M. Brent Donnellan’s research while affiliated with Michigan State University and other places

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Publications (324)


Correlates of the DriP. scales Correlations inconsistency scales sample 1 sample 2 sample 3 meta-analytic r
Development of an Inconsistent Responding Scale for the Big Five Inventory-2
  • Article
  • Full-text available

October 2024

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101 Reads

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M Brent Donnellan
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Does Perceived Similarity Between Present and Future Self Predict Well-Being? A Reanalysis and Replication of

June 2024

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12 Reads

Social Psychological and Personality Science

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Alisar Alabdullah

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Jenny Warkentien

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[...]

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Richard E. Lucas

Reiff and colleagues found that perceived similarity between one’s present and future self is positively associated with life satisfaction 10 years later, using a difference-score approach to operationalize similarity. This study further evaluated the similarity effect by reproducing the original longitudinal association with a difference-score method, by using more sophisticated analyses (i.e., polynomial regression and response surface analyses), and by replicating the association in a newly collected sample. We were able to reproduce and replicate the findings based on a difference-score approach. However, we did not find a similarity effect in either sample using more sophisticated approaches. The current results show that previously reported support for the association between perceived similarity and well-being is driven by the statistical main effects of personality reports.


Percent of Sample at Maximum Possible Score.
Note. A = agreeableness; C = conscientiousness; E = extraversion; N = negative emotionality; O = open-mindedness; Negative emotionality values reflect percent of sample at the minimum possible score (i.e., floor).
Average Percent at Maximum Possible (POMP) Score, Standard Deviation, and Percent of Sample at Ceiling for Each Trait by Response Option Condition for Samples 1 and 2
Internal Consistencies and Average Inter-Item Correlations for Each Trait by Response Option Condition for Samples 1 and 2
Convergent and Criterion Validity Correlations for Each Trait by Response Option for Samples 1 and 2
Brief Report: Does the Number of Response Options Matter for the BFI-2? Conceptual Replication and Extension

June 2024

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197 Reads

We evaluated how the number of response options affects the psychometric properties of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2). Using two large samples collected from a market research company (Ns = 893 and 1,213), we tested how different response options of the BFI-2 influenced scale score distributions, internal consistency estimates, convergent validity correlations, and criterion validity correlations. Results suggest that score distributions were impacted by the number of response options such that ceiling and floor effects were more common when using two or three response options than when using more options. Estimates of Cronbach’s alpha were generally lower with fewer scale points as compared with more scale points, but these effects disappeared when ordinal alpha was used. There were no systematic effects of response options on convergent validity and criterion validity correlations. Given these results, there seems to be few psychometric reasons for deciding whether to administer personality items with five, six, or seven scale points.


Notes from the Underground: Seeking the top personality correlates of self-referencing

April 2024

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58 Reads

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1 Citation

Journal of Personality

Objective Self‐focused language use has been frequently assumed to reflect narcissism; however, research indicates that the association between first‐person singular pronouns (i.e., “I‐talk”) and grandiose narcissism is negligible. Method To extend this literature, we progressively identify vulnerable narcissism and rumination as positive correlates of I‐talk in five studies (valid N s = 211, 475, 1253, 289, 1113). Results The first study revealed positive correlates of I‐talk suggestive of vulnerable narcissism. The second study showed more directly that vulnerable narcissism was a positive correlate but that this association was attributable to shared variance with neuroticism. The third study, a preregistered effort, replicated and extended the results of the second study. The fourth and fifth studies focused on rumination in a preregistered manner. Conclusions All the studies point to a clear distinction: While grandiose narcissism is negligibly related to I‐talk, vulnerable narcissism is positively related to I‐talk; moreover, rumination is a robust predictor of I‐talk. A research synthesis revealed the following constructs significantly capture I‐talk: depression ( r = 0.10), neuroticism ( r = 0.15), rumination ( r = 0.14), and vulnerable narcissism ( r = 0.12). The association between I‐talk and neuroticism was partially mediated by rumination, providing a testable candidate mechanism for neuroticism interventions.


Development of an Inconsistent Responding Scale for the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised

December 2023

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88 Reads

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1 Citation

Inconsistent or careless responding is a significant threat to the validity of self-reported personality data. Using archival samples of undergraduate and community participants, we developed an inconsistent responding scale using items that appear on both the 60- and 100-item versions of the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised—two widely used measures of the HEXACO model of personality trait structure. We identified pairs of correlated HEXACO items in Sample 1 and created a total inconsistent responding score by summing absolute differences between each item pair. The Brief Response Inconsistency Evaluation (BRIE) for the HEXACO effectively differentiated between genuine and randomly generated responses across samples. The BRIE also correlated as expected with other measures of careless responding and relevant personality traits (e.g., conscientiousness). Tentative cut scores for the BRIE that appear to provide a reasonable balance between sensitivity and specificity in Sample 1 were investigated. Future research should examine the BRIE with different populations and translations of the HEXACO inventories and further investigate the effectiveness of the recommended cut scores.


Coefficient Alpha Estimates for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale by Response Option Condition for Each Study.
Descriptive Statistics for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale by Response Option Condition for Each Study.
Correlations Between Self-Esteem and the Big Five Domains and Life-Satisfaction by Response Option Condition for Each Study.
Correlations Between Self-Esteem and the HEXACO Domains by Response Option Condition for Studies 1 and 3.
Correlations Between Self-Esteem and the Triarchic Domains by Response Option Condition for Studies 1 and 3.
How Does the Number of Response Options Impact the Psychometric Properties of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale?

September 2023

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358 Reads

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9 Citations

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is the most frequently used measure of self-esteem in the social sciences. These items are often administered with a different number of response options, but it is unclear how the number of response options impacts the psychometric properties of this measure. Across three experiments (Ns = 739, 2,358, and 1,461), we evaluated how different response options of the Rosenberg influenced (a) coefficient alpha estimates, (b) distributions of scores, and (c) associations with criterion-related variables. Observed coefficient alpha estimates were lowest for a 2-point format compared with response formats with more options. However, supplemental analyses using ordinal alpha pointed to similar estimates across conditions. Using four or more response options better approximated a normal distribution for observed summary scores. We found no consistent evidence that criterion-related correlations increased with more response options. Collectively, these results suggest that the Rosenberg should be administered with at least four response options and we favor a 5-point Likert-type response format.


Relationship quality predicted by whether a problem solving discussion occurred at low and high levels of partner optimism (±1 SD) holding actor optimism constant.
Relationship quality as a function of whether a problem solving discussion occurred, the problem was resolved, and the nature of the problem.
General relationship quality (measured at baseline) predicting the likelihood of a problem discussion occurring, its resolution, and the problem type.
Optimism (measured at baseline) predicting whether a problem discussion occurred, was resolved, and the problem type.
Predicting daily relationship quality as a function of actor and partner optimism, daily problem solving variables, and the interactions between optimism and problem solving.
Optimism, relationship quality, and problem solving discussions: A daily diary study

February 2023

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250 Reads

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5 Citations

Problem solving is a necessary part of all successful relationships. The current study examined how naturally occurring day-to-day problem solving discussions were related to daily reports of relationship quality. In addition, we investigated whether optimism was associated with the nature and occurrence of these problems and moderated the association between problem solving discussions and relationship quality. Multilevel modeling was applied to data from 112 couples who completed daily diaries over 14 days (M age = 28.2, 95.5% heterosexual, 66.5% White). Relationship quality was higher on days when couples did not report a problem discussion, when couples reported at least somewhat solving the problem they discussed, and when the problem discussion did not involve conflict. More optimistic individuals and individuals with more optimistic partners were more likely to resolve problems, less likely to discuss problems specifically about their relationship, and less likely to have problem discussions involving conflict on days when problem discussions occurred. Individuals with partners who were high in optimism reported relatively high relationship quality regardless of whether a problem discussion occurred, whereas those with partners low in optimism reported significantly lower quality on days when such a discussion took place.


Descriptive Statistics and Intercorrelations.
Associations Between NEO-Triarchic Scales and Abnormal Personality, Psychopathology, and Personality Disorders.
Zero-Order Associations Between NEO-Triarchic Estimates and Abnormal Personality, Psychopathology, and Personality Disorders.
Regressions Between NEO-Triarchic Estimates and Abnormal Personality, Psychopathology, and Personality Disorders.
Pattern Coefficients From ESEM of the NEO-Triarchic Scales.
A Comparison of Two Five-Factor Model Operationalizations of the Triarchic Model of Psychopathy in a Clinical Sample

October 2022

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139 Reads

Structural models of personality traits, particularly the five-factor model (FFM), continue to inform ongoing debates regarding what personality attributes and trait domains are central to psychopathy. A growing body of literature has linked the constructs of the triarchic model of psychopathy (boldness, meanness, disinhibition) to the FFM. Recently, researchers developed both item and regression-based measures of the triarchic model of psychopathy using the NEO Personality Inventory–Revised—a popular measure of the FFM. The current study examines the correlates of these two FFM-derived operationalizations of the triarchic model using data from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. The two approaches had strong convergent validity coefficients and similar patterns of criterion-related validity coefficients. Meanness related to greater personality pathology characterized by exploitation of others and poor attachment, whereas disinhibition related to indicators of greater negative affect and poor behavioral constraint. Boldness related to reduced negative affect and greater narcissistic personality traits. Although the item and regression-based approaches showed similar patterns of associations with criterion-variables, the item-based approach has some practical and psychometric advantages over the regression-based approach given strong correlations between the meanness and disinhibition scores from the regression approach.


Perception of Major Life Events and Personality Trait Change

June 2022

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1,599 Reads

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36 Citations

European Journal of Personality

Major life events can trigger personality trait change. However, a clear, replicable pattern of event-related personality trait change has yet to be identified. We examined whether the perception of major life events is associated with personality trait change. Therefore, we assessed young adults’ personality traits at five measurement occasions within one year. At the second measurement occasion, we also assessed their perception of a recently experienced major life event using the Event Characteristics Questionnaire. Contrary to our expectations, perceived impact of the event was not associated with the amount of personality trait change, but perceived valence was associated with changes in agreeableness and neuroticism. Exploratory analyses revealed some weak associations between other perceived event characteristics and the amount of personality trait change as well as interactions between perceived event characteristics and event categories in predicting changes in neuroticism. In general, effect sizes were small, and associations depended on the time interval between pre-event and post-event personality assessment. Results indicate that perceived event characteristics should be considered when examining event-related personality trait change.


A Direct Comparison of the Temporal Stability and Criterion Validities of Experiential and Retrospective Global Measures of Subjective Well-being

April 2022

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50 Reads

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7 Citations

Journal of Research in Personality

Within the past several decades, scholars have expressed concerns regarding the psychometric properties of global, retrospective self-reports of well-being (e.g., life satisfaction scales). This has led to the development of purportedly psychometrically superior experiential measures of well-being, such as the day reconstruction method. However, relatively few studies have directly compared the psychometric properties of global and experiential well-being measures. The present study was a one-month longitudinal design in which we collected up to three measures of (1) global well-being and (2) experiential well-being as measured via the day reconstruction method. These data were used to examine the temporal stability in both types of measures. Moreover, we also examined the criterion-related validity of global and experiential well-being by examining their correlations with theoretically-relevant variables. Results indicated that the majority of variance in all well-being variables was stable across one month—with global life satisfaction being the most stable and experiential negative affect being the least stable. Moreover, in our study, the criterion-related validities for global and experiential well-being were similar. These results seem to affirm the reliability and validity of global measures, and suggest that global and experiential measures of well-being may have similar psychometric properties.


Citations (59)


... Nonetheless, research involving older samples suggests a general increase in NFC in late adolescence and early adulthood. These trends align with those found for Openness to Experience, the Big Five trait most closely related to NFC (Fleischhauer et al. 2009), which generally decreases across childhood and mid-adolescence and increases in late adolescence and young adulthood (Atherton et al. 2020). This U-shaped trajectory has been refered to as the disruption hypothesis, which posits that individuals undergo declines in socially desirable traits throughout adolescence, likely influenced by various biological, psychological, and social changes during this developmental phase (Soto and Tackett 2015). ...

Reference:

A Theoretical Framework for the Development of Need for Cognition in Childhood and Adolescence
Development of Personality across the Life Span
  • Citing Chapter
  • September 2020

... We refer to this new scale as the Detection of Response Inconsistency Procedure (DRIP). Consistent with prior work (e.g., Concannon et al., 2023), we first identified a pool of item pairs that were correlated at ≥|.50| and then computed the sum of the absolute differences of these pairs to yield total scores for an inconsistent responding scale. We then tested whether scale scores could differentiate between genuine and entirely (100%) randomized data, as well as partially randomized data (66%, 33%). ...

Development of an Inconsistent Responding Scale for the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised

... Of those studies, the majority (n = 21; 84.0%) reported Cronbach's alpha, followed by "composite reliability" (n = 6; 24.0%), omega coefficients or person separation index (n = 2; 8.0% each), and person reliability index or Guttman split-half reliability (n = 1; 4.0% each). Only one study (Donnellan & Rakhshani, 2023) took into account the ordered categorical nature of the RSES item responses and reported ordinal alpha in addition to Cronbach's alpha. Among the 20 studies that examined the internal structure and also produced reliability estimates, nine studies (45.0%) reported reliability estimates before describing internal structure results, and it was unclear whether or how their EFA or CFA findings informed the reliability estimates. ...

How Does the Number of Response Options Impact the Psychometric Properties of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale?

... People who show higher levels of optimism tend to experience several benefits. Optimistic individuals are more adept at problemsolving, experience lower levels of anxiety and encounter fewer everyday difficulties (Leahy et al., 2023). As a result, they are generally more effective in coping with challenges and exhibit fewer symptoms of depression (Chang, 1998;Kathryn R. Puskar, 1999). ...

Optimism, relationship quality, and problem solving discussions: A daily diary study

... Despite this, this study sought to palliate this weakness by incorporating a retrospective measurement, a novelty among studies concerned with sexual health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of note, retrospective self-reports of well-being and healthrelated quality of life are generally considered valid (e.g., Lawson et al., 2020;Hudson et al., 2022). Second, there are three sampling suboptimalities: the sample is relatively small (we did not predetermine the sample size, but we included as many participants from relevant healthcare services as was possible to us), the two groups are not equivalent as for professional category and there was an overrepresentation of women. ...

A Direct Comparison of the Temporal Stability and Criterion Validities of Experiential and Retrospective Global Measures of Subjective Well-being
  • Citing Article
  • April 2022

Journal of Research in Personality

... Focusing on whether or not a major life event occurs provides a simple and objective approach to the assessment of major life events [e.g., [28][29][30]. However, this approach has been criticized as the nominally same event can be perceived quite differently by different individuals [5,31]. For example, a relationship breakup might be a negative, unpredictable shock for one person but a positive relief for another. ...

How are common major live events perceived? Exploring differences between and variability of different typical event profiles and raters
  • Citing Article
  • March 2022

European Journal of Personality

... Personality research and statistics are closely related (Atherton et al., 2021). One of the empirical roads that researchers took in this field was based on the lexical hypothesis study of Allport and Odbert in 1936. ...

Why Has Personality Psychology Played an Outsized Role in the Credibility Revolution?

Personality Science

... Even if this is the case, investigating the domainspecificity or generality of implicit theories remains relevant, as perceptions about one attribute's developmental or static nature do not necessarily imply that this perception extends to all attributes (O'Keefe et al., 2018). Lewis et al. (2021) recently investigated adults' global and domainspecific mindsets (e.g., personality, intelligence, math, writing) using a bifactor model. They explored the strength of generalized beliefs across domains and discovered that mindsets remained consistent across domains throughout the sample. ...

Evaluating Evidence for a Global Mindset Factor Across Multiple Ability Domains
  • Citing Article
  • November 2021

Journal of Research in Personality

... Conversely, QB methods involve the collection of personality data through self-report questionnaires. QB personality measurement is generally regarded as more popular and accurate [32,33]. Therefore, we have used the BFI personality trait 50-item questionnaire in this research for the TVET trainee's personality assessment. ...

Perception of Major Life Events and Personality Trait Change

European Journal of Personality

... Early interactions between infants and caregivers convey a working model of relationships and lead individuals to develop insecure or secure attachment styles (Flaherty & Sadler, 2011). Receiving consistent support and nurturing from caregivers is associated with the development of a secure attachment style whereas its absence, as well as neglect and abuse, can lead one to develop an insecure attachment style (Dinero et al., 2022;Flaherty & Sadler, 2011;Kural & Kovacs, 2022). Attachment theory posits two main forms of attachment insecurity in romantic relationships: anxious attachment and avoidant attachment (Fraley & Shaver, 2000;Mikulincer & Shaver, 2008). ...

Developmental Trajectories of Adult Romantic Attachment: Assessing the Influence of Observed Interactions With Family of Origin