Yanna J. Weisberg

Gender Differences in Personality across the Ten Aspects of the Big Five

This paper investigates gender differences in personality traits, both at the level of the Big Five and at the sublevel of two aspects within each Big Five domain. Replicating previous findings, women reported higher Big Five Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism scores than men. However, more extensive gender differences were found at the level of the aspects, with significant gender differences appearing in both aspects of every Big Five trait. For Extraversion, Openness, and Conscientiousness, the gender differences were found to diverge at the aspect level, rendering them either small or undetectable at the Big Five level. These findings clarify the nature of gender differences in personality and highlight the utility of measuring personality at the aspect level.

Unifying the Aspects of the Big Five, the Interpersonal Circumplex, and Trait Affiliation

OBJECTIVE Two dimensions of the Big Five, Extraversion and Agreeableness, are strongly related to interpersonal behavior. Factor analysis has indicated that each of the Big Five contains two separable but related aspects. The present study examined the manner in which the aspects of Extraversion (Assertiveness and Enthusiasm) and Agreeableness (Compassion and Politeness) relate to interpersonal behavior and trait affiliation, with the hypothesis that these four aspects have a structure corresponding to the octants of the interpersonal circumplex. A second hypothesis was that measures of trait affiliation would fall between Enthusiasm and Compassion in the IPC. METHOD These hypotheses were tested in three demographically different samples (N = 469; 294; 409) using both behavioral frequency and trait measures of the interpersonal circumplex, in conjunction with the Big Five Aspect Scales (BFAS) and measures of trait affiliation. RESULTS Both hypotheses were strongly supported. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide a more thorough and precise mapping of the interpersonal traits within the Big Five and support the integration of the Big Five with models of interpersonal behavior and trait affiliation.

Fertile and Selectively Flirty Women’s Behavior Toward Men Changes Across the Ovulatory Cycle

Past research shows that men respond to women differently depending on where women are in their ovulatory cycle. But what leads men to treat ovulating women differently? We propose that the ovulatory cycle alters women’s flirting behavior. We tested this hypothesis in an experiment in which women interacted with different types of men at different points in their cycle. Results revealed that women in the ovulatory phase reported more interest in men who had purported markers of genetic fitness as short-term mates, but not as long-term mates. Furthermore, behavioral ratings of the interactions indicated that women displayed more flirting behaviors when they were at high than at low fertility. Importantly, fertile women flirted more only when interacting with men who had genetic-fitness markers, not with other men. In summary, fertility not only alters women’s behavior but does so in a context-dependent way that follows adaptive logic.

Desire under attack: Attachment orientations and the effects of relationship threat on sexual motivations

The authors examined the effects of relationship threat on sexual motivations. In two studies, participants imagined relationship or non-relationship threat scenes and then rated their desire to have sex (Study 1) and the reasons for doing so (Study 2). The results indicated that relationship threat prompted both enhancement and relationship-based motives, suggesting that people use sex to both feel better and repair the threatened relationship. Avoidantly attached individuals were least likely to desire their partner, implying that they use distancing strategies when confronted with relational threat. Anxiously attached individuals were least likely to be motivated by hedonistic reasons, possibly reflecting their difficulties in enjoying sex when flooded with relationship worries. Implications for understanding the functional meaning of sex in romantic relationships are discussed.

Is it my overactive imagination? The effects of contextually activated attachment insecurity on sexual fantasies:

Three studies examined the effects of explicit and implicit insecurity priming on the content of sexual fantasies. In all studies, participants described a sexual fantasy narratively (Studies 1 and 2) or completed a fantasy checklist (Study 3) following contextual activation of attachment representations. In Study 1, explicit insecurity priming led to fantasies that involved interpersonal distance and hostility themes. This pattern was particularly pronounced among anxiously attached men, implying that they use distancing strategies when confronted with insecurity. In Studies 2 and 3, implicit insecurity priming led to similar distancing themes, regardless of attachment orientations. These findings suggest that sexual expressions constitute a unique route for coping with insecurities, which manifests the goals that are most likely to be challenged.

Idiographically Desirable Responding: Individual Differences in Perceived Trait Desirability Predict Overclaiming

Objective Conventional measures of self–report bias implicitly assume consistent patterns of overclaiming across individuals. We contrast this with the effects of individual differences in views of trait desirability on overclaiming, which we label idiographically desirable responding (IDR). Method We obtained self–reports and peer reports of trait levels on mixed–sex samples of undergraduates (N = 352) and middle–aged community members (N = 541), with an additional performance–based assessment in the latter sample. Results Compared to conventional measures of bias, individual differences in trait desirability ratings identified an independent and comparatively large amount of the variance in overclaiming for personality and physical attractiveness. The importance of IDR was confirmed by the replication of these results for intelligence, for which both peer–ratings and performance data were available. Individuals differed in the extent to which they rely on IDR, with these differences indexed by the correlation between views of the desirability of a given trait and the extent to which one overclaimed that trait. Individuals who were more prone to overclaim in this fashion exhibited higher self–esteem as well as higher scores on questionnaire measures of socially desirable responding. Conclusion Overclaiming of traits resulted both from the patterns of biases identified by conventional overclaiming measures and from individual differences in perceptions of what traits are most desirable. Copyright

Idiographically Desirable Responding

Objective Conventional measures of self–report bias implicitly assume consistent patterns of overclaiming across individuals. We contrast this with the effects of individual differences in views of trait desirability on overclaiming, which we label idiographically desirable responding (IDR). Method We obtained self–reports and peer reports of trait levels on mixed–sex samples of undergraduates (N = 352) and middle–aged community members (N = 541), with an additional performance–based assessment in the latter sample. Results Compared to conventional measures of bias, individual differences in trait desirability ratings identified an independent and comparatively large amount of the variance in overclaiming for personality and physical attractiveness. The importance of IDR was confirmed by the replication of these results for intelligence, for which both peer–ratings and performance data were available. Individuals differed in the extent to which they rely on IDR, with these differences indexed by the correlation between views of the desirability of a given trait and the extent to which one overclaimed that trait. Individuals who were more prone to overclaim in this fashion exhibited higher self–esteem as well as higher scores on questionnaire measures of socially desirable responding. Conclusion Overclaiming of traits resulted both from the patterns of biases identified by conventional overclaiming measures and from individual differences in perceptions of what traits are most desirable. Copyright

Evolutionary accounts of individual differences in adult attachment orientations

CONTENTS: Self-related Motives Influence Close Relationships Risk Regulation in Relationships: Self-Esteem and the If-then Contingencies of Interdependent Life Sandra L. Murray On the Role of Psychological Needs in Healthy Functioning: Integrating a Self-Determination Theory Perspective with Traditional Relationship Theories Jennifer La Guardia Self-Verification in Relationships as an Adaptive Process William B. Swann, Jr., Christine Chang-Schneider, & Sarah Angulo Narcissism and Interpersonal Self-Regulation W. Keith Campbell & Jeffrey D. Green Functions of the Self in Interpersonal Relationships: What Does the Self Actually Do? Mark R. Leary Reciprocal Influences of Self and Other, I: Self-Perception and Self-Regulation Self-Perception as Interpersonal Perception David A. Kenny & Tessa V. West Self-Regulation and Close Relationships Roy F. Baumeister & Tyler F. Stillman Evolutionary Perspectives Immediate-Return Societies: What Can They Tell Us About The Self and Social Relationships in Our Society? Leonard L. Martin & Steven Shirk Evolutionary Accounts of Individual Differences in Adult Attachment Orientations Jeffry A. Simpson, Lane Beckes, & Yanna J. Weisberg Reciprocal Influences, II: Close Relationships and Changing the Self How Close Others Construct and Reconstruct Who We Are and How We Feel About Ourselves Arthur Aron, Sarah Ketay, Suzanne Riela, and Elaine N. Aron The Relational Self in Transference: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Consequences in Everyday Social Life Serena Chen & Susan M. Andersen Changes in Working Models of the Self in Relationships: A Clinical Perspective Joanne Davila & Melissa Ramsay Miller Time for some New Tools: Toward the Application of Learning Approaches to the Study of Interpersonal Cognition Mark W. Baldwin, Jodene R. Baccus, Stephane D. M. Dandeneau, & Maya Sakellaropoulo