioning measures as well as readmission to hospital. Premorbid personality was also assessed after discharge. The results demonstrate that personality is a predictor of social function at the time of discharge from hospital. In those patients with personality disorders, social recovery is slower than in those with normal personalities. Personality status did not distinguish the speed of symptomatic recovery or of readmission. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Development of the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory

A combined "emic-etic" approach was adopted to develop an indigenous omnibus personality inventory for the Chinese people. The Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI) consists of constructs selected specifically in consideration of the Chinese culture as well as scales covering personality constructs commonly found in English-language psychological tests. Preliminary results confirmed the robust structure of the scales related to Chinese tradition among random samples of subjects in the People's Republic of China and in Hong Kong. This article reports the psychometric properties of the CPAI. It also outlines the steps in the construction of the CPAI, which adapted personality assessment methods used in Western countries for developing a culturally relevant instrument in a non-Western culture. The methodology provides an example for the development of indigenous personality inventories in other non-Western cultures.

Projective-Inventory: An Indigenous Approach to Personality Assessment

The paper aims to present a theoretical model of projective-inventory (P-I) method of personality assessment and provide empirical findings in the area. This method integrates the positive psychometric aspects of both projective and self-report inventories to achieve scoring objectivity and greater reliability and validity of trait scales (Puhan, 1982). Accordingly, real-life episodes are presented to the subjects as structured projective stimulus situations with three or four interacting characters who may be placed at differentpoints on the trait continuum . Each episode is followed by a number of statements relating to the activities of the characters which are "Agreed" or "Disagreed" by the subjects to ensure objectivity in scoring. The P-I method is satisfactorily evaluated against the requirements of convergent and discriminant validity and has been used to develop a nu mber of personality scales. The paper also presents data of several empirical studies indicating minimal influence of social desirability on projective-inventory scores. The P-I method is described as a trait-in-state approach to personality assessment as it samples situations from a wide range of possibilities and accommodates the trait-state controversies in the area. Besides, it is argued that the utilisation of real-life episodes in the P-I method brings the context back to the testing situation through its narratives to which Indians are quite accustomed. Considering its origin from an Indian anecdote and su itabilityfor India npop ulatio n where social desirabilityposes fargreater challenges for inventory scores, the P-I is described as an indigenous method of personality assessment. Thepaper also calls for the development of scales to measure different contemporary Indian traits utilising the P-I method.

Results of the ESA study on psychological selection of astronaut candidates for Columbus missions II: Personality assessment

A unique composition of personality assessment methods was applied to a group of 97 ESA scientists and engineers. This group is highly comparable to real astronaut candidates with respect to age and education. The list of used tests includes personality questionnaires, problem solving in groups as well as a projective technique. The study goals were: 1. Verification of psychometric qualities and applicability of tests to the target group; 2. Search for culture-fair tests by which multi-national European groups can be examined; 3. Identification of test methods by which the adaptability of the candidates to the psycho-social stress of long-duration space flights can be assessed. Based on the empirical findings, a test battery was defined which can be used in the selection of ESA space personnel.

Thematic Analysis of Daily Events as a Method of Personality Assessment

I examined how themes in emotionally meaningful daily events can be used as a personality assessment technique. Eighty-eight student participants recorded their most positive and most negative experiences each day for 2 weeks. Common themes were identified in these events by the participants and judges. The convergent validity of the daily events measures was demonstrated through comparisons with a diverse set of personality measures of achievement and affiliation motivation, including a projective test (the Thematic Apperception Test), self-report questionnaires, and peer reports. Results suggest that a thematic analysis of daily life events may be a useful means of assessing the specific daily concerns and stressors experienced by individuals.

Personality structure across cultures: A multimethod evaluation.

Personality structure was assessed in 4 countries (Canada, Finland, Poland, and Germany) using both an established verbal personality inventory and a new nonverbal personality questionnaire. A 5-factor structure was found to be highly robust in that it was replicated across the 4 cultures and across the 2 personality assessment methods. The data are discussed in terms of (a) the failure to support a semantic similarity interpretation of personality item responses, (b) the factorial validity of the new nonverbal personality questionnaire, and (c) the viability of the popular 5-factor model of personality. We describe the results of a multimethod cross-cultural study of personality structure. We assessed the organization of personality in four countries by using a traditional verbal self-report measure of personality and a new nonverbal measure. The verbal inventory we used was Jackson's (1984) Personality Research Form-E (PRF), listed in Mitchell's Tests in Print (1983, Table 2) as the fourth most cited personality test used by psychological researchers. The new nonverbal measure, called the Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire (NPQ), is a structured paper-and-pencil form measuring 16 of the 20 Murray traits represented in the PRF. Its items are 136 line drawings of a person engaging in various trait-related behaviors. Respondents are asked to estimate the likelihood that they would engage in behaviors like those shown in the illustrations. The development of the NPQ and some of its psychometric properties have been described by Paunonen, Jackson, and Keinonen (1990). We had three primary goals in designing the present crosscultural study. These goals, described in the following sections, pertain to evaluating personality structure and (a) the wellknown semantic similarity interpretation of personality ques

Personality profiles and specialty choices of students from two medical school classes

Changes in the composition of medical school classes, in methods of personality assessment, and in the nature of medical specialties motivated the authors to reexamine the relationship between a student's personality and his or her chosen medical specialty. In the mid-1980s, the authors assessed two consecutive classes of medical school students (120 in each class) on 15 personality measures throughout their four years; usable data were obtained for 199 of the students. The students' specialty choices upon graduation were obtained from the results of the National Resident Matching Program, and were classified as follows: internal medicine, surgery, family practice, pediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics-gynecology, and hospital-based specialties. The authors constructed personality profiles for the students who had chosen each of these seven specialty groupings, on the basis of t-tests and discriminant function analyses, and discuss these profiles and their associations with the students' specialty choices in the context of earlier research. The personality profiles for surgeons were remarkable for their consistency with reports from the literature from the 1950s and 1960s, while the profiles for obstetricians, psychiatrists, and pediatricians were complex and provocative. Distinctive personality profiles did not emerge for internists or family practitioners.

The Bender-Gestalt as a method of personality assessment with adolescents.

Normative data are presented for two Bender-Gestalt scoring systems with a sample of "normal" controls (n = 150), emotionally disturbed (n = 140), and mentally retarded/neurologically impaired (MR/NI) adolescents (n = 47), aged 12 to 17 years. The results failed to support the use of Hutt's (1985) Psychopathology Scale and Adolescent Configuration in differentiating the "normal" and emotionally disturbed groups, but did support their use in differentiating the MR/NI group from the other two. The Hutt scores also were found to be related inversely to age and IQ. By contrast, the Koppitz scores differentiated the three groups from each other and were not related significantly to IQ. The results supported limited use of Koppitz's (1975) Emotional Indicators as a "sign" approach to brief screening for emotional disturbance in adolescents.

Review of Scientific Aspects of Graphology: A Handbook.

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1988, Vol 33(2), 172. Reviews the book, Scientific Aspects of Graphology: A Handbook edited by Baruch Nevo (see record 1987-97087-000). Graphology, the analysis of handwriting, is Europe's most widely used method of personality assessment. A study that reported high correlations between a graphologist's judgments and job performance is followed by a similar study that found that graphological judgments were outperformed by graduate student ratings of essay quality, aesthetics of the script, and language errors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

A comparison of one free-format and two fixed-format self-report personality assessment methods.

A comparison of one free-format and two fixed-format self-report personality assessment methods.

A comparison of one free-format and two fixed-format self-report personality assessment methods.

A comparison of one free-format and two fixed-format self-report personality assessment methods.

Standardization of questionnaire methods (MMPI and 16 PF) for adolescent examination

Statistical standards and criteria for the evaluation of the adolescent's personality by such personality assessment methods as MMPI and 16 PF are presented. MMPI statistical standards are established for pupils of the 8th form and 16 PF statistical norms - for pupils of the 8th, 10th, and 11th forms. The usage of the above-mentioned standards makes it possible to interpret more exactly the results of examination of the adolescent's personality.

The Draw-a-Person Test: Validity Properties for Nonbiased Assessment

Among man's earliest attempts to communicate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, drawing became one of the first means of creation and forms of expression. While the study and analysis of children's drawings historically had been of interest to philosophers and educators, the work by Cooke (1885) and other pioneer child psychologists was instrumental in identifying developmental stages in children's spontaneous drawings. Later, the work of Thorndike (1931) and Goodenough (1926) culminated in the development of assessment techniques allowing for more systematic research on children's intellectual and personality development. Interest in children's drawings, including their application in therapy and psychoeducational appraisal, has remained strong. The notion that children's drawings reflect their intellectual development, not just their visual-motor skills, laid the foundation for the development of the Draw-A-Person Test (DAP; Goodenough, 1926). Early research suggested that the scale was useful for assessing children between the ages of 4 and 13. Furthermore, results indicated that although the characteristics measured by the scale were unrelated to children's artistic talents (Goodenough, 1926), they were related to children's ages (Goodenough, 1926); gender (girls scoring higher than boys [Goodenough, 1926] or boys scoring higher than girls [Dennis, 1942; Menzel, 1935]); social class (middle-class children scoring higher than low socioeconomic children [Adler, 1970; Coles, 1967; Georgas & Georgas, 1972]); and racial-ethnic characteristics (Anglos scoring higher than blacks [Lindler, 1962] or Anglos scoring higher than Mexican Americans [Manuel & Hughes, 1932]). Furthermore, the scale was found to be economically administered and scored by persons with minimal training. Machover (1949) and others popularized the DAP as a projective method of personality assessment, and Buck (1948) extended its use to the House, Tree, Person test. Finally, extension and revision of the 1926 DAP under the title of Harris-Goodenough Test of Psychological Maturity (Harris, 1961) further emphasized the usefulness and popularity of examining children's drawings as an expression of their body and self-images and as a reflection of their conceptual development. Beyond these more obvious applications, the DAP has assumed special relevance as a test of intelligence. Thus, studies of its relationships with the Stanford-Binet (Birch, 1949; Estes, Curtin, DeBurger, & Denny, 1961; Goodenough, 1926; Lindler, 1962; McElwee, 1932; McHugh, 1945; Pringle & Pickup, 1963), the WISC (Pringle & Pickup, 1963), and Thurstone's Primary Mental Ability Tests (Vane & Kessler, 1964) report correlations in the low .40s with a few studies reporting correlations in the mid .70s. Correlations between the DAP and children's school achievement (Goodenough, 1926; Koppitz, Sullivan, Blyth, & Shelton, 1959; Vane & Kessler, 1964) also generally fall in the mid .40s to low .50s.