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The universality of generalized personality statements
1Dept. of Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409, USA.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|October 1, 1979
Summary
Many generalized personality statements are not universally true for college students. Students accurately recognize which statements are widely applicable, challenging prior research assumptions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Personality Psychology
Background:
- For decades, researchers have widely assumed the universal validity of generalized personality statements.
- This assumption underpins much previous psychological research and interpretation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically test the universality of commonly used generalized personality statements.
- To assess students' awareness of the actual validity of these statements.
Main Methods:
- Undergraduate students self-rated the truth of 12 generalized personality statements.
- Both undergraduate and graduate students estimated the percentage of college students endorsing each statement.
- The actual endorsement rates were compared against the estimated rates.
Main Results:
- Only 7 out of 12 generalized personality statements were found to be nearly universally valid among undergraduates.
- Five statements were endorsed by fewer than two-thirds of the undergraduate sample.
- Both student groups demonstrated high accuracy in estimating statement universality.
Conclusions:
- Many widely used generalized personality statements lack near-universal validity.
- Students possess accurate metacognitive awareness regarding the applicability of these statements.
- Previous research relying on the assumption of universal validity requires cautious re-evaluation.