The HEXACO Adjective Scales and Its Psychometric Properties

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Personality Science
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The HEXACO model outlines six broad personality dimensions: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience.
• Existing instruments often lack validated adjective-based measures for the HEXACO framework.
• There is a need for a concise, reliable tool to assess these personality dimensions using adjectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the HEXACO Adjective Scales (HAS), a new 60-adjective instrument.
• To establish the psychometric properties of the HAS, including internal consistency, validity, and reliability.
• To provide a practical tool for assessing the six HEXACO personality dimensions.

Main Methods:

• A multi-study approach involving adjective pool pruning, scale development, and psychometric evaluation.
• Study 1: Initial adjective selection (N=368).
• Study 2: Finalizing the 60-adjective scale and assessing psychometric properties (N=811).
• Study 3: Confirming factorial structure, internal consistency, criterion validity, temporal stability, and inter-rater reliability (N=411).

Main Results:

• The HEXACO Adjective Scales (HAS) comprise 60 adjectives measuring the six HEXACO personality dimensions.
• The HAS demonstrated excellent internal consistency, convergent/discriminant validity, and criterion validity across studies.
• Evidence of temporal stability (test-retest reliability) and inter-rater agreement (peer/self-evaluation) was established.

Conclusions:

• The HEXACO Adjective Scales (HAS) is a psychometrically sound and valuable instrument for measuring the HEXACO personality dimensions.
• The HAS provides a concise and effective adjective-based method for personality assessment.
• This new tool facilitates research and practical applications requiring the measurement of the six core personality factors.