Personality traits change in adulthood: Reply to Costa and McCrae (2006).

In a response to comments by P. T. Costa, Jr., and R. R. McCrae (see record 2006-00818-002) on the current authors' original article (see record 2006-00818-001), the authors show that Costa and McCrae's writings on personality suggest a belief in immutability of personality traits. The authors agree with Costa and McCrae that new personality trait models that provide an accurate lower order structure of personality traits are needed and explain why the Revised NEO Personality Inventory is not the correct model for that purpose. The authors provide direct evidence refuting the hypothesis that personality traits change only because of biologically based intrinsic maturation. The authors present arguments supporting the contention that meta-analyses should be preferred to single longitudinal studies when drawing inferences about general patterns of personality development. Finally, the authors point out why the differences between their position and Costa and McCrae's are important. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity issues in clinical assessment.

The data investigators should provide to support the validity of inferences they make based on scores from a measure depend on (a) whether the measure is assumed to assess a hypothetical construct or behavior and (b) the purposes for which the measure is intended. The authors distinguish between the representational phase of validity assessment, which establishes that a measure produces scores that reflect the construct or behavior it purports to assess, and the elaborative validity phase, in which the meaning and utility of scores are examined. Key issues relevant to convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity are examined for measures of latent traits or constructs and then for measures of behaviors or response classes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Desensitization: A rejoinder to Morgan.

Considers that specific points raised by W. G. Morgan (see PA, Vol. 50:Issue 6) are debatable on empirical and logical grounds. It is suggested, however, that Morgan's distinction between necessary and useful operations provides a meaningful framework for the advancement of desensitization theory, practice, and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A rejoinder to Notarius.

Responds to C. I. Notarius's (see record 1984-11607-001) rebuttal of the present author's (see record 1984-11616-001) criticisms of a study by Notarius et al (see record 1983-05644-001) which supported the discharge model of the facial expressivity/physiological reactivity relationship. It is concluded that only when all data from the Notarius et al study are examined will one know what their results have shown. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Situation specificity of behavior and assessment center validation strategies: A rejoinder to Neidig and Neidig.

Responds to R. D. Neidig and P. J. Neidig's (see record 1984-13649-001) criticism of the present authors' (see record 1982-31460-001) conclusion that the failure to find consistency of assessment center dimension ratings across exercises constitutes a threat to the use of content validity to show job relatedness. The present authors contend that situational differences support the argument that the assessor judgment process is too complex to be justified on content-validity grounds alone. A reconceptualization of assessment centers is offered that relies on identifying critical managerial roles, designing exercises to simulate these roles, and evaluating effectiveness in each exercise. The conditions under which content validity is appropriate for showing the job relatedness of this type of center are specified. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Normal personality assessment in clinical practice: The NEO Personality Inventory.

Personality psychologists from a variety of theoretical perspectives have recently concluded that personality traits can be summarized in terms of a 5-factor model. This article describes the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO–PI), a measure of these 5 factors and some of the traits that define them, and its use in clinical practice. Recent studies suggest that NEO–PI scales are reliable and valid in clinical samples as in normal samples. The use of self-report personality measures in clinical samples is discussed, and data from 117 "normal" adult men and women are presented to show links between the NEO–PI scales and psychopathology as measured by D. N. Jackson's (1989) Basic Personality Inventory and L. Morey's (1991) Personality Assessment Inventory. The authors argue that the NEO–PI may be useful to clinicians in understanding the patient, formulating a diagnosis, establishing rapport, developing insight, anticipating the course of therapy, and selecting the optimal form of treatment for the patient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Big Five dimensions and ADHD symptoms: Links between personality traits and clinical symptoms.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood is conceptualized as originating in childhood. Despite considerable theoretical interest, little is known about how ADHD symptoms relate to normal personality traits in adults. In 6 studies, the Big Five personality dimensions were related to ADHD symptoms that adults both recalled from childhood and reported concurrently (total N=1,620). Substantial effects emerged that were replicated across samples. First, the ADHD symptom cluster of inattention-disorganization was substantially related to low Conscientiousness and, to a lesser extent, Neuroticism. Second, ADHD symptom clusters of hyperactivity-impulsivity and oppositional childhood and adult behaviors were associated with low Agreeableness. Results were replicated with self-reports and observer reports of personality in community and clinical samples. Findings support theoretical connections between personality traits and ADHD symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric issues in the assessment of clinical competencies.

Reviews studies that included measures of counselor or therapist competencies published between 1977 and mid-1982 in 4 journals: the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Counselor Education and Supervision, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Journal of Clinical Psychology. There were 235 instances of measuring clinicians' competencies in 149 studies. Evidence of the reliability and validity associated with the assessment instruments was examined for each one. A majority of the measurements were ratings of counselor or therapist interpersonal competency in clinical situations. Only 43% of the measurements included reliability data computed at the time they were used, and only 12% were accompanied by any evidence of their validity. The authors describe the types of instruments used in these studies and their psychometric properties, the behaviors and constructs that were assessed, and the most frequently used instruments. The implications of inadequate psychometric rigor in clinical competency assessment research are discussed, and recommendations are made for improving the reliability and validity of clinical performance appraisal. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pain assessment and management in older adults: Conceptual issues and clinical challenges.

This article reviews clinical pain assessment and psychological pain management in older persons through the lens of a Communications Model of Pain (Craig, in press; Hadjistavropoulos & Craig, 2002; Hadjistavropoulos, Craig, & Fuchs-Lacelle, 2004; Prkachin & Craig, 1995). The Communications Model of Pain has the advantage of drawing attention to a variety of important factors that come into play when selecting assessment instruments and when making decisions concerning intervention. The authors examine a variety of assessment methodologies (including both self-report and observational approaches) that are suitable for older persons with and without dementia. The authors also review psychosocial pain management methods (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy and applications of behavioral approaches within long-term care facilities) that have potential applications with older persons. The role of psychological service providers is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Forced-choice assessments of personality for selection: Evaluating issues of normative assessment and faking resistance.

Recent research suggests multidimensional forced-choice (MFC) response formats may provide resistance to purposeful response distortion on personality assessments. It remains unclear, however, whether these formats provide normative trait information required for selection contexts. The current research evaluated score correspondences between an MFC format measure and 2 Likert-type measures in honest and instructed-faking conditions. In honest response conditions, scores from the MFC measure appeared valid indicators of normative trait standing. Under faking conditions, the MFC measure showed less score inflation than the Likert measure at the group level of analysis. In the individual-level analyses, however, the MFC measure was as affected by faking as was the Likert measure. Results suggest the MFC format is not a viable method to control faking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Animal rights: A rejoinder.

Responds to the comments by A. N. Rowan (see record 2009-05603-006) on the current author's original discussion regarding animal rights (see record 2009-05603-005). In his original paper, Gallup maintains that there are no inherent rights; they are inventions of the human mind. Thus, animals only have rights if we say the do. Rowan, however, asserts there is more universal agreement as to why some beings have certain rights (e.g. the right to life, or the weaker right not to be caused unnecessary suffering) than Gallup credits. Here, Gallup suggests that Rowan has sidestepped the issue. If rights (be they human or otherwise) are something other than an invention of the human mind, then what are they, what form do they take, from whence do they come, and how are we to identify them? Contrary to what Rowan implies, Gallup says his intention was not to take a stand on whether or not animals have rights. To reiterate, says Gallup, animals only have rights to the extent that we say they do. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Big Five personality dimensions and entrepreneurial status: A meta-analytical review.

In this study, the authors used meta-analytical techniques to examine the relationship between personality and entrepreneurial status. Personality variables used in previous studies were categorized according to the five-factor model of personality. Results indicate significant differences between entrepreneurs and managers on 4 personality dimensions such that entrepreneurs scored higher on Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience and lower on Neuroticism and Agreeableness. No difference was found for Extraversion. Effect sizes for each personality dimension were small, although the multivariate relationship for the full set of personality variables was moderate (R = .37). Considerable heterogeneity existed for all of the personality variables except Agreeableness, suggesting that future research should explore possible moderators of the personality-entrepreneurial status relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multicultural approaches in psychotherapy: A rejoinder.

In this rejoinder, the authors address several issues raised by R. L. Worthington and F. R. Dillon (see record 2010-26150-001) and C. R. Ridley and M. Shaw-Ridley (see record 2011-00622-001) regarding (a) the measurement of multicultural competencies (MCCs), (b) sampling considerations in multicultural research, and (c) the conceptual frame of multicultural psychotherapy research. The authors challenge the wisdom of exploring MCCs in psychotherapy research and provide a different framework to understand therapists' multicultural effectiveness with clients based on their cultural race/ethnicity. Additionally, the concept of therapists' multicultural orientation or approach is introduced to illuminate the process of aligning with clients about salient cultural issues in psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Television violence and aggression: A rejoinder.

Replies to the criticisms by L. Friedrich-Cofer and A. C. Huston (see record 1987-09776-001) of the author's literature review (see record 1984-30860-001) on the effect of TV violence on aggression. The present author argues that there are sound reasons for exercising caution in generalizing from laboratory results and that research outside the laboratory provides only weak and inconsistent support for the causal hypothesis. Moreover, it is asserted that the bidirectional model suggested by Friedrich-Cofer and Huston is not supported by the available evidence. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of personality disorder and their relationships to the Big Five dimensions of personality.

Researchers have suggested that personality disorders (PDs) could be better understood with a dimensional model than with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III—Revised (DSM-III—R) categorical system. The authors conceptualized PDs as extreme expressions of personality functioning. Dimensional measures of aspects of PD were developed for the present study on the basis of previous factor-analytic investigations. The authors examined the convergence of these measures with P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae's (1990) "Big Five" factors in a sample of 300 general-population Ss. Principal-components analysis yielded an interpretable 5-factor solution; 4 of these were defined by a Big Five factor. Multiple regression analyses indicated substantial relationships between the Big Five factors and many PD scales. The Neuroticism factor demonstrated the strongest relationships, whereas Openness to Experience showed only modest relationships. The more behavioral aspects of PD were not strongly related to the Big Five factors. Results suggest substantial similarity between the 5 factors and PD measures, although the latter cannot be entirely subsumed by the Big Five model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intelligence: Foundations and issues in assessment.

There is no more central topic in psychology than intelligence and intelligence testing. With a history as long as psychology itself, intelligence is the most studied and likely the best understood construct in psychology, albeit still with many “unknowns.” The psychometric sophistication employed in creating intelligence tests is at the highest level. The authors provide an overview of the history, theory, and assessment of intelligence. Five questions are proposed and discussed that focus on key areas of confusion or misunderstanding associated with the measurement and assessment of intelligence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Levels of explanation in sociobiology and psychology: A rejoinder to Archer.

Offers a time continuum for understanding levels of explanation ranging from distal, evolutionary perspectives through trait and social learning accounts to proximate cognitive and situational analyses. No necessary conflicts exist between these levels, but we argue, contrary to the position advocated by Archer (1988) in his critique of our 1986 study on the sociobiology of bereavement, that distal levels of explanation can at times transcend proximate levels, although each must be taken into account. In addition, we provide rebuttal of some of the specific points made by Archer by discussing (a) the role of the adaptationist program in human sociobiology, (b) the measurement of complex phenomena, and (c) whether older children are grieved for more than younger children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative effects revisited: A rejoinder.

Responds to A. E. Bergin's critique (see record 1981-08376-001) of the present authors' article (see record 1981-08419-001). Arguments that Bergin offers to support his conclusion that therapy causes deterioration are evaluated. If psychotherapy causes deterioration, one would expect to find at least one adequate outcome study in which a higher rate of decline occurs among the treated patients. This study has yet to be found. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)