Traits – The Big Five
Kimberley A. Clow
kclow2@uwo.ca
http://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/257e-570
Outline
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Development of the Big Five
 Lexical Approach
 Intro to Factor Analysis
The Big Five
Admin
Extra Optional Paper
Discuss Exam
 Sample Questions
Discuss Paper
Development of the Big Five
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LEXICAL APPROACH
 Fundamental Lexical Hypothesis
 “Those personality traits that
are most salient and socially
relevant in people’s lives have
become encoded into their
language; the more important
such a trait, the more likely is
it to become expressed as a
single word” (Goldberg,
1982, p.204)
Remember Correlations?
high
Participant 1
Remaining
Participants
Dancing in
Public
Participant 3
Participant 2
low
low
high
Shy
Correlation Coefficients
+1
0
-1
+.8
Sample Correlations
OUTGO.
OUTGOING
1.0
INSE
LAUG.
PART.
ANXI.
TENS.
.70
.84
.10
.05
.10
.75
.15
.10
.05
.10
.06
.05
.76
.80
1
LAUGHS
PARTIER
INSECURE
ANXIOUS
TENSE
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
.75
1.0
Factor Analysis
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Statistical tool that looks at the correlations
among many variables (e.g., various
behaviours) and groups these variables in
clusters
 called factors or dimensions
Each factor (or dimension) includes all the
variables that correlate highly with each other
 co-exist in people
Each factor is interpreted as a psychological
disposition or trait
Factors
Ext rav e rs io n
.7
Ne u rot ic is m
.7
.8
.7
O
L
P
Outgoing
La ug hs
Party
Ins
.8
Ax
Insecure A nx io us
.9
T
Te nse
True or False
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Am the life of the party.
Feel little concern for others.
Am always prepared.
Get stressed out easily.
Have a rich vocabulary.
Don't talk a lot.
Am interested in people.
Leave my belongings around.
Am relaxed most of the time.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.
Feel comfortable around people.
Insult people.
Pay attention to details.
Worry about things.
Have a vivid imagination.
Keep in the background.
Sympathize with others' feelings.
Make a mess of things.
Seldom feel blue.
Am not interested in abstract ideas.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Start conversations.
Am not interested in other people's problems.
Get chores done right away.
Am easily disturbed.
Have excellent ideas.
Have little to say.
Have a soft heart.
Often forget to put things back in their proper
place.
Get upset easily.
Do not have a good imagination.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Talk to a lot of different people at parties.
Am not really interested in others.
Like order.
Change my mood a lot.
Am quick to understand things.
Don't like to draw attention to myself.
Take time out for others.
Shirk my duties.
Have frequent mood swings.
Use difficult words.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
Don't mind being the centre of attention.
Feel others' emotions.
Follow a schedule.
Get irritated easily.
Spend time reflecting on things.
Am quiet around strangers.
Make people feel at ease.
Am exacting in my work.
Often feel blue.
Am full of ideas.
Going Further
Extraversion
Conscientiousness
Agreeableness
Personality
Openness
FACTORS
FACETS
O
Neuroticism
C
O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 O6
E
E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6
TRAITS
A
N
N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6
A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6
Admin Stuff
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People are nervous about the exam
 Proposing an extra OPTIONAL paper
 If you don’t like your Christmas exam grade,
next term you can choose to write an
ADDITIONAL paper to cover for it
 If you take this choice, this additional paper
will REPLACE your Christmas exam grade
(40%)
• For better or worse
 This is an essay course, after all, so I feel
justified in adding another paper for those
who want it
Mandatory Paper

Three Steps (20% Paper)
 Review a theory of personality
 One discussed in class
 Another psychological theory
• No new age stuff or horoscopes; must be
a psych theory!
 Make up your own questionnaire (15-20
questions) that captures the essence/main points
of this theory
 Write up how the questions you made up
capture the essence/main points of this theory