Examining the Lower-Order Structure of Openness/Intellect Using Traditional and Extended Bass-Ackwards Methods

In this study, the lower-order structure of Openness/Intellect is explored using Goldberg's "bass-ackward" hierarchical factor analysis approach, including Forbes' extension to this method.

Research utilizing the Big Five has tended to focus on higher-order domains, as opposed to lower-order facets. As a result, the lower-order structure of the Big Five is less well understood. This problem is especially pronounced for Openness/Intellect, which has a complex structure, encompassing a broad range of tendencies, from seeking out new experiences to absorption in intellectual pursuits, to being socially tolerant and progressive.

Participants across three samples (N = 383, N = 712, and N = 372) completed various Openness/Intellect scales, and responses were factor analyzed using both traditional and extended bass-ackward approaches.

All models showed a clear split of the broader Openness/Intellect domain into Intellect and Openness, mirroring the aspect-level distinction found in previous research. Whereas Intellect appeared to be quite narrow, with a limited set of lower-order components extracted, Openness unfolded into a more diffuse set of lower-order components.

The present findings converge with several previous perspectives on, yet also provide a more nuanced understanding of, the hierarchical structure of Openness/Intellect.