PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT

EXTRAVERSION
A mini-survey
HP
AJIBOLA ABDUL-RAHMAN AKINTOMIWA
200644
 Abstract
Personality assessment is one of the key aspects of psychology as it is important in the understanding
and prediction of human behaviors. The assessment of personality goes as far back as the era of
Hippocrates and his body fluid theory and is still very relevant till date. This research focuses on a
particular personality trait which is extroversion. Extroversion whose other extreme is introversion was
assessed using a questionnaire, the result was correlated with gender and position of birth and the
result of the study were analyzed using basic statistical tools.

Key words: Personality assessment, Extroversion.

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 Table of Contents
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………1
Table of contents…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..2
Introduction.....................................................................................................................3
Objective..........................................................................................................................4
Method.............................................................................................................................4
Result................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion........................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................6
Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……..7

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 Introduction
1. Personality assessment

Personality is the relatively enduring pattern of behaviour that is unique to an individual and expressed
across social settings. Personality assessment as the name implies is the evaluation of an individual’s
personality.

Personality assessments can be helpful in:

 Making clinical diagnoses of psychological disorders,

 Vocational counseling,
 Personnel selection in business and industry and
 Measuring specific personality traits for research purposes.

Personality tests can be divided into two broad categories: self-report inventories and projective tests.
Self-report inventories are personality tests that ask individuals to answer a series of questions about
their characteristic behavior; it is the most objective of the two categories. Examples of the self-report
inventories are the questionnaires and interviews. Projective techniques are characterized by a global
approach to the appraisal of personality. Attention is focused on a composite picture of the whole
personality rather than on the measurement of separate traits. It is the most effective in revealing
covert, latent or unconscious aspect of personality. Examples of the projective tests are the inkblots,
TAT, DAP test etc.

2. Extraversion

Extraversion means having an energetic approach towards the social and physical world. Extraversion
(also spelled as extroversion) is the state of primarily obtaining gratification from outside oneself.
Extraverts tend to enjoy human interactions and to be enthusiastic, talkative, assertive, and gregarious.
Extraverts are energized and thrive off being around other people. They take pleasure in activities that
involve large social gatherings, such as parties, community activities, public demonstrations, and
business or political groups. They also tend to work well in groups. An extraverted person is likely to
enjoy time spent with people and find less reward in time spent alone. They tend to be energized when
around other people, and they are more prone to boredom when they are by themselves.

Eysenck originally suggested that extraversion was a combination of two major tendencies,
impulsiveness and sociability. He later added several other more specific traits, namely liveliness,
activity level, and excitability. These traits are further linked in his personality hierarchy to even more
specific habitual responses, such as partying on the weekend.

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 Research Objective
The goal of the research is to find out the frequency of the extroversion trait among the student of the
faculty of the social science students in the University of Ibadan. Also, the research is aimed at exploring
the difference in extroversion level and its frequency on the basis of gender and position of birth.

Method
Participants

The sample for the study consisted of 20 students, (10 male and 10 female) selected through multistage
sampling technique (stratified and random sampling) to reflect adequate representation by department,
level, and gender. The samples were drawn from faculty of the social sciences, University of Ibadan.

Apparatus

The research instrument was a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 15 items
intended to assess extraversion level in participants. The answering method is the 5-point Likert scale
(Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree, Strongly Agree). A sample of the questionnaire is
attached to the document in the Appendix section.

Procedure

The questionnaires were personally administered by the researcher to the participants and collected
immediately once it was filled for data analysis.

Results
1. Analysis of the data to determine the prevalence of extraversion among the sample of students
collected in the social science faculty of the university of Ibadan shows that 50% of the participants are
extraverted and that 50% of females and 50% of males are extraverted. These are shown explicitly
below:

Table 1: The Frequency of extraversion on gender basis

Gender Extraverted Not Extraverted Total(20) Mean SD
Male 5(50%) 5(50%) 10(50%) 44.1 6.3
Female 5(50%) 5(50%) 10(50%) 43.3 7.1
*Criteria for inclusion as extraverted: Scored above the mean extraversion score (i.e. X>43.7).

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Figure 1: Bar chart showing the frequency of extraversion on gender basis

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50% Non-Extroverts
Extroverts
40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Male Female
.

2. Analysis of the data to determine the impact of position of birth on extraversion among the sample of
students collected in the social science faculty of the university of Ibadan shows that 62.5% of firstborns
are extraverted and 50% of other positions are extraverted. These are shown explicitly below:

Table 2: The Frequency of extraversion on birth position basis

Position Extraverted Not Extraverted Total Mean SD
Firstborn 5(62.5%) 3(37.5%) 8(100%) 46.63 6.9
Other Positions 6(50%) 6(50%) 12(100%) 43.42 7.0
*Criteria for inclusion as extraverted: Scored above the mean extraversion score (i.e. X>43.7).

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Figure 2: Bar chart showing the frequency of extraversion on position of birth basis

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50% Non-Extroverts
Extraverts
40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Firstborns Other positions

Discussion and Conclusion

The result shows that there are no clear differences in the frequency and mean level of extraversion
across genders i.e. both male and female have a 50% chance of becoming extroverted or not. There are
however, differences in extraversion level and frequency depending on the position of birth. The
firstborns scored higher on extraversion and have a higher sample frequency of extraversion than the
other positions of birth.

References

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion

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 APPENDIX

1. The Extraversion Questionnaire:

University of Ibadan
Faculty of the social sciences
Department of psychology
Personality Assessment
Dear respondents,

I am a 300 level student of the aforementioned department and faculty in the University of
Ibadan. I am carrying out a survey research on extraversion. I would be glad if you kindly
complete this questionnaire. It may take up to 5 minutes of your time but your responses will
be highly useful in contributing to knowledge in this area. Responses would be kept strictly
confidential and used for academic purposes only. Your name is not required, any participation
is voluntary. Thanks for your kind cooperation.

Demographics

Fill the spaces provided with the appropriate response

Gender_________ Position of birth____________

Department_______________

Mark the most appropriate option from the choices provided below. SD = Strongly Disagree, D =
Disagree, U = Undecided, A = Agree, SA = Strongly Agree

s/n Items SD D U A SA
1 I fancy the company of others

2 I perform better when people are around

3 I enjoy going to parties

4 I prefer working in group to working alone

5 I make new friends easily in new situations

6 I try to be in charge – to lead others

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7 I rarely run out of words

8 I gossip sometimes

9 I prefer making inquiries by asking people rather than

reading about it

10 I often start conversation with people I don’t know

11 I like being the center of attention

12 I get bored whenever I’m alone

13 I am very relaxed and confident while speaking in public

14 I like to tell jokes and funny stories to my friends

15 I interact with almost everyone in my class

2. Amygdala gray matter concentration and extraversion:

Amygdala gray matter concentration is associated with extraversion and

neuroticism
Kazufumi Omuraa, R. Todd Constablec and Turhan Canlia,baDepartment of Psychology, bGraduate Programin Genetics,
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook,NewYork and cMagnetic Resonance Research Center, Yale University,New Haven,Connecticut,USA.
Correspondence and requests for reprints to Turhan Canli, PhD,Graduate Programin Genetics, and Department of Psychology, Stony Brook
University, Stony Brook,NY11794-2500,USA

E-mail: turhan.canli@sunysb.edu Sponsorship:This researchwas supported by Stony Brook University and NSF#BCS- 0224221.

Received 9 September 2005; revised14 September 2005; accepted15 September 2005

Abstract
Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry in 41 healthy individuals, this study evaluated the
association between the personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism, on the one hand, and individual differences in localized brain
volume and gray matter concentration, on the other, with a special focus on the amygdala. Extraversion was positively correlated with
gray matter concentration in the left amygdala, whereas neuroticism was negatively correlated with gray matter concentration in the right
amygdala. Given that neuroticism is a risk factor for depression, our finding offers one explanation as to why prior structural imaging
studies of depressed patients (which did not control for personality) produced conflicting findings. Furthermore, our data are consistent
with the view that amygdala reduction seen in depressed patients precedes the onset of the disease, rather than being a consequence of
the illness.
Keywords: amygdala, extraversion, gray matter concentration, neuroticism, voxel-based morphometry

Material and methods

Study participants
Forty-one right-handed adults (19 men), with no reported history of psychiatric or neurological illness, participated in this study.
Participants‟ mean age was 23.8 years (standard deviation, SD¼5.4). They had no history of brain injury, reported no substance
abuse within the past 6 months, and were not on any psychiatric medication. All participants gave informed consent and all

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procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Boards of Stony Brook and Yale University. We used voxel-based
morphometry, an objective structural analysis technique designed to evaluate brain structural features [9], to quantify localized
gray matter volume and concentration. Each participant‟s structural images were preprocessed according to an optimized voxel-
based morphometry protocol [11], in which we created a study-specific T1 brain template for spatial normalization from all
participants and study-specific probability maps to optimize the segmentation of each participant‟s image. The customized
T1 template, gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid images were used for the optimized voxel based morphometry
procedure. Segmented images were transformed to the standard stereotaxic space defined by the Montreal Neurological Institute
(MNI). The spatially normalized segments of the each participant‟s gray matter image were modulated for volume analysis. Each
voxel in the modulated images has the absolute amount (volume) of gray matter. The unmodulated images were used for
concentration analysis. Each voxel in the unmodulated images represents the local concentration of the gray matter (i.e. the per
unit volume in native space, ranging between 0 and 1). Voxel values in the unmodulated images are equivalent to a measure of
the relative concentration of the gray matter in each voxel. The product of the voxel value and voxel dimension is the estimated
gray matter volume within the voxel in the modulated images (i.e. absolute amount of volume) [12]. Both unmodulated and
modulated images were smoothed with a filter of 12-mm full-width at half-maximum to increase signal-to-noise ratio. The
unmodulated/modulated, smoothed images were analyzed with a multiple regression analysis using SPM2 (Wellcome
Department of Imaging Neuroscience, London, UK) with MATLAB 6.5 (Mathworks Inc., Sherborn, Massachusetts,
USA). The Tscores of extraversion and neuroticism were modeled in multiple regression analyses as explanatory variables,
controlling for age and sex. The amygdala constituted the a priori region of interest, with activations considered significant if
they exceeded a small volume family-wise error correction at Po0.05. For whole-brain analyses outside the amygdala, clusters
were reported if they exceeded a significance level of Po0.001 (uncorrected) and a voxel extent threshold of greater than 200
voxels. Three-dimensional locations of clusters were reported with reference to the MNI coordinate system.

Results
We conducted small-volume corrections for the bilateral amygdala and found a significant relationship between amygdala gray
matter concentration, on the one hand, and extraversion and neuroticism, on the other

Conclusion
Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of healthy individuals, we find that two emotion-related
personality traits correlate with gray matter concentration in the amygdala, a structure that is central in the processing of affect
and in mood disorders. The data may explain why similar studies in patients with mood disorders (which did not control for
personality) produced conflicting findings, and are consistent with the view that amygdala reduction reported in several studies of
depressed patients precedes the onset of the disease, rather than being a consequence of the illness.

3. The language of Extraversion

The Language of Extraversion:

Extraverted People Talk More Abstractly, Introverts Are More Concrete.
Camiel J. Beukeboom, Martin Tanis & Ivar Vermeulen1
1VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
June 25, 2012
To appear in Journal of Language and Social Psychology (in press)

Corresponding author:
Dr. Camiel Beukeboom, Department of Communication Science, VU University Amsterdam,
De Boelelaan 1081, 1081HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
E-mail: c.j.beukeboom@vu.nl

Abstract
To understand the impact of personality, one needs to know how personality differences manifest themselves in language use.
The present study investigates the link between extraversion and language abstraction. Participants‟ spontaneous verbal
utterances in face-to face interactions were analyzed for language abstraction by applying the Linguistic Category Model, which
distinguishes predicate types that convey information in concrete or interpretative manner. We also applied the Linguistic Inquiry
and Word Count program (LIWC) to relate several word categories to extraversion and language abstraction. Results show
significant positive correlations between extraversion and both language abstraction and self-reported level of interpretation.
Language abstraction was also linked to LIWC variables (e.g., articles, numbers) previously shown to be related to extraversion.

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The findings suggest that the verbal style of extraverts is characterized by a higher level of abstract interpretation, whereas
introverts tend to stick to concrete facts.

Keywords: Extraversion, Linguistic Category Model (LCM), language abstraction, Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC),
linguistic style, communication, conversation.

Method
Participants and Design
A random sample of Dutch employees of a large company located in Amsterdam was approached by email; 40 (19 women)
volunteered to participate. Ages ranged from 19 to 59 (M = 34.4 years, SD = 8.55). In a first session participants orally described
five photos depicting a social situation; the descriptions (in Dutch) were later coded for language abstraction. Three days later,
participants filled out a questionnaire measuring extraversion.
Procedure
On arrival, participants learned the study consisted of two independent studies; the current study on communication and one
questionnaire to be administered three days later. Each participant was seated at a table opposite the experimenter and asked to
orally describe five photos. Descriptions were tape recorded. All photos depicted ambiguous social situations with two or more
people, and were presented on paper sheets in random order. The experimenter gave the following instructions: “Please describe
what you see in this picture. It is about the behavior of the depicted people. There are no right or wrong answers; it is about what
you see.” During the participants‟ descriptions the experimenter kept reactions to a minimum. Questions were responded to by
merely repeating instructions. When participants appeared to be finished describing a photo the experimenter asked once whether
they had anything to add. If not, the next photo was presented. Immediately after, participants filled out a questionnaire using 7-
point scales ranging from 1 = not at all to 7 = very much. First, they reported their current mood on two items: To what extent do
you experience positive feelings (/ negative feelings) at this moment? (M = 4.85, SD = 0.66; M = 2.20, SD = 0.91 respectively).
Second, they reported their task appreciation (4 items; Cronbach‟s α = .77; M = 5.16, SD = 0.98), e.g.: How much did you enjoy
describing the pictures? Third, six items measured participants‟ self-reported level of interpretation in describing the photos (α =
.77; M = 3.98, SD = 0.87), e.g.: To what extent did you describe things that were not directly visible in the pictures? Finally, they
reported some demographics.2 Three days later, participants filled out a paper questionnaire, measuring extraversion (α = .93; M
= 3.43, SD = 0.64) and neuroticism (cf. emotional stability) using the respective 40 items of the Five-Factor Personality Inventory
(FFPI; Hendriks, Hofstee, De Raad & Angleitner, 1995).
Language abstraction. To analyze language use, recordings of participants‟ spoken descriptions were literally transcribed
(Mnumber of words= 333, SD = 158). All text used to describe people and their behavior was coded by a judge -blind to all
participant variables according to the LCM (Semin & Fiedler, 1988; see Coenen, Hedebouw & Semin, 2006 for guidelines). Each
verb and adjective was coded and scored as follows: No. descriptive-action verbs * 1, interpretive-action verbs/ state-action verbs
* 2, state-verbs * 3, adjectives * 4. Based on these scores, the mean level of abstraction was computed for each photo by adding
the scores and dividing that by the total number of coded predicates (correcting for description length). The dependent variable
was the mean level of abstraction for the five descriptions (M=2.46, SD=0.38). Scores varied between 1 (extremely concrete, only
descriptive-action verbs) and 4 (extremely abstract, only adjectives). A random selection of the data (50%) was independently
coded by a second judge to check for reliability. Agreement between the two judges was high: r(20)=.91, indicating a good
reliability.
LIWC. In addition, we conducted a LIWC word count analysis using the Dutch dictionary in the LIWC2007 software
(Pennebaker et al., 2007), which computes the percentage of words from different categories. We particularly looked at articles,
numbers (numerals included), references to humans, and we computed a „making distinctions‟ factor (Pennebaker & King, 1999)
using the formula: discrepancies + exclusion words + tentative words + negations – inclusion words.

Results
Consistent with our hypothesis, extraversion correlated positively with coded language abstraction; the higher participants‟
extraversion score, the higher their level of abstraction in describing the five photos. Moreover, extraversion correlated positively
with self-reported level of interpretation. This provides complementary evidence that extraverts tend to use more abstract
language than introverts, who use more descriptive and concrete language. Next, we analyzed several control variables that might
explain the observed relations. Extraversion was unrelated to mood, task appreciation, number of words used, and length of the
interview in seconds (r‟s between -.03 and .14, ns.). Moreover, after adding these five variables as predictors to a linear
regression of extraversion on language abstraction, extraversion still significantly predicted language abstraction, =.44,
t(33)=2.90, p=.01. The same held when self-reported level of interpretation was the dependent variable, =.36, t(33)=2.52,
p=.02. Clearly, the control variables do not explain relations between extraversion and language use. Looking at LIWC variables
that were previously shown to be related to extraversion, we observed that use of articles, numbers, and specific references to
humans, negatively related to language abstraction and self-reported level of interpretation (Table 1). Given that these elements
reflect specifications in reference (e.g., the man, two kids, rather than “they”), these findings support the idea that extraversion is
reflected in a stylistic dimension of language ranging from concreteness and precision, to abstraction and interpretation. Notably,
LIWC‟s „making distinctions‟ factor was unrelated to language abstraction, although it was related to self-reported level of
interpretation. A look at the separate factor elements showed that two were significantly correlated to self-reported level of
interpretation, namely „discrepancies‟ (would, should, could; r=.34, p=.03) and „exclusive words‟ (but, without, except; r=.40,

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p=.01). These elements possibly reflect explicit speculations about what the depicted actors think and why they do things (e.g., It
could be…, I would think that…, but…). Such speculations may be described either concretely (e.g., He could be writing a letter)
or abstractly (e.g., He could be lonely), which may explain why this factor is unrelated to language abstraction as measured by
LCM. However, when judging their own level of interpretation in hindsight participants likely do consider whether they have
speculated about things not visible in the pictures. The correlations between extraversion and the other LIWC variables were in
the expected direction, yet did not reach conventional levels of significance. This is likely due to the relatively small sample
compared to previous studies in which these variables related significantly to extraversion. Together, our results suggest that
extraversion positively relates to a stylistic dimension of language with concreteness and precision on the one end, and
abstraction and interpretation on the other end.

Conclusion
To conclude, our study is the first to link extraversion to language abstraction as defined by the LCM (Semin & Fiedler, 1988),
and additionally links language abstraction to several LIWC variables previously related to extraversion. Our results suggest that
extraversion induces stylistic differences in language use that show even when describing the exact same content. By talking at
different levels of abstraction, extraverts and introverts report information differently, and induce different recipient inferences,
memories and subsequent representations of the information exchanged.

4. Personality traits determinant of brand affect and loyalty.

Individual determinants of brand affect: the role of the personality

traits of extraversion and openness to experience
Kurt Matzler
Department of International Management, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria, and
Sonja Bidmon and Sonja Grabner-Kra¨uter
Department of Marketing and International Management, Institute of Business Administration,
Management and Economics,
University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
Corresponding author:
Sonja Bidmon can be contacted at: sonja.bidmon@uniklu. ac.at

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship among two personality traits (extraversion and openness),
hedonic value, brand affect and loyalty. It argues that individual differences account for differences in the values sought by the
consumer and in the formation of brand affect and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – Two samples are drawn (running
shoes and mobile phone users) and the effect of personality traits on the other constructs has been tested using the Partial Least
Squares approach (PLS) to structural equation modeling. Findings – It was found that extraversion and openness are positively
related to hedonic product value and that the personality traits directly (openness) and indirectly (extraversion, via hedonic value)
influence brand affect which in turn drives attitudinal and purchase loyalty. Research limitations/implications – The paper
introduces personality as determinants of perceived value and brand affect. Future studies should aim at including the other
personality traits of the Big-Five (Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) as possible determinants and utilitarian
value as dependent variables. Practical implications – Combined with lifestyle segmentation approaches, personality variables
can be useful to determine which market segments seek hedonic values and which tend more to experience high levels of brand
affect, which in turn leads to higher loyalty. The results suggest that customers who score high on extraversion and openness
respond stronger to affective stimuli. As a consequence, these findings are of relevance to market segmentation and targeting.
Originality/value – Affective responses to brands are of central importance to brand management as they strongly drive brand
loyalty. In this study we investigate the role of two personality traits (extraversion and openness) as antecedents of hedonic value
sought by the consumer and brand affect, which have been neglected so far.

Keywords Personality, Brand loyalty

Study
Sample
A self-administered questionnaire was developed and data were collected from a sample of 303 randomly selected individuals.
Subjects have been approached during shopping hours in shopping streets of two Austrian cities. Data collection took place
between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on five working days. The interviewers randomly selected passers-by, asked them to participate in the
study (if they owned running shoes or mobile phones) and to complete the standardized, self-administered questionnaire. As an

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incentive, interviewees received a chocolate bar. Overall, 303 usable questionnaires were collected (158 for running shoes, and
145 for mobile phones).
Measures
All constructs have been measured with existing and tested scales. The NEO-FFI approach to measure personality traits,
originally developed by Costa and McCrae (1992) and translated and validated into (the) German (language) by Borkenau and
Ostendorf (1993), was used to measure the personality traits openness and extraversion. Brand affect, hedonic value, purchase
loyalty, and attitudinal loyalty were measured using the scales developed by Chaudhuri and Holbrook (2001). Brand affect was
measured with the items “I feel good when I use this brand”, “This brand makes me happy”, and “This brand gives me pleasure”.
Two aspects of loyalty were measured, purchase loyalty was measured with the statements “I will buy this brand the next time I
buy a running shoe” and “I intend to keep purchasing this brand”. Attitudinal loyalty was measured with the two statements “I am
committed to this brand”, and “I would be willing to pay a higher price for this brand over other brands”. Hedonic value of a
brand was measured with the items “I love this product” and “I feel good when I use this product”. All statements were measured
on a five-point Likert scale (1 ¼ strongly agree, 5 ¼ strongly disagree).

Result
PLS uses the bootstrapping method (Efron and Gong, 1983) to compute the standard errors and thereby evaluate the significance
of the structural coefficients. In both cases 500 bootstrap runs were performed. In both studies Openness and Extraversion
significantly influence the customer‟s perception of hedonic value of the product. In the running shoe sample, Openness,
Extraversion and hedonic value have an impact on brand affect, explaining 43 percent of its variance. In the mobile phone sample
extraversion has no significant impact on brand affect. In both studies brand affect predicts attitudinal and purchase loyalty. It is
interesting to note, however, that in the mobile phone study, the relationship between brand affect and purchase loyalty is much
weaker than in the running shoes study and the brand affect-attitudinal loyalty relationship in both studies.

Discussion and conclusion

It has been shown that the two personality traits openness and extraversion are positively related to the perceived hedonic value
of a product. Consistent with previous studies in psychology and consistent with studies in the context of a devoted feeling
(Mooradian, 1996) and customer satisfaction (Matzler et al., 2005; Mooradian and Olver, 1997) it has been shown that
extraversion is positively related to positive affective responses. It has been found that extraverts perceive stronger hedonic
values of a product, which is related to brand affect. Hence, a positive indirect relationship between extraversion and brand affect
has been found. The hypothesized relationship between openness to experience and hedonic value and brand affect has been
confirmed empirically. The results of this study, therefore contribute to the literature in personality psychology and affective
responses in consumer behavior. It has been demonstrated that enduring characteristics of the individuals, i.e. extraversion and
openness are related to central constructs in marketing. These findings are of interest to marketers who want to affectively bond
their customers and to create brand loyalty. The results suggest that customers who score high on extraversion and openness
respond stronger to affective stimuli. As a consequence, these findings could be of relevance to market segmentation and
targeting.

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