Psychometric approach to personality assesment

In this unit, you will be introduced to the psychometric or trait approach to personality assessment, including its origins, the main methods used to develop personality questionnaires, and the differences between trait and type models. You will also hear about the importance of factor analysis, the Big Five model, and the value of using narrowband assessments for predicting workplace performance. Finally, different types of questionnaire items are explained to help you recognise how personality is measured in practice.

After this talk, you will:

• Understand the psychometric (trait) approach to personality assessment.

• Know the main reasons why the trait or psychometric approach is often preferred in workplace settings.

• Be able to describe the origins and development of the psychometric approach, including key contributors such as Galton, Thorndike, Cattell, and Spearman.

• Recognise that the psychometric (trait) approach is largely “atheoretical” but has some theoretical contributions.

• Be aware of the three main approaches to developing personality tests: rational, theoretical, and empirical.

• Understand the basic concepts of traits versus behaviours in personality assessments.

• Be familiar with the Big 5 model of personality and know why it is important in assessments.

• Understand the difference between trait and type models in personality questionnaires, including the pros and cons of each.

• Know what factor analysis is and why it is important in the development of psychometric tests.

• Appreciate why narrowband questionnaires (with more detailed scales) are more useful than broadband (general) ones for predicting workplace performance.

• Recognise different types of questions (items) used in personality questionnaires, including normative versus ipsative, transparent versus opaque, and trait versus state items.

• Be aware of the differences between occupational and clinical items in assessments.

• Understand the limitations and appropriate uses of different personality assessment approaches, particularly in workplace contexts.