More nuanced assessments improve predictive and explanatory accuracy

Abstract

A major advancement in recent personality research is the extension of the trait hierarchy from a few broad domains and their facets to more numerous nuances. These are now an established phenomenon among personality psychologists, with wide-reaching empirical evidence backing their status as distinct traits. However, we believe that nuances' implications for psychological assessment remain underappreciated in psychology more broadly. Here, we briefly summarize their discovery and subsequently amassed evidence base, offer a conceptual interpretation of their phenomenology, address possible critiques, and highlight recent work demonstrating their benefits. Explicitly considering nuances facilitates effective and efficient assessment, improves prediction of important life outcomes, and helps elucidate traits’ links with other variables. We suggest that other areas of psychology may also benefit from addressing the nuances of their constructs.