| Beliefs about trait co-occurrences, sometimes referred to as Implicit Personality Theories (Bruner & Tagiuri, 1954; Cronbach, 1955), reflect (1) shared beliefs about which traits go together in the same people, (2) individual differences in the extent to which judges believe that traits reliably co-occur, and (3) individual differences in the particular traits that are believed to co-occur, or the direction of trait co-occurrence judgments. Previous investigations have found striking evidence for (2) individual differences in the extent to which traits are judged to co-occur, and related individual differences in the breadth of factors or dimensions derived from the judgments (Halsted & Goldberg, 1990; Peabody & Goldberg, 1989; Pedersen, 1965; Walters & Jackson, 1966). Findings regarding (3) individual differences in the direction of inferences have been difficult to interpret.; One hundred two subjects rated the likelihood of co-occurrence of each of 38 bipolar trait pairs with each of the 76 personality traits constituting the scales. Thirty subjects completed this task a second time and all subjects completed a portion of the task again. Individual differences in the extent and direction of the trait co-occurrence judgments both showed reliability over time and format beyond the substantial reliability provided by shared beliefs. Judges could be classified by the extent, but not the direction, of their inferences.; Hypotheses regarding the relations of judgment extent and factor breadth to Emotional Stability (Big-five Factor IV, e.g., Goldberg, 1993), Intellect (Factor V), and Category Width (Pettigrew, 1958, 1982) were not confirmed. On the other hand, previous findings (unexpected by Halsted (1989)) of positive correlations of factor breadth with self-reported Intellect and Agreeableness (Big-five Factor II), were replicated.; To examine subjects' reliance on evaluation when making trait co-occurrence judgments, a scale was designed to measure the degree to which subjects judged evaluatively similar versus descriptively similar traits as likely to co-occur. Reliance-on-evaluation in making trait co-occurrence judgments predicted factor breadth beyond the prediction afforded by judgment extent alone. |
