Return to Research Areas at ORI

Personality researchers at ORI study the personality traits, attitudes, and values that describe each individual’s unique combination of characteristics. The researchers are concerned with identifying the best set of these traits and values for describing people, and the most optimal way of measuring them. ORI scientists are world leaders in establishing the five-factor structure of personality, known as the Big Five approach. Investigators have expanded their work over the years to include examinations of personality descriptors in other languages and are currently studying the personality predictors of health and longevity. This is the oldest research area at ORI.

For more technical information on the development of personality measures at ORI, consult the IPIP website

Current Grants

Development of a Computerized Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder (CAT-PD)

Scientists are developing a computerized inventory measuring the major aspects of personality disorder using Item Response Theory (IRT) and using items from the International Item Personality Item Pool (IPIP).

Principal Investigator: Lew Goldberg

Project Period: 8/27/08 - 5/31/13

Subcontract with University of Buffalo, SUNY, from National Institute of Mental Health

Personality and Health–A Longitudinal Study (Hawaii)
This study tests the models and mechanisms by which childhood personality traits predict adult health-related behaviors, physical and mental health status, and eventually mortality.
Principal Investigator: Sarah E. Hampson
Co-Investigators: Lew Goldberg, Joan Dubanoski, Teresa Hiller, & Tom Vogt
Project Period: 9/20/97 - 8/31/12
National Institute on Aging