Oliver John
University of California, Berkeley, Psychology, Faculty Member
Three replicable personality types were identified in a sample of 300 adolescent boys and shown to generalize across African Americans and Caucasians. The types had conceptually coherent relations with the Big Five dimensions, ego... more
Three replicable personality types were identified in a sample of 300 adolescent boys and shown to generalize across African Americans and Caucasians. The types had conceptually coherent relations with the Big Five dimensions, ego resiliency, and ego control, and converged with three of the types identified by J. Block (1971). The behavioral implications of the types were explored using several independent data sources. Resilients were intelligent, successful in school, unlikely to be delinquents, and relatively free of psychopathology; Overcontrollers shared some of these characteristics but were also prone to internalizing problems; and Undercontrollers showed a general pattern of academic, behavioral, and emotional problems. This research demonstrates that replicable and generalizable personality types can be identified empirically, and that the unique constellation of traits defining an individual has important consequences for a wide range of outcomes.
Research Interests: Marketing, Cognitive Science, Intelligence, Cognition, Juvenile Delinquency, and 15 moreAdolescent, Medicine, Humans, Child, African American, Female, Achievement, Male, Child Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychology, African Americans, Ego, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, European Continental Ancestry Group, and Intelligence tests
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Research Interests: Marketing, Cognitive Science, Personality, Individuality, Cognition, and 15 morePersonality Assessment, Categorization, Abstraction, Medicine, Humans, Female, Male, Big Five Personality Traits, Levels of Abstraction, Interpersonal Relations, Hierarchy, Adult, Description, Level, and Personality Trait
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Whereas the structure of individual differences in personal, social, and emotional attributes is well understood in adults, much less work has been done in children and adolescents. On the assessment side, numerous instruments are in use... more
Whereas the structure of individual differences in personal, social, and emotional attributes is well understood in adults, much less work has been done in children and adolescents. On the assessment side, numerous instruments are in use for children but they measure discordant attributes, ranging from one single factor (self-esteem; grit) to three factors (social, emotional, and academic self-efficacy) to five factors (strength and difficulties; Big Five traits). To construct a comprehensive measure for large-scale studies in Brazilian schools, Ayrton Senna Institute is developing assessments mapping socio emotional skills on the conceptual framework of the five-factor model of personality. Here we present a study of internal structure of a 162-item inventory measuring 18 facet scales, representing two conceptual levels of measurement: one assesses the child’s current identity or self-concept and the other assesses self-efficacy beliefs. These 18 facets can be organized into five broad domains, similar to the Big Five domains: E: Engaging with others, A: Amity, WO Work orientation, ER: Emotional resilience, and O: Open-mindedness. The sample consisted of more than 30,000 participants, who were between 11 and 18 years old and attended grades 6 to 12. We split the sample in two random halves. We performed exploratory factor analysis of the 18 facet scales per layer with the first half and a confirmatory factor analysis with the second half of the sample. Internal consistencies were in the range of .70 to .80 for most scales. All facet scales had their highest loading on the expected domain. A bi-factor model best represented the self-efficacy level with a general factor plus five specific factors related with each domain. A confirmatory factor analysis showed a robust and replicable structure. Discussion focuses on the contribution to socio-emotional research in education and its measurement.
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Abstract In three studies, we tried to create a novel scale within the existing Big Five Inventory 2 (BFI-2) structure to measure prosocial vs. antisocial personality traits, like the Dark Triad and honesty-humility. While our new scale... more
Abstract In three studies, we tried to create a novel scale within the existing Big Five Inventory 2 (BFI-2) structure to measure prosocial vs. antisocial personality traits, like the Dark Triad and honesty-humility. While our new scale converged strongly with dark personality and honesty-humility scales, we failed to establish sufficient discriminant validity vis-a-vis the existing BFI-2 agreeableness domain. Instead, we found that dark traits and honesty-humility were best measured as a facet of agreeableness that correlated strongly with other agreeableness facets and established measures of dark traits and honesty-humility. These findings suggest that honesty-humility and dark personality traits can be measured as opposite facets of a broader agreeableness-antagonism continuum when adopting the BFI-2 (Big Five) domain structure.
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When analyzed via item response theory, Likert-type items are modeled by estimating a set of thresholds (i.e., parameters that inform on the latent trait level required for endorsing a given scale option) that are assumed to be invariant... more
When analyzed via item response theory, Likert-type items are modeled by estimating a set of thresholds (i.e., parameters that inform on the latent trait level required for endorsing a given scale option) that are assumed to be invariant across the population of individuals. If persons vary in response styles this assumption may not hold. This is called person differential functioning (PDIF). Anchoring vignettes offer an approach to learn how individuals translate the latent trait into Likert responses, and a method to assess potential variability in item thresholds across individuals. A vignette presents hypothetical persons differing on the attribute of interest (usually low, medium and high), and asks respondents to rate the hypothetical persons in the same Likert scale used in self-assessment. This can then be used to resolve PDIF, potentially producing measures that are more comparable. We investigated if the patters of responses to vignettes have a developmental trend and if they are related to cognitive capacity, using data from a large-scale educational assessment. We then investigated if anchor-adjusted scores produce more reliable and valid measures.
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The Big Five Inventory–2 (BFI-2) is a recently published 60-item questionnaire that measures personality traits within the five-factor model framework. An important aspect of the BFI-2 is that it measures the traits at both the domain and... more
The Big Five Inventory–2 (BFI-2) is a recently published 60-item questionnaire that measures personality traits within the five-factor model framework. An important aspect of the BFI-2 is that it measures the traits at both the domain and facet levels and also controls acquiescence bias via the balanced number of true- and false-keyed items across the domains and facets. The current research evaluates factorial measurement invariance of a Russian version of the BFI-2 across sex and age within samples of 1,024 university students (Study 1) and 1,029 Internet users (Study 2). Across these samples, men scored lower on the domains of negative emotionality and agreeableness and slightly higher on extraversion. Sex differences were also obtained on various facets. In the Internet sample, age correlated modestly with several Big Five domains in accordance with the well-documented maturity principle. The newly developed Russian version of BFI-2 showed good reliability and validity across bo...
Research Interests: Psychology, Assessment, Personality, The big five, Personality Assessment, and 10 moreMedicine, Business and Management, Personality and Individual Differences, Measurement Invariance, Big Five Personality Traits, Personality Test, Personality Traits, Agreeableness, Big Five Inventory, and THE BIG FIVE MODEL
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Abstract Whereas past research has examined the use of emotion regulation strategies in terms of individual differences or responses to experimental manipulations, this research takes a naturalistic and repeated-measures approach to... more
Abstract Whereas past research has examined the use of emotion regulation strategies in terms of individual differences or responses to experimental manipulations, this research takes a naturalistic and repeated-measures approach to examine suppression use in specific situations. Using an experience sampling design, we find evidence across two samples (total N = 215) that (1) there was substantial within-person variation in suppression use, (2) the situational use of suppression was explained by situational differences in extraversion and social hierarchy, and (3) when used in contexts in which people felt they were low in social hierarchy, the negative relationship between suppression and well-being was attenuated. These findings suggest there are contexts in which suppression use may not be maladaptive, and demonstrate the benefits of studying emotion processes in real-life.
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Accumulating research points to the importance of incremental theories of emotion. Yet, little is known about whether these beliefs change in adulthood across long time spans, and if so, whether such changes are prospectively linked to... more
Accumulating research points to the importance of incremental theories of emotion. Yet, little is known about whether these beliefs change in adulthood across long time spans, and if so, whether such changes are prospectively linked to emotion regulation outcomes. In the present investigation, we tested how incremental theories of emotion change during college, and whether such changes are linked to emotion regulation practices. We followed 394 undergraduates as they entered and ultimately graduated from college. Focusing on the temporal dynamics of incremental theories of emotion, we found that they were somewhat stable, and their mean-level increased over time. Focusing on the correlates of such changes, we found that students who during college came to believe that emotions (but not intelligence) are more controllable, ended up using more cognitive reappraisal (but not expressive suppression) at the end of college. Similarly, students who during college came to use cognitive reappraisal (but not expressive suppression) more frequently, ended up believing that emotion (but not intelligence) is more controllable at the end of college. This pattern could not be explained by differences in initial levels or by differences in underlying affective experiences. We discuss potential implications of these findings for understanding the interplay between beliefs and emotion regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Research Interests: Psychology and Disgust
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Research Interests: Psychology and Abortion
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Nutzungsbedingungen: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY-NC Lizenz (NamensnennungNicht-kommerziell) zur Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.de Terms of use: This document is made available under a CC BY-NC Licence (Attribution-NonCommercial). For more Information see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
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Responding to the need for school-based, broadly applicable, low-cost, and brief assessments of socio-emotional skills, we describe the conceptual background and empirical development of the SENNA inventory and provide new psychometric... more
Responding to the need for school-based, broadly applicable, low-cost, and brief assessments of socio-emotional skills, we describe the conceptual background and empirical development of the SENNA inventory and provide new psychometric information on its internal structure. Data were obtained through a computerized survey from 50,000 Brazilian students enrolled in public school grades 6 to 12, spread across the entire State of São Paulo. The SENNA inventory was designed to assess 18 particular skills (e.g., empathy, responsibility, tolerance of frustration, and social initiative), each operationalized by nine items that represent three types of items: three positively keyed trait-identity items, three negatively keyed identity items, and three (always positively keyed) self-efficacy items, totaling a set of 162 items. Results show that the 18 skill constructs empirically defined a higher-order structure that we interpret as the social-emotional Big Five, labeled as Engaging with Oth...
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After the publication of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2) and its short versions, many validations in other languages have been published. Three studies (total N=1,673) were conducted to validate a Spanish version of the BFI-2, BFI-2-S... more
After the publication of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2) and its short versions, many validations in other languages have been published. Three studies (total N=1,673) were conducted to validate a Spanish version of the BFI-2, BFI-2-S and BFI-2-XS). Study 1 first tested the structural validity both at the domain- and facet-levels of 60 BFI-2 item translations, and tested measurement invariance across gender. Study 2 established the temporal stability of the BFI-2 using two data collection waves. Study 3 evaluated in a new sample the generalizability of the measurement properties of the Spanish BFI-2 obtained in Study 1 and the measurement properties of its abbreviated versions. The findings of these studies show that the Spanish BFI-2 is a valid and reliable measure of personality with psychometric properties corresponding to the original in English. The preliminary results of the short forms' measurement properties are promising and should encourage further replication.
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Whereas the structure of individual differences in many social and emotional attributes is well understood in adults, much less work has been done in children and adolescents. The main goals of this research were to specify the major... more
Whereas the structure of individual differences in many social and emotional attributes is well understood in adults, much less work has been done in children and adolescents. The main goals of this research were to specify the major content domains that are assessed across multiple socioemotional instruments (self-esteem, grit, self-efficacy, strengths and difficulties, Big Five) in research in the United States and Europe, to test them in a less developed context with considerable educational challenges (Brazilian schools). We selected the five most promising instruments and studied their structure at the item level in a large sample of Brazilian school students (N = 3,023). The extracted factors to capture the major domains of child differences represented in these instruments closely resembled the Big Five personality dimensions. We discuss the contribution of our findings to the assessment of socio-emotional skills in education research, as well as limitations of the current st...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Social Sciences, Social Emotional Skills Through Puppetry, Children, Model, and 15 moreChildhood, Business and Management, Questionnaire, Adulthood, Personality Development, Measurement Invariance, Scale, Big Five Personality Traits, Metaanalysis, Big, Five Factor Model, Big Five, Instrument Development, GRIT, and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling
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Research Interests: Psychology and Perception
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Researchers have noted strong parallels in the symptoms of mania—including grandiosity, hostility, goal-driven behavior, and overly sexualized behavior—and dominance. Drawing on these parallels, it has been hypothesized that bipolar... more
Researchers have noted strong parallels in the symptoms of mania—including grandiosity, hostility, goal-driven behavior, and overly sexualized behavior—and dominance. Drawing on these parallels, it has been hypothesized that bipolar disorder might be related to dysregulations of the dominance system, which includes dominance motivation, power, and dominance behavior. The goal of the current study was to consider whether manic tendencies related to the dominance system as measured in an ecologically valid experimental paradigm. Participants took part in small group interactions in which they negotiated merit pay for candidates seeking promotion. They completed ratings of their own and peers' dominance behaviors during the interaction. All participants also completed the Hypomanic Personality Scale to assess risk for mania, as well as scales to assess for current (hypo)mania and history of depression. Whereas history of depression was related to lower dominance motivation, mania r...