Characteristics of Traits That Are Related to Accuracy of Personality Judgments

Personality traits are characteristics of individuals that predict patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior over time. Research focusing on accuracy of judgments of the traits of others has found that certain traits are more easily judged than others. Traits such as extraversion tend to be judged with high levels of accuracy, while other traits such as neuroticism and openness to experience are more difficult to judge. Several factors play a role in these findings, such as the observability and ratability of traits, favorability and evaluativeness of traits, and the types of situations and relationships in which judgments are made. In this chapter, research investigating how these factors are related to accuracy of judgments for different traits is described, potential ways to improve accuracy of less easily judged traits are proposed, and directions for future research are identified.