Be sure to delete everything in yellow before turning in you.docx

*** Be sure to delete everything in yellow before turning in
your paper ***
(Page 1 is the Title Page and Page 2 is the Abstract. The Body
of the paper begins on Page 3.)
Personality Instrument
* State which personality test you chose to focus on.
* Describe the purpose of the test and what it is typically used
for.
* Describe it: how many items? What kind of items?
Application Chosen
[In this section describe the disorder, population segment,
problem, or business application that you have chosen. (Could
be just one or two sentences.)]
Literature Review
Describe the 3-5 articles you found that involve the personality
test you chose and the disorder/population segment/problem that
you chose. Focus on the useful information from the articles:
if they were research articles, what did they find? If they were
review articles, what were their major conclusions?
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Discussion
Reliability and Validity of (insert test name here) for (insert
application here)
What were the psychometric characteristics (validity and
reliability) of the test when it was used in the research

described in the three articles?
Ethical Considerations Regarding (insert test name here)
Is it possible that a psychologist using this test could be
violating the APA ethical principles and/ or the civil rights of
the test taker? If not, explain how the test design avoids
potential issues.
Conclusion
Based on the information in your articles, is this test useful for
the application you chose? For example, if you chose to focus
on a particular disorder, does the test provide useful
information about the disorder? If you chose to focus on a
particular population group, does the test provide information
about how that group is different from other types of people? If
you chose to focus on a particular problem, is the test helpful in
illuminating or explaining the problem? If you chose to focus
on a business application, is the test useful for the people who
use it?
References
As always, References go on a separate page at the end of the
paper.
Running Head: NEO PI-R AND COLLEGE STUDENTS 1
Research on Undergraduate College Students Using The NEO

PI-R
Ima Student
PSYCH 525 / Dr. Snider
University of Phoenix
NEO PI-R AND COLLEGE STUDENTS 2
Abstract
Three research articles were reviewed that investigated the use
of the NEO PI-R with
undergraduate college students. The articles concerned three
issues concerning the personality
and behavior of students: the differences between students who
planned to attend graduate
school and those who did not; the personality variables
associated with apathy; and factors
related to college students’ psychological sense of community.
The NEO PI-R proved to be a
valuable tool in assessing the attitudes of the undergraduate
students in each study.

The personality instrument investigated in this paper is the
NEO PI-R. The
revised NEO PI-R Personality Inventory is designed to measure
five domains of personality, as
well as the six facets that describe each domain that is used to
assess adult personality (Cohen &
Swerdlik, 2010). The inventory is based on the Big Five factor
model of Personality. The five
domains of personality measured with this instrument are
Openness, Conscientiousness,
Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. The inventory is
designed to measure the
personalities of adults 17 years and older and consists of 246
items in the form of a self-survey.
The purpose of the NEO PI-R is to assess emotional,
interpersonal, experiential,
attitudinal, and motivational styles of its subjects. The results
of this inventory can be valuable in
the areas of counseling, clinical psychology, psychiatry,
vocational counseling and

industrial/organizational psychology, and educational and
personality research.
“The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) consists
of 30 facet scales that
define the broad domains of the Five-Factor Model of
personality” (Trull, Widiger, & Burr,
2001, p. 176). The domains are as follows:
1. Neuroticism: identifies individuals who are particularly
vulnerable to psychological
distress.
2. Extraversion: quantity and intensity of energy directed
outwards into the social world.
3. Openness to Experience: the active seeking and appreciation
of experiences.
4. Agreeableness: the kinds of interactions an individual prefers
from compassion to tough
mindedness.
5. Conscientiousness: degree of organization, persistence,
control and motivation in goal
directed behavior.

Application Chosen
The demographic population that is represented in this critique
is undergraduate college
students. The three studies included in the critique explore
various issues facing undergraduate
college students.
Literature Review
Article 1
Scepansky and Bjornsen (2003) compared the attitudes and
personality traits of 166
students who planned to attend graduate school with 161
students who planned to work after
college. Participants in the study consisted of 336 college
students (235 female, 101 male),
ranging in age from 17-22. The participants were enrolled in
psychology courses at a small state
college in Virginia. The 240-item NEO PI-R was administered
to the participants who also
provided answers to the following questions: "How many hours
per week on average do you
spend studying or working on schoolwork?" "What do you
expect to do after graduation?

(graduate school versus work)" "On average, how often do you
participate in class by asking a
question or taking part in a class discussion?" Students
responded to the latter item using the
following 5-point scale: 5 = always, 4 = often, 3 = sometimes, 2
= rarely, 1 = never.
The results showed that students planning to attend graduate
school participated more in
class, and scored significantly higher on Learning-Oriented
Attitudes, Learning-Oriented
Behaviors, Conscientiousness, Competence, Achievement
Striving, Openness and Ideas; they
also scored significantly lower on Grade-Oriented Attitudes and
Grade-Oriented .
In general, the results of the study support the hypothesis that
students who plan to attend
graduate school differ to a degree from students who are
planning to enter the work force.
Students who reported an interest in attending graduate school
scored significantly higher on all
of the relevant factors (e.g., Conscientiousness and Openness)

and facets (Competence,
Achievement Striving, and Ideas). They also demonstrated
through their higher scores in
Learning Oriented Attitudes and Learning Oriented Behaviors,
that they study to learn versus
simply studying to obtain a high grade in a class.
Article 2
Bjornse, Scepansky, and Suzuki (2007) assessed current
levels of apathy among college
students. Participants completed the NEO PI-R. The researchers
predicted that apathy scores
would be positively correlated with Neuroticism (self-
consciousness, depression), and negatively
correlated with Extraversion (warmth, gregariousness,
assertiveness, activity, excitement-
seeking, positive emotions) Openness (aesthetics, feelings,
actions, ideas), Agreeableness
(altruism), and Conscientiousness (competence, order,
achievement-striving, self-discipline, and
deliberation). The participants were 336 college students (235
female, 101 male) ages 17-22,
who attended a medium-sized liberal arts university in the
eastern United States. The apathy

measure focused on the degree to which students had hopes and
plans for their future, had
feelings of adequacy, and expressed interest in daily activities”
(Bjornsen, Scepansky, & Suzuki,
2007, p.670). All items were answered using a 5-point Likert
scale, and ranged from "strongly
agree" to "strongly disagree." The scales demonstrate high
internal reliability and strong
construct validity through associations with expected domains
and facets of the NEO PI-R. The
five domains, represent separate fundamental aspects of
personality. High levels of male apathy
were associated with high levels of neuroticism, low levels of
extraversion, low levels of
conscientiousness, and high levels of agreeableness. High levels
of female apathy were
associated with high levels of neuroticism, low levels of
conscientiousness, and low levels of
extraversion. These results suggest that apathy may be
comprised of the following three
components: emotional (negative mood, anxiety), social

(inadequacy with friends, sensitivity to
ridicule), and goal-oriented (insecure about one's future, low
motivation and self-confidence).
Students in the study reported significantly lower levels of
apathy than those reported by
Munekata (1997) (cited in Bjornsen, Scepansky, & Suzuki,
2007) for Japanese college students
who were given the Japanese version of the instrument. The
strongest predictor of employment
and income after college for Japanese students is the status or
educational ranking of the college
or university. Students' "lot in life" has been determined by the
time they take the university
entrance exams, which determines which University a student
will attend. In this sample,
students with high levels of apathy were not as extraverted,
trusting, or conscientious as other
students. Additionally, Japanese students’” interpersonal
competence and connectedness to the
college environment also had lower levels of stress and they
were less likely to drop out of
college” (Bjornsen, Scepansky, & Suzuki, 2007, p.671).
Article 3

Deneui (2003) examined various factors as they relate to
first-year college students’
Psychological Sense of Community (PSC). More specifically,
this study examined how “a
student’s sense of community develops over time and how that
development relates to
individual personality traits as well as student involvement and
participation in various campus
activities and organizations” (Deneui, 2003, p. 224). The study
was based on the assumption that
as incoming freshmen new to campus, students would have no
sense of community. As a result
of becoming involved in campus activities, as well as the
possession of certain personality traits,
their sense of community would increase over the school year.
In order to measure results over
an extended period of time, the inventory was administered
twice during the school year and was
referred to as Time 1 and Time 2. Time 1 participants
consisted of 364 incoming first year
students. Of these students, 234 were females and 128 were

males. Two respondents did not
indicate their gender. Participants were students enrolled in
introductory psychology courses at a
large southeastern university. The initial sample of students
was asked if they would be willing
to participate in a follow-up study to be conducted near the end
of the spring semester. As an
incentive to participate in the follow-up, students were offered a
chance at winning a $100 cash
prize. Out of the initial 364 Time 1 participants, 315 indicated
they would be willing to
participate in the follow-up study. Out of that sample of 315,
120 (38%) actually completed the
follow-up survey. Time 2 participants included 95 women and
23 men. Participants completed
the 240-item NEO PI-R, which measured individual personality
on five broad dimensions,
Neuroticism, Extroversion), and Conscientiousness.
Participants indicated their degree of
agreement with each item on a five-point Likert scale ranging
from 1 = "strongly disagree" to 5 =
"strongly agree".
Demographic information was also collected including,
gender, size of high school, high

school GPA and ethnic background. To test changes over time,
the PSC scale was again
administered at the end of the semester (Time 2 PSC). Students
were also asked to complete a
participation checklist that measured their involvement in
various campus organizations and
activities. The study included 120 participants who completed a
battery of questionnaires at the
beginning and end of an academic school year. Results showed
that contrary to prediction
students' overall PSC did not increase over the course of the
academic year. The findings of this
study reveal no support for the prediction that overall PSC
would increase over the course of the
academic school year. “Apparently, it cannot be assumed that
PSC will automatically increase
for all students. In fact, the findings reveal that for some
students PSC was actually lower at the
end of the school year than at the beginning” (Deneui, 2003,
p.230).

Discussion
Reliability and Validity of the NEO PI-R for College Students
None of the studies reported validity scores for the NEO PI-R.
Reliability results were
reported by Deneui (2003), who found the following internal
consistency reliabilities for the five
main scales: Neuroticism (alpha = .92), Extroversion (alpha =
.90), Openness (alpha = .87),
Agreeableness (alpha = .86) and Conscientiousness (alpha =
.91).
Ethical Considerations Regarding the NEO PI-R
While the NEO PI-R has been proven to an effective
measurement of personality,
particularly when used by psychologists, the opportunity for
misuse is also present. Ethical
considerations must be made when this measurement is used by
vocational counselors or other
non-medical professionals because it could result in the labeling
of an individual as having
personality conflicts that may be used to discriminate against
the individual. Specifically, college
students could be prematurely labeled as having personalities
that make them unsuitable for a

specific concentration in school or to aim toward a particular
career path. If the instrument is
administered to an 18 year old freshman, his or her results
would likely be very different as a 21
year junior or senior. Given that college is often a time of
discovery and maturation for students,
their responses to this measurement may change significantly
from their college freshman year
until their college senior year.
This instrument, and those like it, can also cause the students
themselves to allow the
results to dictate their success in school as well as the goals that
they create for themselves. If, as
a result of the instrument, a student sees him or herself as
lacking personality traits to be
successful in certain careers, that may allow that to deter their
efforts. Perhaps a student who is
18 and dreams of being an attorney scores low in interpersonal
scores due to shyness. In three
years’ time, that student may have conquered shyness. The
instrument merely gives a snapshot

in time of students’ personality traits.
Not only could this measurement cause others to
prematurely judge a student, but it may
cause the student to prematurely resign to a label that is given
to him or her.
Conclusion
Though all three studies essentially measured different
attitudes regarding undergraduate
college experiences, the common thread was that the NEO PI-R
seem to clearly and adequately
captured the attitudes of the sample population (college
students) in each study. The instrument
measured those factors and facets that are very specific to the
undergraduate population, and in
turn, it would be difficult to generalize these results to the
general population because the general
demographics of the sample population in all three studies do
not reflect the demographics of the
general population at large. The common psychometric link
between all three inventories given
under all three conditions to similar populations indicate that
students who feel that they have a
sense of belonging to their environment scored higher in the

areas of consciousness and
competence, and lower levels of neuroticism.
The NEO PI-R is a valuable instrument that can be used to
measure the various personality
traits of its subjects. The fact that it is based on the five factor
model of personality made this
instrument an effective tool for measuring the characteristics of
college students. The instrument
allows the test giver to assess the overt and more subtle
personality traits that could assist of
hinder a student’s success. This instrument has the capability
of highlighting strengths as well as
areas that students may desire to develop in their quest for their
academic and professional goals.
References
Bjornsen, C., Scepansky, J., & Suzuki, A. (2007). Apathy and
personality traits among college
students: A cross-cultural comparison. College Student Journal,
41(3), 668. Retrieved
from MasterFILE Premier database.

Cohen, R. J., & Swedlik, M. E. (2010). Psychological testing
and assessment: An introduction to
tests and measurement (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Deneui, D. (2003). An investigation of first-year college
students' psychological sense of
community on campus. College Student Journal, 37(2), 224.
Retrieved from Education
Research Complete database.
Scepansky, J., & Bjornsen, C. (2003). Educational orientation,
NEO PI-R personality traits, and
plans for graduate school. College Student Journal, 37(4), 574-
582. Retrieved from
Academic Search Complete database.
Trull, T., Widiger, T., & Burr, R. (2001). A structured interview
for the assessment of the five-
factor model of personality: Facet-level relations to the Axis II
personality disorders.
Journal of Personality, 69(2), 175-198. Retrieved from
SocINDEX with Full Text
database.
Overview of Format for Week 6 Individual Assignment
* Note the format and location of the headings (shown in black

Times New Roman font)
PAGE 1: APA-FORMAT TITLE PAGE
PAGE 2: ABSTRACT
Abstract
PAGES 3 TO ? : BODY OF PAPER
Application Chosen
Literature Review
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Discussion
Reliability and Validity of (insert test name here) for (insert
application here)
Ethical Considerations Regarding (insert test name here)
Conclusion
ON NEW PAGE FOLLOWING BODY OF PAPER:
REFERENCES
References

1
1
Week 6 Individual Assignment
Analysis and critique of personality measure
DUE DATE
This assignment is due on Monday, Day 7 of Week 7, i.e. the
last day of class. I cannot
accept any assignments after the last day of class.
ASSIGNMENT
1. Select one psychological personality assessment instrument,
test, or inventory to serve
as the basis of this assignment. It should be an instrument that
gives an overall
description of the test taker’s personality.
Specialized instruments designed to diagnose one specific
disorder (ADHD, autism,

depression, substance abuse, etc.) are not appropriate. Even if
your target application
involves a specific disorder, the test should be one that is a
general personality measure
designed for the general population.
2. Identify a target application in which the personality
instrument is used. Choose
either
(a) a specific disorder, such as bulimia or obsessive-compulsive
disorder,
(b) a specific demographic population, such as individuals with
a particular sex,
racial/ethnic background, disability, etc., or
(c) a specific situation, such as in the workplace or in
counseling with "normal"
individuals.
Be sure to state clearly what application you have chosen.
3. Explore the psychological literature to find three to five
articles that test the use of
this inventory or assessment with the target application
identified in 2.

4. Using the paper format I’ve provided, write a 1,750- to
2,100-word in-depth
examination of your selected test and its uses. Include the
following in your paper:
a. Describe the characteristics, uses, and purposes of your
selected assessment
instrument or inventory. Be sure to include basic information
such as the
number and type of test items, and the names of the personality
characteristics it measures.
b. State which application of your instrument (which disorder,
subgroup, or
situation) you have chosen, as described in 2 above.
c. Summarize each of the articles you found, paying particular
attention to the
information your chosen test provides about the disorder,
subgroup, or
situation you are targeting.
2

d. Identify the psychometric properties of the test (reliability
and validity)
reported by the articles you found. Provide numbers if
available.
e. Analyze any ethical considerations associated with your
selected assessment.
(The MMY review(s) of your test might help with this.)
f. Summarize your research findings. Describe from your brief
review of the
literature how your chosen test is or isn’t useful with your
selected target
population/application.
SPECIFICATIONS
DOCUMENT TYPE REQUIRED: MS Word, .RTF, or .PDF
document
SECTION HEADINGS are required; see the format documents
attached.
LENGTH: 1,750 to 2,100 words
APA FORMAT REQUIREMENTS:
* APA-style page headers containing title and page number

* Title page including the name of the test, the personality
theory, and the application
* APA-style Abstract
* References with citations in the text
* 12-point Times New Roman font
* Double-spaced
3
GRADING NOTES & USEFUL INFORMATION
(1) Note that the assignment above is modified somewhat from
the assignment that the
University posted on the website. Ultimately they have the same
requirements, but my
version provides a bit more structure to the task while also

providing you more freedom in
choosing a topic. I require you to use my version.
(2) Important Note: 3 to 5 articles must come from the
psychological literature. This
means only peer-reviewed journal articles, not books or
websites. Your textbook, the Mental
Measurements Yearbook, and the DSM may be used as
references, but they do not count
as part of your peer-reviewed journal articles.
(3) One important limit: your Individual Assignment topic
cannot be the same as the topic
for your Learning Team presentation. There will be a 10%
grade reduction for using the
same test that was reviewed by your Learning Team.
(4) Before you turn in your paper, review the checklist below to
see that you’ve covered
everything. You could even use it to predict what grade I’ll give
you.
WEEK 6 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT GRADING RUBRIC /
CHECKLIST

Use the center column as a checklist to be sure your paper
meets the scoring criteria.
Assignment Criteria Weight
Overall Format of Paper (8%)
Write a 1,750- to 2,100-word in-depth
examination of your selected test and its
uses, using the format provided by the
instructor.
Is your paper at least 1,750 words in length? 3%
Does your paper use the format provided by
the instructor?
5%
Personality Instrument Chosen (17%)
1. Select one psychological personality
assessment instrument or inventory to serve
as the basis of this assignment.
Did you pick a single instrument that is a
psychological personality test or

assessment, and is NOT the same test used
for your Learning Team assignment?
8%
4(a). Describe the
* characteristics,
* uses, and
* purposes
of your selected assessment instrument or
inventory.
Did you describe the test's (a)
characteristics,
5%
(b) uses, and 2%
(c) purposes? 2%
Application Chosen (5%)
4

2 and 4(b). Define a specific target
application. This could be
* a particular disorder, such as bulimia or
obsessive-compulsive disorder,
* a demographic group, such as individuals
with a particular sex, racial/ethnic
background, disability, etc. or
* a specific application, such as in the
workplace or in counseling with “normal”
individuals.
Did you state clearly what target application
you have chosen?
5%
Review of Article 1 (9%)
3 and 4(c). Explore the psychological
literature to find three to five articles that
test the use of this inventory or assessment
with the target population you have chosen

Is Article 1 from a peer-reviewed journal? 3%
Discussion of article's findings regarding
your selected test and target application.
6%
6%

6%
Discussion of Results From The Three Studies (13%)
4(d). Describe the psychometric properties
(reliability and validity) of the test for the
target application. Provide numbers if
available.
Did you summarize the reliability and
validity findings of the assessment for the
target application using information from
your 3 to 5 articles? Be sure to back up your
statements with relevant facts.
4%
4(e). Analyze any ethical considerations

associated with your selected assessment.
Did you either (a) describe potential ethical
problems with your assessment or (b)
explain how your assessment is free from
ethical issues?
3%
4(f). g. Summarize your research findings in
a concluding paragraph. Describe from your
brief review of the literature how your
chosen test is or isn’t useful with your
selected target population/application.
Did you summarize what you learned from
the articles, and did you focus on the degree
to which the instrument is useful with your
target application?
4%
Readability, Mechanics, and APA Style
(30%)

5
Readability and organization Is your writeup well-organized and
easy to
follow? Do you have a logical line of
thought?
10%
Grammar, spelling, and word usage Did you spell-check your
paper and proof-
read it?
10%
Were you careful to write using good
grammar and use words correctly?
3%
APA Style Did you use the proper font and line
spacing?
3%
Did you use the proper format for the

references and citations? (from mini-rubric
below)
4%
See the Purdue University OWL website for excellent guidance
on APA style:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/
Proper format for referencing a journal article is:
Smith, A., & Jones, B. (2013). A new theory of personality.
Journal of Personality, 43(5), 462-464.
Note: "43(5)" means Volume 43, Issue # 5. Journal name &
volume number are in italics.
APA REFERENCES MINI-RUBRIC
Reference section starts at top of new page with heading
"References"
Used 12-point Times New Roman font throughout the reference
list
Listed references alphabetically by author(s) last name
Uses first initials for authors, not first names
Included all required components (authors, article title, journal
title, etc.)

Placed components in correct order
Used plain text for article titles (not italics, bold, all-caps,
quotation marks, etc.)
Used proper capitalization for article, journal, and book titles
Used italics for journal or book titles
Formatted volume number and page numbers correctly
Used double spacing throughout the References list
Used hanging indents
Used other APA format features correctly
Avoided using articles that appear to be secondary references
(e.g. references more than 60
years old).
Articles cited in text match articles in Reference section
Used correct format for citations
6

FORMAT + EXAMPLE PAPER
Attached:
WEEK 6 IA Format Overview v4.doc
WEEK 6 Format of body of paper with notes in yellow v4.doc
Attached to this post are two Word documents showing the
format for the Week 6 Individual
Assignment. One document outlines the format of the total
paper, and the other gives more
detail on the format of the body of the paper. Delete the
information I’ve highlighted in
yellow, and you’ll have a completed assignment.
You must use this format in order to get full credit for your
paper.
The example of a Week 6 Assignment in Course Materials will
show what the completed
paper should look like. It’s not a perfect paper, but it’s very
good. See if you can exceed it!
WATCH OUT FOR . . .

In the past, students have gone wrong by . . .
* choosing an instrument such as a behavior rating scale or a
specialized test designed to
diagnose a particular disorder. These are not personality tests.
* failing to focus on a specific population or application
* failing to report the reliability and/or validity results from
their articles
* not thinking deeply about whether the test they review might
have problems with bias or
other ethical issues

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