1 Lumpers, Splitters, and Core Self-Evaluations Timothy A. Judge University of Florida Primary Collaborators Ed Locke, University of Maryland Amir Erez, University of Florida Joyce Bono, University of Minnesota Carl Thoresen, Tulane University

2 Broad vs. Specific Traits Bandwidth-fidelity paradox: earliest stages of scientific psychology – elements of sensations (Titchener, 1910) – structure of intelligence (Spearman, 1927) – nature of attitudes (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1974) Parsimony is a goal of psychology – Ceteris paribus, the simplest explanation, or fewest number of constructs, is preferred If a broad factor explains overlap in measures, unexplained (unique) non-error variance must show incremental validity (Humphreys, 1962)

3 “The Big Three” Self-esteem, locus of control, and neuroticism are the most widely studied individual traits in personality psychology Search of PsycINFO database – Self-esteem: 20,203 articles – Locus of control: 13,428 articles – Neuroticism/emotional stability: 20,026 articles Extraversion/introversion: 6,754 articles Need for achievement/achievement mot.: 9,938 articles The 3 traits have been the subject of more than 50,000 studies!

4 Core Traits Nearly always studied in isolation – In personality research… In the few cases where 2 are included, interrelationship are not considered When interrelationship is considered, results are often bewildering… – neuroticism  locus of control (Wambach & Panackal, 1979) – locus of a control  neuroticism (Morelli et al., 1979) – In I-O/OB research… Nearly all studies including more than one core trait treat them as wholly independent

5 Core Self-Evaluations Judge, Locke, & Durham (1997) proposed a broad construct, core self-evaluations (CSE), that reflects a positive self-concept CSE is a latent trait indicated by – High self-esteem – High self-efficacy (generalized) – Internal locus of control – Low neuroticism (high emotional stability)

6 Are the Traits Related? Numbers in red are meta-analyzed correlations. Numbers in black are number of studies. Numbers in green are combined N. Source: Judge, Erez, Bono, & Thoresen (Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 2002)

7 Self- Esteem Locus of Control Generalized Self-Efficacy Neuroticism CORE SELF EVALUATIONS.94 (.92).60 (.73).87 (.83) -.77 (-.79) Sample 1 (Sample 2) Note: All loadings are significant at the.01 level Second-Order Factor Analysis Results

8 Discriminant Validity? Results Across Four Studies E=Extraversion; O=Openness; A=Agreeableness; C=Conscientiousness; JS=Job satisfaction; LS=Life satisfaction; S=Stress; LOC=Locus of control; ES=Emotional stability; SE=Self-esteem; GSE=generalized self-efficacy Source: Judge, Erez, Bono, & Thoresen (Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 2002)

9 Validity of Core Traits Job satisfaction – Display average correlation of.32 with job satisfaction – More likely to perceive (Judge, Locke, Durham, & Kluger, JAP, 1997), and attain (Judge, Bono, & Locke, JAP, 2000), intrinsically satisfying jobs Job performance – Display average correlation of.23 with performance (same as conscientiousness) – More likely to be motivated in laboratory and field studies, through goal setting behavior (Erez & Judge, JAP, 2001)

10 Notes: SE=self-esteem; GSF=generalized self-efficacy; LOC=locus of control; ES=emotional stability Core Traits - Performance Meta Analysis Results Source: Judge & Bono (JAP, 2001) End points indicate limits of 80% CV

11 Notes: SE=self-esteem; GSF=generalized self-efficacy; LOC=locus of control; ES=emotional stability Core Traits - Satisfaction Meta Analysis Results End points indicate limits of 80% CV Source: Judge & Bono (JAP, 2001)

12 Incremental Validity? Controlling for common factor individual core traits almost never contribute to predicting any outcome – Little specific-factor variance – If a broad factor explains overlap in measures, the unexplained non-error variance that is unique to the measures must be examined for its usefulness (Lubinski & Dawis, 1992) – This specific factor variance, beyond the core trait, is rarely (though sometimes) useful

13 What Is This Broad Factor? CSE more related to neuroticism than to conscientiousness, extraversion If CSE=emotional stability – Measure of emotional stability (neuroticism) need to be revisited Derived from psychopathology Assess stress/anxiety more than evaluation of one’s self worth or competence NEO-FFI (key words in each of 12 items) – 6 items: worry, stress, tense, anxious, anger, shame – 6 items: inferior, lonely/blue, worthless, discouraged, sad/depressed, helpless

14 Relationships with Big Five Average relationships across 4 studies Source: Judge, Erez, Bono, & Thoresen (Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 2002)

15 Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) I am confident I get the success I deserve in life. Sometimes I feel depressed. (r) When I try, I generally succeed. Sometimes when I fail I feel worthless. (r) I complete tasks successfully. Sometimes, I do not feel in control of my work. (r) Overall, I am satisfied with myself. I am filled with doubts about my competence. (r) I determine what will happen in my life. I do not feel in control of my success in my career. (r) I am capable of coping with most of my problems. There are times when things look pretty bleak and hopeless to me. (r) Source: Judge, Erez, Bono, & Thoresen (PPsych, in press) r=reverse scored

16 Incremental Validity JSLSJP CSES beyond 4 core traits2/23/32/2 4 core traits beyond CSES0/21/30/2 CSES beyond Extraversion2/23/32/2 Extraversion beyond CSES2/23/30/2 CSES beyond Conscientiousness2/23/31/2 Conscientiousness beyond CSES0/20/30/2 Source: Judge, Erez, Bono, & Thoresen (PPsych, in press)

17 Conclusions 4 core traits widely studied, yet considered as distinct concepts Traits can be argued to be indicators of higher-order concept Traits, and higher-order concept, is relevant to satisfaction, performance, and other criteria Individual core traits rarely add beyond core factor or direct measure