Search Results

Examination of a Bi-Directional Relationship between Urgency and Alcohol Use
The proposed study examined whether negative urgency and positive urgency are dynamic traits that hold bi-directional relationships with binge and prolonged alcohol use across time. Individuals between the ages of 18-30 were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk; n = 179) and university student (n = 66) pools. Participants completed three batteries of self-report assessments approximately 30 days apart, each containing measures assessing negative and positive urgency, as well as drinking frequency and binge behavior during the prior month. Latent variable cross-lagged panel models examined the effects of alcohol use from the previous month on negative and positive urgency while controlling for concurrent and autoregressive effects. Results of the current study indicated that for the full sample, there was not an effect for the influence of binge/prolonged drinking on either negative or positive urgency during the subsequent month. However, when examined separately by sample (Turkers vs. university) and gender (male vs. female), significant effects were found more for individuals who were Turkers, male, and/or heavy drinkers, suggesting that increases in positive and negative urgency at Time 2 could be partially explained by variance in drinking patterns at Time 1 for these individuals. However, these relationships were not replicated again between Time 2 and Time 3 due to a decrease in all drinking behaviors during these times. Lastly, the study found that while urgency scores were related to psychosocial problems and dependence symptoms associated with drinking, there was no evidence to support that urgency scores had substantial relationships to specific frequency and/or bingeing behavior across the overall sample, although positive urgency had support for a relationship with bingeing, particularly among heavily drinking men. Thus, while the primary findings did not indicate any effects for a general sample of young adults, the effects observed among heavy male drinkers in the present study …
Demographic and Psychosocial Contributions to the Expression of Schizotypal Personality Traits.
Previous research suggests there are a number of variables that are associated with the expression of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) symptoms. Such variables include childhood trauma, depression and anxiety, substance use, normal-range personality traits, ethnicity, and gender. However, research to date has not examined all of these variables in a single study to determine how they may be interrelated or differentially related to SPD symptom domains. Of particular interest is the association of these variables as explained by the diathesis-stress model. This study utilized a convenience sample of 298 undergraduate students to examine a continuous range of scores for symptoms of SPD and how the interrelation of biological factors such as gender and ethnicity and psychosocial factors and stressors such as childhood trauma and personality traits, specifically neuroticism and extroversion, influence the expression of SPD symptoms. It was predicted that anxiety, depression, stress, and childhood trauma would positively correlate to SPD symptoms. It was also hypothesized that neuroticism and substance use would positively correlate to schizotypal traits and extroversion would be negatively correlated to schizotypal traits as measured by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief. It was further hypothesized that psychosocial stressors would be moderated by the aforementioned biological factors.
Cognitive Organization, Interpersonal Flexibility and Psychological Maladjustment
Recent research on the contribution of cognitive and social factors to psychopathology has been narrowly focused on isolated cognitive-social aspects of adjustment. This study takes a broader perspective by examining a) cognitive structure in addition to cognitive content and b) general aspects of interpersonal style rather than isolated social behaviors. Maladjustment was. examined with respect to premorbid history as well as current adjustment. The hypotheses were that cognitive integration interacts with cognitive complexity to influence psychological disturbance; that a positive relationship exists between interpersonal flexibility and psychopathology; and that a positive relationship exists between the proportion of ambiguous constructs which they employ and a person's level of psychopathology.
Personality Correlates of Burnout in Teachers
Career burnout has been recognized as a syndrome marked by mental, physical and emotional exhaustion which is especially prevalent among teachers. Teacher burnout is currently a widely researched phenomenon and controversy over its definition, causes and interventions has been great. Meanwhile, the burnout construct has gained little clarity. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether identifiable personality characteristics, as measured by the Personality Research Form, were consistently associated with burnout in teachers, as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Cognitive Burnout Scale. Moderately strong relationships were found between specific personality characeristics and reported levels of burnout. However, individual factors were not concluded to be as critical as the interaction between such factors and the environment. Future directions are discussed.
The Relationships Between Certain Personality Variables and Conservative, Moderate, and Liberal Theological Beliefs
The purpose of this study was to determine if seminary students, identified as conservative, moderate, or liberal in theological beliefs, were significantly different on the following personality variables: dogmatism, thinking introversion, theoretical orientation, aestheticism, complexity, autonomy, religious orientation, impulse expression, anxiety level, practical outlook, and personal integration. The instrument used to measure theological beliefs was the "Inventory of Theological Beliefs." Dogmatism was measured by the "Rokeach Dogmatism Scale." All other variables were measured by the Omnibus Personality Inventory.
A Comparison of Certain Personality Traits Between College Student Cigarette Smokers and Nonsmokers
This investigation seeks to determine whether certain personality traits of college students are related to their smoking habits. The purpose of the study is to determine whether significant personality differences exist among college students who can be classified as light smokers, heavy smokers, ex-smokers, and nonsmokers and to determine the nature of the differences. The study involved four male experimental groups and four female experimental groups, assigned on the basis of sex and cigarette smoking habits as ascertained from a questionnaire. A total of 191 subjects from two junior colleges comprised the sample. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS), the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS), and a questionnaire to obtain information on each subject's smoking habits were administered to the subjects at one sitting. Comparisons of the group means of each of the four classifications of smokers and nonsmokers were accomplished by a one-way analysis-of-variance design.
Personality Factors and Trust in Placebo Medical Trials
Prior research has reported that individual differences influence both placebo and nocebo responses. The present study examined how individual personality, as well as trust, influence placebo/nocebo belief and symptom reporting after receiving an inert capsule that for some was described as an active “cognitively-enhancing” trial medication. Individuals (N = 104) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: condition A participants were told they’d received the medication, condition B participants were told they’d received a placebo, and condition C participants were told, via random assignment, each would receive either the medication or placebo (after the experiment this condition listed the group – medication or placebo - each believed s/he was in). The study was completed in the UNT Student Health and Wellness Center to provide context in a medical setting. Of the 104 participants, 46 (44.2%) were either placed by experimental design or self-report in the medication group. Participants with a belief in medication ingestion, regardless of condition (i.e., A or C), reported significantly more symptoms (M = 16.65, SD = 3.178), than participants who believed they had ingested a placebo (M = 14.21, SD = 2.58), t (102) = 4.32, p = .001. Aspects of Neuroticism and Extroversion, as well as trust were correlated with symptom reporting and/or placebo/nocebo responses. It appears that that personality is part of a combination including trust, context and expectations. It is recommended that future research on personality and placebo effects consider the role of individual factors, context and communication of expectations.
Field Dependence and the Effectiveness of Training in Two Selected Orientations to Counseling
This study investigates the effect of Witkin's cognitive-style variable on training success in two different orientations to counseling. Field-dependent individuals exhibit more social orientation, social compliance, and emotional warmth than field-independent individuals. Conversely, field-independent individuals exhibit more internal directedness, achievement orientation, emotional distance, and analytical task orientation than field-dependent individuals. Traits associated with field dependence appeared more complementary to an interpersonal-skills counseling approach, while traits associated with field independence appeared more complementary to behavior-modification techniques. Thus it was hypothesized that field-dependent individuals would be significantly more successful and satisfied with interpersonal skills training than would field-independent individuals, and that field-independent individuals would be more successful and satisfied with behavior modification training.
The Big Five Personality Characteristics of World of Warcraft Players
This study is a comparative analysis of the personality characteristics of a sample of World of Warcraft players (n = 147) and a large normative sample (n = 20,993). The 120-item International Personality Item Pool, based on the five factor model, is used. Independent t-tests were conducted and statistical significance was found for some factors; however, the effect sizes were small, indicating a limited practical difference between the two groups.
The Relationship Between Selected Adlerian Personality Constructs and Counselor Effectiveness in a Master's Level Counseling Practicum
This study was designed to examine the relationship between selected Adlerian personality constructs and counselor effectiveness in a master's level practicum. In addition, the relationship between counselor age and counselor effectiveness was examined.
How does personality relate to contextual performance, turnover, and customer service?
Personality measures are often used by organizations to select and develop employees in a way that maximizes their performance. Studies examining the relationship between personality and job performance have found some evidence for their utility in a variety of situations. Data was collected from a large restaurant company (N=9,800) in which hourly employees took a personality test for selection. Supervisory performance ratings and turnover data were also included for some employees. A three factor model of contextual performance consisting of personal support, organizational support, and conscientiousness initiative was tested and supported. The personality scales with the strongest relationship to performance, included drive and energy, friendliness, and emotional consistency. Effect sizes were relatively similar to previous meta-analytic studies, with the exception of a facet of conscientiousness which revealed a lower correlation with performance than expected. A differential pattern of correlations between the personality scales and performance dimensions was observed that supported some of the theoretically aligned constructs. The correlations between the personality variables and performance were unexpectedly higher among customer facing employees than team-based employees. No hypothesized interaction effects were supported, but some nonlinear relationships were found among some of the personality scales and performance. Drive and energy was a statistically significant predictor in decreasing the rate of turnover, however no support was found for any personality scale predicting job abandonment or involuntary turnover. Finally, a path model was tested that provided marginal support for performance mediating the relationship between personality and customer service ratings at the store level. Implications for human resource practices and recommendations for future research are discussed.
The Effect of Personality Characteristics on Information Selection, Utilization and Decision-Making
The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of determining the role of personality in information acquisition and utilization during the decision-making process, by replicating the Schkade-Scarborough box design and the Kernan-Mojena chip design, using an expanded battery of psychological tests. This investigation seeks to accomplish the following objectives: (1) review and summarize the present literature which relates personality and binary decision behavior; (2) review and summarize the present literature which relates personality with information transmission and utilization; (3) administer the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (NMPI), the Gordon Personal Inventory (GPI), the Gordon Personal Profile (GPP), EAS j, and LA1S0 to a group of subjects who will also participate in both the box and the chip experimental designs; (4) replicate both the box and the chip experimental designs with a different set of subjects to test for consistency of findings; (5) perform canonical analysis on the box design, endeavoring to extend and refine the analysis of the data; and (6) compare the findings from the box and chip experimental designs, and identify areas for further research. The purpose of this study is twofold. The first is to replicate and test the research findings of Schkade-Scarborough and Kernan-Mojena, which suggested that there is a statistically significant relationship between decision performance, as defined by a set of decision performance metrics, and personality, as defined by a set of psychological test scales. The second purpose is to test the hypothesis that the same psychological scales which are significantly related to decision performance, as defined by the box performance metrics, are also related to decision performance, as defined by the chip performance metric.
The Effects of Aerobics Conditioning Exercises on Selected Personality Characteristics of Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Girls
This study is a description of selected personality characteristics of seventh- and eighth-grade girls and the changes that occur before and after a program of either aerobics (running) or anaerobics (calisthenics) conditioning exercises during the fall semester, 1973.
Structural Aspects of Loevinger's Model of Ego Development
The study reviews the structural and psychometric underpinnings of Loevinger's theory of ego development. It is noted that the current literature investigating the validity of Loevinger's model has not adequately addressed the structural assumptions of the theory. "Process" variables are hypothesized to vary depending on the process of structural change. Two such variables, cognitive complexity and the organization of cognitive constructs, were measured in 73 college students, staff, and faculty members in three North Texas institutions. Level of ego development, measured by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test, was assessed in each subject and the pattern of cognitive complexity and construct organization was evaluated across ego levels. Results offer only limited support for the stage model's structural assumptions. Discussion highlights several inadequacies in Loevinger's instrument and offers a direction for possible revision. Implications of the results are examined in terms of current theoretical issues.
Felony Offenses Related to Personality Traits
The problem with which this investigation is concerned is whether relationships may exist between personality and type of offense in a felon population. The Eysenck Personality Inventory, which measures extraversion-introversion (E), neuroticism-stability (N), and includes a lie scale (L), was used to determine subject's personality traits. Offenses were divided into crimes against persons, crimes against property, and crimes against the morals of the state. Subjects consisted of 751 adult male felons. The product-moment correlation was computed for each offense-variable EPI pair. A negative association between E and crimes against persons, together with a positive association between L and crimes against persons, were found to be statistically significant at the 0.05 level, although quite low. It was concluded that results obtained should be guardedly interpreted in view of the minimal amount of variability accounted for, though of possible value in suggesting future research.
Personality Correlates of Eating Disorder Symptomatology in a Nonclinical Sample of Female Undergraduates
Research indicates the existence of an eating disorder continuum. The two-component model of disordered eating suggests that certain personality traits may increase an individual's vulnerability to develop more severe variants of disordered eating symptomatology. The present study investigates pre-clinical elevations on a measure of personality based on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) and pre-clinical elevations on a measure of eating disorder symptomatology in a sample of nonclinical undergraduates. The personality dimensions Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Agreeableness accounted for 7% of the variability in Body Dissatisfaction. Subcomponents comprising the personality dimensions of the FFM as determined by Saucier (1998) (see Appendix A) were analyzed. The Self-Reproach and Intellectual Interests subcomponents were the strongest predictors of Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction. The subcomponent Sociability was the strongest predictor of Bulimia. Findings present implications for prevention and treatment interventions. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the temporal directionality of personality and disturbed eating.
Negative affect, introversion and physiological markers of cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular risk factors have expanded to include personality and other psychological characteristics. Negative affect (NA) has a longstanding history in cardiovascular health, but the path by which NA leads to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is yet to be defined. The following study examined the relationship of high NA and low extroversion (EX) with physiological cardiovascular markers in a sample of non-medical, professional adults. Our results indicated that individuals high in NA and low in EX displayed a significantly lower platelet count and a significantly higher mean platelet volume. Individuals high in NA displayed a significantly lower cholesterol risk ratio, while individuals high in EX displayed significantly higher platelet counts. Personality was not significantly related to blood pressure, high or low density lipoproteins. Understanding the relationships among psychological variables and physiological markers will help clinical researchers design interventions that reduce the likelihood of CVD.
Personality and the prediction of outcome following rehabilitation in persons with acquired brain injuries: The Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD).
Neuropsychological rehabilitation following acquired brain injury is increasingly recognized as essential with the advancements in research evidence of its effectiveness, particularly as current estimates of disability following the most common forms of brain injury (traumatic brain injury and cerebrovascular accident) are so high. Improvements in predictive capabilities of researchers and clinicians are paramount in designing effective interventions. As many variables associated with outcome following brain injury are not controllable (e.g. severity of the injury, age, education), it is essential that rehabilitation programs design interventions to target those variables that are susceptible to amelioration. While personality factors have been shown to affect outcome in other medical illnesses, only a few studies have examined the influence of personality on outcome following neurorehabilitation for acquired brain injury. The results of these studies have been mixed. This study used the Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD) to predict outcome as measured by the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Index (MPAI-4) following brain injury rehabilitation in a heterogeneous sample of persons with acquired brain injuries (N = 50). It was hypothesized that specific coping styles scales from the MBMD (Introversive, Dejected, Oppositional), which are based on Millon's personality system, would predict outcome. Results indicated that both the Introversive and Oppositional coping styles scales accounted for significant amounts of variance in outcome beyond that accounted for by the severity of the injury alone (p < .001). In both cases, individuals with mild/moderate-moderate/severe limitations following completion of the rehabilitation program had significantly higher scores on the Introversive and Oppositional coping compared to individuals with more successful outcomes. The hypothesis that a dejected coping style would predict outcome was not supported. Implications for rehabilitation are discussed in the context of Millon's personality system.
Personalities and Pipelines: Exploring the Role of Personality in Student Self-selection Into Stem Majors
Despite all the national efforts to increase STEM enrollment in the United States, the gap between the U.S. and other developed countries in terms of STEM graduates has widened over the last 20 years. Researchers have studied factors such as gender, race, high school GPA, and the student’s socioeconomic status for their impact on STEM enrollment. This study offers another possible explanation of why students might choose, or not choose, to enroll in STEM majors by examining the relationship between personality and STEM enrollment. the sample included 2,745 respondents to the 2008 Cooperative Institutional Research Program freshman survey at a large research university in the southwestern United States. Factor analysis was used to create four personality scales, based on John Holland’s theory of personality types, with items selected from the survey. Logistic regression was utilized to answer three research questions: Are students classified as a strong investigative personality type more likely to enroll in STEM majors than students classified as a weak investigative personality type? Are there differences in their likelihood to enroll in STEM majors among students of investigative-social, investigative-artistic, and investigative-enterprising personality types? What effect does personality have on students’ self-selection into a biological versus a physical STEM major? Results suggested that students with a combined investigative and social personality were more likely to enroll in STEM majors whereas students with a combined investigative and artistic personality were less likely to do so. Additionally, STEM students with an enterprising personality were more likely to choose a biological STEM major than a physical STEM major. These results should benefit educators and policy makers who seek to strengthen the pipeline into STEM fields.
The Relationship between Principal's Evaluations of Professional Behavior Characteristics of Secondary School Teachers and These Teachers' Self-Descriptions
The problem of this study was to ascertain the relationship between secondary school principals' evaluation of professional behavior patterns of secondary teachers and these teachers' self-descriptions.
The Repression-Sensitization Dimension and Leisure Preferences
The Purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the repression-sensitization dimension and leisure preferences, specifically threatening versus nonthreatening physical activity and television program preferences. The hypotheses were that sensitizers would prefer threatening (violent) television programs and threatening (competitive) physical activities to a significantly greater degree than repressors. Sixty college undergraduates were designated repressors, sensitizers, or middle group by their scores on Byrne's Repression-Sensitization Scale. Preference sheets determined subjects' preferences for threatening and nonthreatening television programs and physical activities. Simple analyses of variance revealed no significant differences in repressors', sensitizers', or middle group's preferences for threatening television programs or physical activities, and thus the hypotheses were rejected. Non-significant tendencies in the data, in hypothesized directions, suggest further research.
The Relationship of Personality to the Selection of a Required Physical Education Activity by College Women
This investigation was designed to determine whether or not a significant relationship existed between personality and the selection of a required physical education activity and whether or not personality traits exhibited by freshman women were related to specific type activities. Sources of data were 107 freshman women enrolled in activity classes at North Texas State University, 1974-75. The Cattell 16 Personality Factor Inventory, Form A and an information sheet were the instruments utilized in the study. An analysis of variance was calculated to ascertain whether or not differences existed among the four groups in personality scores. This study concluded that no significant relationship appeared to exist between personality and the selection of specific physical activities.
Changes in Personality Traits Following an Intensive In-Service Para-Professional Counseling-Aide Program
The primary purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of an intensive, in-service training program for modifying selected personality traits among para-professional counselor aides restricted to working with emotionally disturbed youth in a residential treatment center. Additionally, an attempt was made to identify the areas in which personality traits were modified, both between experimental and control groups and between males and females.
Personality as a Predictor of Draft Selection and Performance in Professional Baseball Players
Research has demonstrated that personality factors are associated with sport performance as measured by coach ratings and objective performance outcomes, as well as factors/behaviours that are understood to be facilitative for performance, such as problem-focused coping and quality of preparation. Given the potential utility of personality assessment, professional sport organizations have integrated it into their pre-draft procedures. However, it remains unclear whether such data, particularly at the factor level, can add value to draft selection process, over and above that of past performances. The purpose of the present study was to explore if the Big-Five personality traits are related to draft order and predictive of athletes' future performance in professional baseball. Latent profile analysis revealed two distinct personality profiles amongst 2018 and 2019 draft prospects. The results of the covariate analysis were not significant; however, this was likely due to the small n for class 2. Thus, there might in fact still be a meaningful difference between personality profiles by draft order. The results of a series of multiple regression analyses suggested that personality factors and facets were not predictive of performance in the season following the draft, after controlling for performance in the previous season for both hitters and pitchers. Overall, the results suggest that personality assessment likely does not provide much unique and valuable information for draft selection. However, personality assessment might be valuable from a player development and support standpoint.
MMPI-2 Patterns of Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Recent literature suggests that not only does Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD) persist into adulthood, but it can also be accompanied by personality characteristics which cause emotional difficulties. In fact, adults diagnosed with ADHD can present with a profusion of difficulties. Several constructs appear to accumulate dynamically throughout development to place the adult with ADHD at risk for multiple emotional problems. These interwoven influences include familial characteristics, childhood emotional and academic difficulties, and inadequate coping skills to respond to adulthood pressures. This document, first, describes a developmental model for conceptualizing negative trajectories leading to nonadaptive coping and psychopathology and identifies personality factors of adults diagnosed with ADHD. This model provides clinicians and researchers with a better understanding of the complexity and challenges of adulthood ADHD in order to aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The purpose of this study is to examine personality factors common to adults diagnosed with ADHD and compares these characteristics with a group of adults diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Adults responding to a community advertisement who provided documentation of the diagnosis of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder were administered the MMPI-2. This ADHD group was compared with MMPI-2 profiles of a group of adults diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder or Dysthymic Disorder. A cluster analysis procedure was performed and results are discussed.
Relationship between the Big Five and Creative Self-Beliefs in Undergraduates in Terms of College Enrollment and Major
Supporting creativity in undergraduate education is important for the future development of society. To do this, an understanding of undergraduate characteristics is needed. A systematic literature review of the relationship between the Big Five personality factors and little-c creativity in undergraduates identified 19 studies. The creativity assessments within these investigations represented several conceptions of the construct with domain-general, self-reported measures of Person as most common. Results suggest that both Openness to Experience and Extraversion have strong, consistent, positive relationships with creativity. Few significant relations were found concerning Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Notable differences were found between NEO and IPIP inventories in regard to the strength of the relationship between the Big Five personality factors and creativity. Additional differences were also found concerning which students were assessed. Given these results along with previous research, six descriptive discriminant analyses (DDAs) were conducted to identify differences between honors and non-honors undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and those in non-STEM majors in relation to personality and creative self-beliefs. Surveys, which included a 120-item, 5-point scale measure of the Big Five and a 50-item, 5-point scale measure of creative self-beliefs, were completed by 573 undergraduates. No interaction effects were observed. However, each DDA had a statistically significant effect for having a STEM major and two had a statistically significant main effect for honors college enrollment. Most notable was the relationship between having a STEM major and Mechanical/Science creative self-belief. Limitations and implications are discussed.
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