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NEO-FFI

Tanishka Singh

Department of psychology, Fergusson College

PSY3502: Psychology Practical: Tests and Statistical Methods

Dr. Pooja Prabhavalkar

Assignment Due Date: 19/8/23

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PURPOSE OF THE TEST

To assess personality traits of the subject by administering NEO-Five Factor Inventory.

CASE STUDY

The subject is an 18 year old male named Ojas Patne. He is currently pursuing BA majors in

sociology in Fergusson College and is simultaneously completing a psychology course from

IGNOU. He belongs to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and his hobbies include reading poetry,

listening to western music and singing. He reported that in a conversation, he is able to put

his points in front of others without hesitation, that is against their point of view and might

create conflict. He is very sure and headstrong about his opinions and point of views and is

also very assertive regarding them. He reported that he has often been a part of conflict and

fight because he is a serious person and considers that life is a burden and he can’t take things

lightly when conflicts arise in his life. He reported that in college he has a very hectic

schedule and he tends to get stressed very easily and can’t seem to relax any sooner.

Although he also reported that during such circumstances, movies act as an escape from

reality for him sometimes but not always. He also reported that he worries unreasonably over

things. He said that he is a very balanced person when it comes to extraversion or

introversion. He goes out, attends parties because he gets an opportunity to learn and gain

knowledge from people. However, he also gives importance to his own company sometimes.

It mostly depends on his mood. He reported that he does not write down a to-do list everyday

but he has things or goals in mind that he wishes to achieve in a day, week or a month. He

also reported that he has quite high goals in life and that is why he is pursuing two degrees

simultaneously, one in psychology and another in sociology. When he meets someone for the

first time, he cannot blend with them that easily however he sometimes uses humor as a way

to blend with people. But he never approaches anybody on his own. He also reported that he
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is quite empathetic towards people and he was taught to be this way by his mother. Also, he

reported that he does not like to constrain his mind regarding anything so he explores a lot

and keeps his options open also whenever he goes to a restaurant he loves to try new dishes

and drinks rather than sticking to the old ones. He also reported having a very positive

attitude towards learning and gives a lot of importance to practical knowledge rather than

bookish knowledge.

INTRODUCTION

i. Trait Theories of Personality

The Big Five model

It resulted from the contributions of many independent researchers. Gordon Allport and

Henry Odbert first formed a list of 4,500 terms relating to personality traits in 1936. Their

work provided the foundation for other psychologists to begin determining the basic

dimensions of personality.

In the 1940s, Raymond Cattell and his colleagues used factor analysis (a statistical method)

to narrow down Allport’s list to sixteen traits. However, numerous psychologists examined

Cattell’s list and found that it could be further reduced to five traits. Among these

psychologists were Donald Fiske, Norman, Smith, Goldberg, and McCrae & Costa.

In particular, Lewis Goldberg advocated heavily for five primary factors of personality. His

work was expanded upon by McCrae & Costa, who confirmed the model’s validity and

provided the model used today: conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to

experience, and extraversion. This model came to be known as the ‘Big Five’ Model. It
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focuses on conceptualizing traits as a spectrum rather than black-and-white categories. It

recognizes that most individuals are not on the polar ends of the spectrum but rather

somewhere in between.

Following are the traits included in the OCEAN model:

1.Conscientiousness describes a person’s ability to regulate impulse control in order to

engage in goal-directed behaviors. It measures elements such as control, inhibition, and

persistence of behavior. People high on this facet are competent, organized, dutiful,

achievement striving, self-disciplined and there is deliberation. People low on this facet are

incompetent, disorganized, careless, procrastinating, indisciplined and impulsive.

2. Agreeableness refers to how people tend to treat relationships with others. Unlike

extraversion which consists of the pursuit of relationships, agreeableness focuses on people’s

orientation and interactions with others. People high on this facet are Trusting (forgiving),

Straightforward, Altruistic (enjoys helping), Compliant, Modest, Sympathetic and Empathic.

People low on this facet are Skeptical, Demanding, Insults and belittles others, Stubborn,

Show-off, Unsympathetic and doesn’t care about how other people feel.

3. Extraversion reflects the tendency and intensity to which someone seeks interaction with

their environment, particularly socially. It encompasses the comfort and assertiveness levels

of people in social situations. Additionally, it also reflects the sources from which someone

draws energy. People high on this facet are Sociable, Energized by social interaction,

Excitement-seeking, Enjoys being the center of attention and Outgoing

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People low on this facet Prefers solitude, get Fatigued by too much social interaction,

Reflective, Dislikes being the center of attention and Reserved.

4. Openness to experience refers to one’s willingness to try new things as well as engage in

imaginative and intellectual activities. It includes the ability to “think outside of the box.”

Those who score high on openness to experience are perceived as creative and artistic. They

prefer variety and value independence. They are curious about their surroundings and enjoy

traveling and learning new things.

People who score low on openness to experience prefer routine. They are uncomfortable with

change and trying new things, so they prefer the familiar over the unknown. As they are

practical people, they often find it difficult to think creatively or abstractly.

5. Neuroticism describes the overall emotional stability of an individual through how they

perceive the world. It takes into account how likely a person is to interpret events as

threatening or difficult. It also includes one’s propensity to experience negative emotions.

Those who score high on neuroticism often feel anxious, insecure and self-pitying. They are

often perceived as moody and irritable. They are prone to excessive sadness and low self-

esteem.

Those who score low on neuroticism are more likely to calm, secure and self-satisfied. They

are less likely to be perceived as anxious or moody. They are more likely to have high self-

esteem and remain resilient.

Allport’s Trait Theory

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The first trait theory was proposed by a psychologist named Gordon Allport in 1936. Allport

found that one English-language dictionary contained more than 4,000 words describing

different personality traits. He categorized these traits into three levels:3

Cardinal Traits

Allport suggested that cardinal traits are rare and dominating, usually developing later in life.

They tend to define a person to such an extent that their names become synonymous with

their personality. Examples of this include the following descriptive terms: Machiavellian,

narcissistic, Don Juan, and Christ-like.

Central Traits

These general characteristics form basic personality foundations. While central traits are not

as dominating as cardinal traits, they describe the major characteristics you might use to

describe another person. Descriptions such as "intelligent," "honest," "shy," and "anxious" are

considered central traits.

Secondary Traits

Secondary traits are sometimes related to attitudes or preferences. They often appear only in

certain situations or under specific circumstances. Some examples include public speaking

anxiety or impatience while waiting in line.

Cattell’s 16-Factor Personality Model

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Trait theorist Raymond Cattell reduced the number of main personality traits from Allport’s

initial list of over 4,000 down to 171. He did so primarily by eliminating uncommon traits

and combining common characteristics.

Next, Cattell rated a large sample of individuals for these 171 different traits. Using a

statistical technique known as factor analysis, he then identified closely related terms and

eventually reduced his list to 16 key personality traits. Among them are dominance,

perfectionism, reasoning, and self-reliance.

According to Cattell, these 16 traits are the source of all human personalities. He also

developed one of the most widely used personality assessments, the 16 Personality Factor

Questionnaire.

Eysenck’s 3 Dimensions of Personality

British psychologist Hans Eysenck developed a model of personality based on just three

universal traits.5

Introversion/Extraversion

Introversion involves directing attention to inner experiences, while extraversion relates to

focusing attention outward, onto other people and the environment. A person high in

introversion might be quiet and reserved, while an individual high in extraversion (often

spelled "extroversion") might be sociable and outgoing.

Neuroticism/Emotional Stability
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This dimension of Eysenck’s trait theory is related to moodiness versus even-temperedness.

Neuroticism refers to an individual’s tendency to become upset or emotional, while stability

refers to the tendency to remain emotionally constant.

Psychoticism

Later, after studying individuals suffering from mental illness, Eysenck added a personality

dimension he called psychoticism to his trait theory. Individuals who are high on this trait

tend to have difficulty dealing with reality and may be antisocial, hostile, non-empathetic,

and manipulative.

ii. Definition of personality according to trait approach

A trait is a personality characteristic that meets three criteria: it must be consistent, stable,

and vary from person to person. It is a relatively stable characteristic that causes individuals

to behave in certain ways. The combination and interaction of various traits form a

personality that is unique to each person. Trait theory of personality is focused on identifying

and measuring these individual personality characteristics.

iii. Practical utility of the test

Practical utility of NEO-FFI test is given below:

1.Personality assessments are a common aspect of the employment process in many firms.

Employers can learn more about a candidate's future job performance, work style, and

compatibility with the corporate culture by evaluating attributes including conscientiousness,

emotional stability, and agreeableness.

2. Career Counseling and Development: For career counselors and those looking for career

recommendations, trait personality assessments can be useful tools. Knowing one's

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personality qualities can help one choose a career and a workplace that best suits their

preferences and strengths.

3. Counseling and therapy: Trait personality assessments can help mental health providers

better understand their patients. Therapists can more successfully customize treatment plans

and treatments by recognizing personality features that support particular behavioral patterns.

4. Personal Development and Self-Awareness: Personal development and growth depend

greatly on one's level of self-awareness. Insights into one's strengths, faults, and opportunities

for progress can be gained from trait personality tests, which encourage self-reflection and

self-awareness.

5.The ability to manage stress and adversity is correlated with a number of personality

qualities, including neuroticism and optimism. Having an understanding of these

characteristics can help with coping mechanisms and ways for resilience-building.

6.Trait personality assessments can be utilized in educational settings to comprehend

students' learning preferences, driving forces, and behavior. Teachers can use this

information to help them adapt their instructional strategies and meet the various needs of

their students.

7. In psychological research, trait personality assessments are frequently used to examine a

variety of facets of human behavior, such as relationships, personality disorders, and

wellbeing. For scientific research, these measures offer standardized, quantitative data.

8. As general personality trait measures, the NEO inventories can be used in a wide variety of

settings. They have been widely used in clinical practice in both inpatient and outpatient

settings. Health psychologists use them in medical settings. The questionnaire can be mailed

to respondents as well. For the clinician, these measures are particularly valuable, because
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they assess strengths as well as weak-nesses. Measures of psychopathology are useful in

identifying problems but may give few clues about the client’s creativity, organization, or

generosity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TEST

i. Introduction

NEO-FFI was developed by Paul T. Costa, Jr., Ph.D. and Robert R. McCrae, Ph.D in the year

1992. The NEO-FFI is a 60-item version of Form S of the NEO PI-R that provides a brief,

comprehensive measure of the five domains of personality. It consists of five 12-iteın scales

that measure each domain.

Sub Scales

1.Neuroticism

High- Sensitive, emotional, and prone to experience feelings that are upsetting.

Average- Generally calm and able to deal with stress, but you sometimes experience feelings

of guilt, anger, or sadness.

Low- Secure, hardy, and generally relaxed even under stressful conditions.

2. Extraversion

High- Extraverted, outgoing, active, and high spirited. You prefer to be around people most

of the time.
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Average- Moderate in activity and enthusiasm. You enjoy the company of others but you also

value privacy.

Low- Introverted, reserved and serious. You prefer to be alone or with a few close friends.

3. Openness

High-Open to new experiences. You have broad interests and are very imaginative.

Average- Practical but willing to consider new ways of doing things. You seek a balance

between the old and the new.

Low- Down-to-earth, practical, traditional, and pretty much set in your ways.

4. Agreeableness

High- Compassionate, good-natured, and eager to cooperate and avoid conflict.

Average- warm, trusting, and agreeable, but you can sometimes be stubborn and competitive.

Low- Hardheaded, skeptical, proud and competitive. You tend to express your anger directly.

5.Conscientiousness

High- Conscientious and well organized. You have high standards and always strive to

achieve your goals.

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Average- Dependable and moderately well organized. You generally have clear goals but are

able to set your work aside.

Low- Easygoing, not very well organized, and sometimes careless. You prefer not to make

plans.

Scoring

The test has a total of 60 statements and the scale used is a Likert scale- a five-point scale

having the following alternatives:

Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree and Strongly Disagree.

The subjects are asked to select any one best- suited alternative for each item. The test has 33

normal and 27 reverse items.

The normal statements are scored as-

Strongly disagree= 0, Disagree=1, Neutral=2, Agree=3, Strongly agree=4

The reverse statements are scored as-

Strongly disagree= 4, Disagree=3, Neutral=2, Agree= 1, Strongly agree= 0

The raw scores are calculated by adding up the scores given for each response and then has to

be converted to percentile using the NEO-FFI scoring key.

Missing Responses

Examine the response area of the item booklet to be sure that a response has been given for

each item. If unanswered items are found, the respondent should be asked to complete them.

If a respondent is unsure of the meaning of an item or is unsure of how to respond, he or she

may be told to use the neutral response option.

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If the respondent has not provided a response to every item and the respondent is no longer

available to the examiner, the examiner must determine whether the data may be validly

scored and interpreted. If 10 or more items have been left blank, the test is considered invalid

and should not be formally scored. When 9 or fewer items have been left blank; the blank

items should be scored as if the neutral response option was selected. Any domain scale

containing more than 4 missing responses should be interpreted with caution.

Psychometric properties

Reliability:

The internal consistencies reported in the manual are neuroticism= 0.79, extroversion= 0.79,

openness to experience= 0.80, agreeableness -0.75 and conscientiousness = 0.83. The

descriptive correlated study showed that the internal consistency of the openness domain is

much lower than 0.39.

Validity:

The NEO FFI correlates with NEO-PR- R domain scales at 0.77 to 0.92.

Norms:

The NEO FFI was gender specific standing scores with standard deviations and means.

MATERIAL

1. NEO-FFI Test
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2. Test manual

3. Answer sheet

4. Scoring key

5. Stationary

6. Wooden screen

TEST ADMINISTRATION

The subject was called into the cubicle and the test administrator established rapport with

him/her and took a case history. The subject was given the test booklet to fill out the required

information. The test administrator then read the following instructions aloud as given in the

test booklet. Before permitting the subject to leave the testing room the administrator checked

carefully to see that every question had been marked with one and only one answer.

The test was administered to the subject, responses were scored with the help of the scoring

key, and the subject’s score was calculated.

PRECAUTIONS

1. Instructions were read from the manual.

2. Rapport and case history was taken prior to conduction.

3. Informed consent was obtained from the subject.

RESULT TABLE

Title: The subjects score obtained on NEO-FFI

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Test Raw Percentile Interpretation

factors Scores

O 35 89 High

C 35 77 High

E 21 9 Low

A 26 35 Average

N 35 93 High

INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

NEO-Five Factor Inventory was administered to measure personality of the subject who was

given the test and his answers were scored.

NEO-FFI is a test of personality. Personality refers to unique and relatively stable qualities

that characterize an individual's behaviour across different situations over a period of time.

The subject was an 18 year old male named Ojas Patne. He is currently pursuing BA majors

in sociology in Fergusson College and is simultaneously completing psychology course from

IGNOU. He belongs to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and his hobbies include reading poetry,

listening to western music and singing.

When the test was administered, it was seen that the subject scored 35 and the percentile is 89

in openness factor which lies within the high range, he scored 35 and the percentile is 77 in

Conscientiousness factor which again lies within the high scale, he scored 21 and percentile

is 9 in extraversion factor which lies within the low range, he scored 26 and percentile is 35
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in agreeableness factor which lies within the average range or moderate range, and he scored

35 and percentile is 93 in neuroticism factor which lies within the high range.

Under the NEO-FFI Test, there are five personality factors namely, openness,

conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

1. Agreeableness- Agreeableness is a personality trait that describes a person's ability to put

others needs before their own. Being empathetic and finding pleasure in helping others and

working with people who need more help is a particular strength of highly agreeable

individuals. The subject reported that in a conversation, he is able to put his points in front of

others without hesitation, that is against their point of view and might even create conflict. He

is very sure and headstrong about his opinions and point of views and is also very assertive

regarding them. He also reported that he has often been a part of conflict and fight because he

is a serious person and considers that life is a burden and he can’t take things lightly when

conflicts arise in his life. Therefore, as per his case history he is low on agreeableness.

However, his test scores indicate that he lies within the normal range of agreeableness as he

scored 26 in this factor and the percentile of the same is 35. This means that he is warm,

trusting, and agreeable, but can sometimes be stubborn and competitive. Therefore, there is

inconsistency in the test scores and the case history information. This might be the case

because the subject was not very honest during the interview, he might be giving socially

desirable answers or what he expected the interviewers would like to hear, he might have had

fear of judgement or there simply might be lack of self-awareness. Other reasons can also be

possible like there was a lot of noise and disturbance in the cubicle which could have

distracted him and he might be feeling uncomfortable because of three people observing him

giving the test or he might be in a hurry to get back home because the test was conducted late

in the afternoon.
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2. Neuroticism is the trait disposition to experience negative effects including anger, anxiety,

self‐consciousness, irritability, emotional instability, and depression. The subject reported

that in college he has a very hectic schedule and he tends to get stressed very easily and can’t

seem to relax any sooner. Although he also reported that during such circumstances, movies

act as an escape from reality for him sometimes but not always. He also reported that he

worries unreasonably over things. Therefore, as per his case history information he is high on

neuroticism. His test result with regards to neuroticism is 35 which is equal to 93 percentile

and it lies within the high range. The characteristics of high range are that the person is

sensitive, emotional, and prone to experiencing feelings that are upsetting. Therefore, the test

results are consistent with the case history information.

3.Extraversion Extroversion is a personality trait typically characterized by outgoingness,

high energy, and/or talkativeness. The subject reported that he is a very balanced person

when it comes to extraversion or introversion. He goes out, attends parties because he gets an

opportunity to learn and gain knowledge from people. However, he also gives importance to

his own company sometimes. It mostly depends on his mood. He also reported that when he

meets someone for the first time, he cannot blend with them that easily however he

sometimes uses humor as a way to blend with people. But he never approaches anybody on

his own. So, as per the case history information he lies on the average range of extraversion

which is characterized by moderate activity and enthusiasm. It indicates that he enjoys the

company of others but also values privacy. However, he scored 21 in extraversion which is

equal to 9 percentile and it lies within the low range of extraversion which is characterized by

Introverted, reserved and serious and preference to be alone or with a few close friends.

Therefore, the test results are inconsistent with the case history information. This might be

the case because the subject was not very honest during the interview, he might be giving

socially desirable answers or what he expected the interviewers would like to hear, he might
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have had fear of judgement or there simply might be lack of self-awareness. Other reasons

can also be possible like there was a lot of noise and disturbance in the cubicle which could

have distracted him and he might be feeling uncomfortable because of three people observing

him giving the test or he might be in a hurry to get back home because the test was conducted

late in the afternoon.

4. Openness is how open-minded, imaginative, creative and insightful a person is or can be.

The subject reported that he does not like to constrain his mind regarding anything so he

explores a lot and keeps his options open also whenever he goes to a restaurant he loves to try

new dishes and drinks rather than sticking to the old ones. He also reported having a very

positive attitude towards learning and gives a lot of importance to practical knowledge rather

than bookish knowledge. So, as per the case history information he is pretty high on

openness. As per his test results also he is high on openness because he scored 35 in it which

turns out to be 89 percentile which lies within the high range. So, the test results are

consistent with the case history information.

5. Conscientiousness includes being well organized. People high on this factor have high

standards and always strive to achieve their goals. The subject reported that he does not write

down a to-do list everyday but he has things or goals in mind that he wishes to achieve in a

day, week or a month. He also reported that he has quite high goals in life and that is why he

is pursuing two degrees simultaneously, one in psychology and another in sociology. So, as

per the case history information the subject is high on conscientiousness. As per his test

results also he is high on conscientiousness because he scored 35 in it which is equal to 77

percentile and it lies within the high range. So, the test results are consistent with the case

history information.
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CONCLUSION

When NEO-FFI test was administered, it was found that subject was high on openness with a

score of 35 and 89 percentile, he was high on conscientiousness with a score of 35 and 77

percentile, he was low on extraversion with a score of 21 and 9 percentile, he was average on

agreeableness with a score of 26 and 35 percentile, and he was high on neuroticism with a

score of 35 and 93 percentile. The results were consistent with the case history with regards

to neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness but was inconsistent in the case of

agreeableness and extraversion.

REFERENCES

1. Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R)

and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Psychological Assessment

Resources.

2. Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative "description of personality": The Big-Five factor

structure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(6), 1216-1229.

3. McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (2004). A contemplated revision of the NEO Five-Factor

Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(3), 587-596.

4. McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1997). Personality trait structure as a human universal.

American Psychologist, 52(5), 509-516.

5. Piedmont, R. L., McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1991). Adjective check list scales and the

five-factor model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4), 630-637.

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