Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/71760 
Year of Publication: 
Jun-2011
Citation: 
[Journal:] Behavior Research Methods [Volume:] 43 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] Springer [Place:] New York [Year:] 2011-06 [Pages:] 548-567
Publisher: 
Springer, New York
Abstract: 
We examined measurement invariance and age-related robustness of a short 15-item Big Five Inventory (BFI–S) of personality dimensions, which is well suited for applications in large-scale multidisciplinary surveys. The BFI–S was assessed in three different interviewing conditions: computer-assisted or paper-assisted face-to-face interviewing, computer-assisted telephone interviewing, and a self-administered questionnaire. Randomized probability samples from a large-scale German panel survey and a related probability telephone study were used in order to test method effects on self-report measures of personality characteristics across early, middle, and late adulthood. Exploratory structural equation modeling was used in order to test for measurement invariance of the five-factor model of personality trait domains across different assessment methods. For the short inventory, findings suggest strong robustness of self-report measures of personality dimensions among young and middle-aged adults. In old age, telephone interviewing was associated with greater distortions in reliable personality assessment. It is concluded that the greater mental workload of telephone interviewing limits the reliability of self-report personality assessment. Face-to-face surveys and self-administrated questionnaire completion are clearly better suited than phone surveys when personality traits in age-heterogeneous samples are assessed.
Subjects: 
Big Five
Personality
Survey method
Face-to-face
Telephone interview
Self-administrated questionnaire
Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM)
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Additional Information: 
This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com: doi:10.3758/s13428-011-0066-z
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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