The Good Judge of Personality: Characteristics, Behaviors, and Observer Accuracy

Personality characteristics and behaviors related to judgmental accuracy following unstructured interactions among previously unacquainted triads were examined. Judgmental accuracy was related to social skill, agreeableness, and adjustment. Accuracy of observers of the interactions was positively related to the number of good judges in the interaction, which implies that the personality and behaviors of the judge are important for creating a situation in which targets will reveal relevant personality cues. Furthermore, the finding that observer accuracy was positively related to the number of good judge partners suggests that judgmental accuracy is based on more than detection and utilization skills of the judge.