Papers by Prof. Paul Costa
Molecular Psychiatry, Dec 21, 2010
Psychology and Aging, 2019
Rorschachiana, 2005
Many of the constructs the Rorschach is used to assess are related to personality traits included... more Many of the constructs the Rorschach is used to assess are related to personality traits included in the Five-Factor Model, but studies to date have not shown convergence between Rorschach and self-report measures of these traits. This poses a problem for the Rorschach, because recent research on the universality, stability, heritability, and consensual validity of traits demonstrate that self-report measures cannot be dismissed. In an effort to understand these issues, we examine the Rorschach from the perspective of Five-Factor Theory (FFT), a systems model of the person. FFT is compatible with the projective hypothesis, but would generally lead to the expectation that Rorschach signs and self-reports should be correlated. Where they are not, the validity of Rorschach measures of personality traits would need to be confirmed by demonstrations of their heritability, stability, and convergence with observer ratings. The Rorschach may be more useful when interpreted in the context of...
Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1991
Encyclopedia of psychology, Vol. 5.
The Five-Factor Model of Personality Across Cultures, 2002
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2015
Psychological Science, 2013
Reciprocal relations between weight and psychological factors suggest that there are deep connect... more Reciprocal relations between weight and psychological factors suggest that there are deep connections between mind and body. Personality traits are linked to weight gain; weight gain may likewise be associated with personality change. Using data from two diverse longitudinal samples ( N = 1,919) collected at two time points an average of 10 years apart, we showed that significant weight gain is associated with increases in both impulsiveness and deliberation: In both samples, middle-aged adults who gained 10% or more of their baseline body weight by follow-up increased in their tendency to give in to temptation, yet were more thoughtful about the consequences of their actions. The present research moves beyond life events to implicate health status in adult personality development. The findings also suggest that interventions focusing on the emotional component of impulse control may be more effective because even people who become more thoughtful about the consequences of their act...
Psychological Bulletin, 2006
(2006) depicted the present authors as proponents of the immutability of traits, in fact we have ... more (2006) depicted the present authors as proponents of the immutability of traits, in fact we have always acknowledged the possibility of change, and we are pleased that the results of their meta-analysis are consistent with our conclusions about modest change after age 30. We agree with B.W. Roberts et al. that analyses should be conducted at the level of more specific traits, but prefer the 30 facets of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory to the Social Dominance-Social Vitality distinction. The origins of age changes might be found either in environmental influences common to all cultures or in biologically based intrinsic maturation; we offer some reasons for preferring the latter interpretation. Meta-analyses are useful but not definitive, and the resolution of the origin question lies in further research.
Personality and Individual Differences, 2004
Journal of Research in Personality, 1998
Journal of Personality Assessment, 1995
Journal of Personality Assessment, 2005
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2001
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1987
Journal of Personality, 1989
The Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI, Myers & McCaulley, 1985) was evaluated from the perspectiv... more The Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI, Myers & McCaulley, 1985) was evaluated from the perspectives of Jung's theory of psychological types and the five‐factor model of personality as measured by self‐reports and peer ratings on the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO‐PI, Costa & McCrae, 1985b) Data were provided by 267 men and 201 women ages 19 to 93 Consistent with earlier research and evaluations, there was no support for the view that the MBTI measures truly dichotomous preferences or qualitatively distinct types, instead, the instrument measures four relatively independent dimensions The interpretation of the Judging‐Perceiving index was also called into question The data suggest that Jung's theory is either incorrect or inadequately operationalized by the MBTI and cannot provide a sound basis for interpreting it However, correlational analyses showed that the four MBTI indices did measure aspects of four of the five major dimensions of normal personality The five‐factor mod...
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 1998
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2013
Human Brain Mapping, 2012
Although personality changes have been associated with brain lesions and atrophy caused by neurod... more Although personality changes have been associated with brain lesions and atrophy caused by neurodegenerative diseases and aging, neuroanatomical correlates of personality in healthy individuals and their stability over time have received relatively little investigation. In this study, we explored regional gray matter (GM) volumetric associations of the five‐factor model of personality. Eighty‐seven healthy older adults took the NEO Personality Inventory and had brain MRI at two time points 2 years apart. We performed GM segmentation followed by regional analysis of volumes examined in normalized space map creation and voxel based morphometry‐type statistical inference in SPM8. We created a regression model including all five factors and important covariates. Next, a conjunction analysis identified associations between personality scores and GM volumes that were replicable across time, also using cluster‐level Family‐Wise‐Error correction. Larger right orbitofrontal and dorsolateral ...
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Papers by Prof. Paul Costa