Showing papers in "Journal of Individual Differences in 2006"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship of Big Five personality with right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, and found that Openness to Experience was the only significant predictor of RWA on factor level, whereas Values and Ideas were significant predictors on facet level.
Abstract: Extending previous research on the relation of Big-Five personality with right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, we examined the relationships of Big Five facet scores rather than factor scores. The results (N = 332) of stepwise regression analyses showed that Openness to Experience was the only significant predictor of RWA on factor level, whereas Values and Ideas were significant predictors on facet level. A similar analysis of SDO showed that Agreeableness and Openness to Experience contributed significantly to the prediction on factor level, whereas Tender-Mindedness and Values were the best significant predictors on facet level. The prediction based on facet scores showed to be more accurate that the prediction based on factor scores. A random split of the sample confirmed the robustness of the findings. The results are discussed against the background of the personality and the social psychology approaches to explaining individual differences in prejudice.
99 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the influence of personality traits and coping strategies on performance anxiety among professional orchestra musicians and found that musicians suffering from performance anxiety try all manner of strategies before a rehearsal or performance to cope with the situation, even if not all of these strategies are appropriate for reducing performance anxiety.
Abstract: The objective of the present study was to examine the influence of personality traits and coping strategies on performance anxiety among professional orchestra musicians. The sample consisted of 122 members of six German symphony and opera orchestras. The musicians were asked to complete questionnaires measuring various personality traits. In addition, shortly before a normal rehearsal and a public performance, they also gave details about their state-coping and their present level of performance anxiety. The latter was measured by four aspects: Lack of confidence, worry, emotionality, and physical symptoms. These aspects of performance anxiety have different patterns of predicting personality traits and the patterns also differ between the rehearsal and the performance situation. Musicians suffering from performance anxiety will try all manner of strategies before a rehearsal or performance to cope with the situation, even if not all of these strategies are appropriate for reducing performance anxiety.
79 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the model fit of various WAIS-III nested factors models, in contrast to the more traditional higher-order models, and the results associated with the nested factors modeling indicated that Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Letter-Number Sequencing did not share any variance with VIQ, independently of "g".
Abstract: Past confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) research that has examined the factor structure of the WAIS-III has only investigated the more popular models, such as oblique factors and/or higher-order models. In contrast, CFA modeling based on nested factors modeling has been neglected. Consequently, this study investigated the model fit of various WAIS-III nested factors models, in com- parison to the more traditional higher-order models. Based on the WAIS-III standardization sample, the results associated with the nested factors modeling indicated that Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Letter-Number Sequencing did not share any variance with VIQ, independently of "g." Further, across all age groups, there was only very weak evidence in favor of the plausibility of a Perceptual Organization (PO) factor, independently of a general factor. The results are discussed in light of the distinction between modeling "g" as a higher-order factor and a first-order factor. Researchers are encouraged to model the subtests of intelligence batteries as nested factor models, because of their tendency to be associated with greater model fit, as well the possibility to obtain less ambiguous factor loading estimates and their associated statistical significance.
77 citations
TL;DR: In this article, 263 pairs of managers and subordinates completed questionnaires that assess the emotional intelligence and leadership style of the manager as well as the regulatory focus and organizational commitment of the subordinate.
Abstract: The principle of regulatory fit implies that managers should demonstrate more transformational leadership, and refrain from critical or detached behavior, if their subordinates exhibit a promotion focus or extraverted personality. Furthermore, emotional intelligence should enhance the capacity of managers to adapt their leadership style and accommodate these characteristics of employees. To assess these propositions, 263 pairs of managers and subordinates completed questionnaires that assess the emotional intelligence and leadership style of the manager as well as the regulatory focus and organizational commitment of the subordinate. Critical, detached leadership was especially likely to be inversely related to the commitment of subordinates who demonstrated a promotion focus. Nevertheless, relative to other managers, individuals who reported emotional intelligence were not more likely to demonstrate transformational leadership, or abstain from critical, detached behavior, when their subordinates focused ...
70 citations
TL;DR: This paper showed that coordination and storage in the context of processing and coordination are significant predictors of reasoning even if crystallized intelligence is controlled for It was also expected that sustained attention and coordination would be highly correlated Therefore, 20 working memory tests, 2 attention tests, and 18 intelligence subtests were administered to 121 students.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to confirm that coordination and storage in the context of processing are significant predictors of reasoning even if crystallized intelligence is controlled for It was also expected that sustained attention and coordination would be highly correlated Therefore, 20 working memory tests, 2 attention tests, and 18 intelligence subtests were administered to 121 students We were able to replicate results indicating that storage in the context of processing and coordination are significant predictors of reasoning Controlling for crystallized intelligence did not decrease the common variance between working memory and reasoning The study also revealed that the factors coordination and sustained attention were highly correlated Finally, a model is presented with the latent variables speed and g, which can explain almost all of the common variance of the applied aggregates A detailed discussion of the results supports the view that working memory and intelligence share about 70% o
68 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the relationship between Eysenckian personality, as operationalized by the Eysensck Personality Profiler (EPP), and verbal and numerical ability, and found that numerical ability was negatively associated with Caution, whereas verbal ability was positively associated with Neuroticism, Introversion, and Dissimulation.
Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between Eysenckian personality, as operationalized by the Eysenck Personality Profiler (EPP), and verbal and numerical ability. A total of 118 (87 female) working adults participated in the study. Bivariate correlations showed that numerical ability was negatively associated with Caution, whereas verbal ability was negatively associated with Neuroticism, Introversion, and Dissimulation. Two hierarchical regressions showed that the EPP variables (primarily Dissimulation) were significant predictors of verbal, but not Numerical ability, accounting for 30% of the total variance. Theoretical and applied implications for the personality-intelligence interface are discussed, particularly in regards to Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham's (2004) intellectual competence model.
52 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the Spearman's Law of Diminishing returns (SLODR) with regard to age was tested in two different databases from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.
Abstract: Spearman's Law of Diminishing Returns (SLODR) with regard to age was tested in two different databases from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The first database consisted of 6,980 boys and girls aged 12–16 from the 1997 cohort (NLSY 1997). The subjects were tested with a computer-administered adaptive format (CAT) of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) consisting of 12 subtests. The second database consisted of 11,448 male and female subjects aged 15–24 from the 1979 cohort (NLSY 1979). These subjects were tested with the older 10-subtest version of the ASVAB. The hypothesis was tested by dividing the sample into Young and Old age groups while keeping IQ fairly constant by a method similar to the one developed and employed by Deary et al. (1996). The different age groups were subsequently factor-analyzed separately. The eigenvalue of the first principal component (PC1) and the first principal axis factor (PAF1), and the average intercorrelation of the subtests were used as esti...
45 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship between the Big Five personality traits, self-esteem, and attachment orientation at work and found that between 15% and 20% of the variance in secure and insecure attachment at work could be explained by personality traits and selfesteem.
Abstract: This study explores the relationships between the Big Five personality traits, self-esteem, and attachment orientation at work. A total of 248 working adults (165 female and 83 male) completed the revised form of the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness-Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992), a self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and a self-report measure of attachment at work (Neustadt, Chamorro-Premuzic, & Furnham, in press). Principal component analysis identified two major attachment factors, namely secure/autonomous and insecure, which were significantly correlated with self-esteem and all five personality factors (as well as specific subfacets). Regression analyses showed that between 15–20% of the variance in secure and insecure attachment at work could be explained by personality traits and self-esteem. Self-esteem partly mediated the link between Neuroticism and insecure attachment; however, most associations between personality and attachment could not be explained by self-esteem. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
33 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined whether individual differences in the vividness of visual imagery influenced performance on a novel long-term change detection task and found that high and low vividness participants did not differ in overall levels of change detection accuracy.
Abstract: This study examined whether individual differences in the vividness of visual imagery influenced performance on a novel long-term change detection task. Participants were presented with a sequence of pictures, with each picture and its title displayed for 17 s, and then presented with changed or unchanged versions of those pictures and asked to detect whether the picture had been changed. Cuing the retrieval of the picture's image, by presenting the picture's title before the arrival of the changed picture, facilitated change detection accuracy. This suggests that the retrieval of the picture's representation immunizes it against overwriting by the arrival of the changed picture. The high and low vividness participants did not differ in overall levels of change detection accuracy. However, in replication of Gur and Hilgard (1975), high vividness participants were significantly more accurate at detecting salient changes to pictures compared to low vividness participants. The results suggest that vivid ima...
30 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the contributions of hardiness, attachment style, and cognitive appraisal to the psychological adjustment of 300 survivors of malignant melanoma, and found that the survivors' adjustment is by far better predicted by their personal resources and cognitive appraisement than by their sociodemographic features (with the exception of marital status) and features of their illness.
Abstract: The study examines the contributions of hardiness, attachment style, and cognitive appraisal to the psychological adjustment of 300 survivors of malignant melanoma: The findings show that the survivors' adjustment is by far better predicted by their personal resources and cognitive appraisal than by their sociodemographic features (with the exception of marital status) and features of their illness. Of all the variables, their adjustment was best predicted by their attachment style, with secure attachment making for greater well-being and less distress. These findings add to the ample evidence that personal resources help persons to cope with stressful or traumatic events.
30 citations
TL;DR: In this article, over 500 working adults completed two intelligence tests: the GMA (Graduate Management Assessment) and the WG (Watson-Glaser), a measure of the Big-Five personality traits (NEO-FFM), and a personal...
Abstract: Over 500 working adults completed two intelligence tests: the GMA (Graduate Management Assessment) and the WG (Watson-Glaser), a measure of the Big-Five personality traits (NEO-FFM), and a personal...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the medium-term stability over a time period of 4 weeks between the situational WCQ version and the situation-independent standard version of the SVF120, and found that both questionnaires provided similar psychometric properties when a single assessment is considered.
Abstract: Stress coping inventories can be divided into trait questionnaires independent from situational factors and situation-related inventories. In a previous study, a situation-related version of the Stressverarbeitungsfragebogen (SVF120; Janke & Erdmann, 1997), adapted from the instructions of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ, Folkman & Lazarus, 1988), showed reliabilities and factor structures similar to those of the standard version. In the present study, we compared the medium-term stability over a time period of 4 weeks between the situational WCQ version and the situation-independent standard version of the SVF120. The standard version of the SVF120 was filled out by 140 subjects and the WCQ version by 132 subjects. We could confirm that both questionnaires provide similar psychometric properties when a single assessment is considered. We found, however, distinct differences in stability over time. While stability coefficients of the standard version are close to the values of the internal consisten...
TL;DR: This paper deals with three studies on the computer-based, automatic generation of algebra word problems and presents first evidence of convergent as well as divergent validity of the automatically generated items.
Abstract: This paper deals with three studies on the computer-based, automatic generation of algebra word problems. The cognitive psychology based generative/quality control frameworks of the item generator are presented. In Study I the quality control framework is empirically tested using a first set of automatically generated items. Study II replicates the findings of Study I using a larger set of automatically generated algebra word problems. Study III deals with the generative framework of the item generator by testing construct validity aspects of the item generator produced items. Using nine Rasch-homogeneous subscales of the new intelligence structure battery (INSBAT, Hornke et al., 2004), a hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis is reported, which provides first evidence of convergent as well as divergent validity of the automatically generated items. The end of the paper discusses possible advantages of automatic item generation in general ranging from test security issues and the possibility of a more ...
TL;DR: The relationship between timing performance and psychometric intelligence as measured by a speed and a power test of intelligence was examined in this article, where a unitary timing mechanism referred to as temporal g was found to be a more powerful predictor of intelligence than traditional reaction-time measures derived from the Hick paradigm.
Abstract: In the present study, the relationship between timing performance and psychometric intelligence as measured by a speed and a power test of intelligence was examined. For this purpose performance on the Zahlen-Verbindungs-Test (ZVT), the Wiener Matrizen-Test (WMT), seven psychophysical temporal tasks, and the Hick reaction-time paradigm was obtained in 190 participants. Correlational and principal component analyses suggested a unitary timing mechanism referred to as temporal g. Performance on single temporal tasks and individual factor scores on temporal g were substantially related to both speed and power measures of psychometric intelligence. Temporal g exhibited higher sensitivity to the prediction of performance on the power test than on the speed test. Furthermore, stepwise multiple regression analysis and commonality analysis revealed that timing performance provides a more powerful predictor of psychometric intelligence than traditional reaction-time measures derived from the Hick paradigm. These f...
TL;DR: In this paper, a moderated consistency model is presented, which attempts to explain the consistency between explicit and implicit indicators as a function of awareness and adjustment, in a study on attitudes of Germans toward Turks.
Abstract: A moderated consistency model is presented, which attempts to explain the consistency between explicit and implicit indicators as a function of awareness and adjustment. In a study on attitudes of Germans toward Turks, we tested the hypothesis that functionally equivalent person and situation moderators pertaining to awareness and adjustment show a synergistic interplay. Concerning moderators of adjustment, no effects on explicit-implicit consistency were obtained for situational variables nor for the interaction of personal and situational variables. However, concerning moderators of awareness, a reliable first-order effect was found for Private Self-Consciousness. Moreover, Private Self-Consciousness and experimentally manipulated motivation to introspect showed the assumed synergistic interaction moderator effect. The empirical findings are discussed with regard to the role of awareness of implicit attitudes and the potentially underlying mechanisms of implicit-explicit consistency.
TL;DR: This article measured positive and negative emotion by self-reports and reports by knowledgeable informants, and found that optimistic bias was related directly to positive emotion and inversely to negative emotion, and these effects of personality on optimistic bias were not mediated by current mood.
Abstract: We suggest a new approach for measuring individual differences in optimistic bias that adjusts risk estimates for oneself for: (1) risk estimates for other persons to control for response tendencies, and (2) risk estimates by knowledgeable informants to control for differences in actual risk. In two studies, we measured Positive and Negative Emotionality by self-reports and reports by knowledgeable informants. Moreover, likelihood estimates that pleasant and unpleasant events will occur to oneself and to an average other person were collected, and the knowledgeable informants provided risk estimates for the research participants. Risk estimates by knowledgeable informants were even more optimistic than self-estimates, and optimistic bias was related directly to Positive Emotionality and inversely to Negative Emotionality. These effects of personality on optimistic bias were not mediated by current mood.
TL;DR: The authors investigated whether a social information processing bias contributes to the inverse association between trait hostility and perceived social support and found that hostile persons rated listeners as less friendly and socially supportive across six conversations, although the nature of the hostility effect varied by sex, target rated and manner in which support was assessed.
Abstract: The present study investigated whether a social information processing bias contributes to the inverse association between trait hostility and perceived social support. A sample of 104 undergraduates (50 men) completed a measure of hostility and rated videotaped interactions in which a speaker disclosed a problem while a listener reacted ambiguously. Results showed that hostile persons rated listeners as less friendly and socially supportive across six conversations, although the nature of the hostility effect varied by sex, target rated, and manner in which support was assessed. Hostility and target interactively impacted ratings of support and affiliation only for men. At least in part, a social information processing bias could contribute to hostile persons' perceptions of their social networks.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors asked judges to match automobiles with their owners and found that they were able to identify the pairs above chance, based on external clues about the owner and the car.
Abstract: Popular belief and recent findings suggest that dogs look like their owner - but are such pairs necessarily look-alikes or do we recognize their affiliation based on other information? We asked judges to match automobiles with their owners. They were able to identify the pairs above chance. The correlational analyses of actual information about owners' and automobiles' characteristics and their estimations suggest that stereotypes with respect to external clues about the owner and the automobiles were available to judges. People's appearance and certain characteristics of their possessions apparently carry information beyond physiognomic resemblance and these clues help to make inferences about their affiliation. The different mechanisms that judges might use to make connections between people and their cars are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the interrelationship between positive and negative values was investigated and it was shown that level positive and level negative values form two opposite domains that are not completely independent.
Abstract: This study concerns the interrelationship between positive and negative values. Previous research has treated personal values as a bipolar process in which negative values can be described merely as desired values with the opposite sign. Contrary to values research, the study of motivation has shown that approach motivation is conceptually distinctive from the motivation of avoidance. The results revealed that, in general, level positive and negative values form two opposite domains that are not completely independent. On a more specific level of analysis the structure of negative values did not mirror the structure of positive values: They formed a single general negativity factor, which had no significant loadings on any of the six positive value factors.
TL;DR: Strain interacted with stress such that stressed Long-Evans rats displayed higher leptin levels than did stressed Sprague-Dawley rats; there were no strain differences in leptin levels among nonstressed rats.
Abstract: The effects of immobilization (IM) stress on plasma leptin levels and bodyweight in adult Sprague-Dawley (19 males, 20 females) and Long-Evans (20 males, 20 females) rats were investigated. Following a 10-day baseline period, half the animals from each experimental group were exposed to immobilization stress or no-stress 20 min/day for 21 days. Plasma leptin and corticosterone levels were measured following stress or no-stress exposure on the last day of the experiment. Corticosterone levels confirmed stress exposure. Important interactive effects of stress, strain, and sex on leptin and corticosterone levels were also observed. Specifically, females displayed higher leptin levels than did males, regardless of stress exposure. Strain interacted with stress such that stressed Long-Evans rats displayed higher leptin levels than did stressed Sprague-Dawley rats; there were no strain differences in leptin levels among nonstressed rats. Also, correlations between leptin and corticosterone were strain-specific....
TL;DR: The results indicated that both sex and occupational group moderated the association between long-term job strain and the metabolic syndrome factor but in an unexpected way.
Abstract: The present study investigated whether long-term job strain increases the prevalence of risk for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, across sex and occupation. The participants (64 men, 62 women) were drawn from the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, Finland. Job strain was measured by a combination of high job demands and low job control (Karasek, 1979) at ages 36 and 42. Metabolic syndrome was measured at age 42. The results indicated that both sex and occupational group moderated the association between long-term job strain and the metabolic syndrome factor but in an unexpected way. In women, low long-term job strain was associated with higher levels of the metabolic syndrome factor. Among white-collar workers high long-term job strain was related to low levels of the metabolic syndrome factor. Hence, more research is needed to identify additional potential moderators of long-term job strain on metabolic syndrome across sex and occ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the scores of 775 psychiatric clients on the 132 items of the Dutch Personality Questionnaire (NPV) and found that the eigenvalue for the first principal component appeared to be 1.7 times as small, indicating that such clients have less personality in common.
Abstract: Hofstee and Ten Berge (2004a) have proposed a new look at personality assessment data, based on a bipolar proportional (-1, .. . 0, .. . +1) scale, a corresponding coefficient of raw-scores likeness L = XY/N, and raw-scores principal component analysis. In a normal sample, the approach resulted in a structure dominated by a first principal component, according to which most people are faintly to mildly socially desirable. We hypothesized that a more differentiated structure would arise in a clinical sample. We analyzed the scores of 775 psychiatric clients on the 132 items of the Dutch Personality Questionnaire (NPV). In comparison to a normative sample (N = 3140), the eigenvalue for the first principal component appeared to be 1.7 times as small, indicating that such clients have less personality (social desirability) in common. Still, the match between the structures in the two samples was excellent after oblique rotation of the loadings. We applied the abridged m-dimensional circumplex design, by whic...
TL;DR: This article examined the relationship between importance ratings of positive and negative personal attributes and depressed mood and found that the perceived lack of important positive traits was related to increased depressed mood whereas not exhibiting important negative traits was associated with less depressed mood.
Abstract: This study examined the relationship between importance ratings of positive and negative personal attributes and depressed mood. Undergraduate psychology students (n = 115) completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II and made self-referential ratings on several adjectives. Participants subsequently indicated how important it was for them to possess or fail to exhibit each of these traits. The results demonstrated that the perceived lack of important positive traits was related to increased depressed mood whereas not exhibiting important negative traits was associated with less depressed mood. Moreover, depressed mood was related to the degree to which respondents were certain about their endorsement of the traits. The implications of these results are discussed.