Type Versus Trait: Extraversion, Impulsivity, Sociability, and Preferences for Cooperative and Competitive Activities

• Published in: Journal of personality and social psychology 1988-05, Vol.54 (5), p.864-871
• Main Authors: Wolfe, Raymond N, Kasmer, Jeff A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Competition; Cooperation; Extraversion; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Impulsiveness; Impulsivity; Personality; Preferences; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Sociability; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social psychology; Social research; Students
• ISSN: 0022-3514; 1939-1315
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.54.5.864

We applied the methodological prescription offered by Briggs and Cheek (1986) in a partial replication of a study by Graziano, Feldesman, and Rahe (1985) . Extraversion, sociability, and impulsivity as measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) were used to predict students' ratings of hypothetical situations of cooperation and competition. For the sample as a whole, ratings of the two kinds of activity are similar to those found by Graziano et al. When extraversion is used as a predictor, however, our data differ from theirs in several ways. A crucial finding emerges from stepwise regression analyses, which show that for each rating dimension, most of the variance explained by EPI variables is accounted for by either sociability or impulsivity. This implies that Graziano et al.'s analysis, which was conducted entirely at the level of extraversion, was too gross; consequently, their interpretation may be incorrect. The data have implications for the theories of Gray (1981) and Eysenck (1967) , although neither of these positions appears capable of explaining all aspects of the results. We conclude that the principles espoused by Briggs and Cheek (1986) are not only useful but essential in the study of personality.