| Abstract: | Examined the extent to which the circumplexes generated by behavioral measures would agree with H. R. Conte and R. Plutchik's (see record 1982-05700-001) circumplex of semantic ratings. Conte and Plutchik hypothesized that the order and spacing of personality traits on the circle define their structure rather than underlie certain dimensions. 140 undergraduates rated 33 adjectives (17 from the Conte and Plutchik circumplex) according to how they described their mood. The ratings were done twice a day for 15 consecutive days. The self-ratings formed a circumplex that closely agreed with Conte and Plutchik's circumplex of personality traits. The order of items generated by self-ratings following a here-and-now instruction set scarcely differed from that of a circumplex representing the same ratings averaged over a 2-wk period. The configuration became more elliptical in a progression from the statelike measures (here-and-now ratings) to pure trait measures (averages), but measurement bias was the most probable cause of the distortion. Allowing for the limitations of small samples of items and raters, the findings show that the circumplex model represents a valid theoretical construct and does not arise from measurement error or from an illusory implicit personality theory. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
