Personality

Overclaiming is the tendency to overstate one's knowledge, a behavior that is frequently encountered in personnel selection contexts. To identify applicant faking behavior, overclaiming questionnaires (OCQs) capture whether applicants claim to know vocabulary that does not actually exist. Studies investigating the usefulness of OCQs in assessing faking behavior reported mixed results. However, previous studies neglected the fit between OCQ and selection context. Applicants may not perceive a good result in the OCQ as crucial to their success in the application procedure if the fit of the questionnaire to job requirements is poor. In such cases, the OCQ may not contribute to the identification of faking behavior. To examine the influence of the fit between OCQ and selection context on overclaiming, we manipulated the selection context in a simulated application procedure which included an OCQ on general knowledge. A total of 432 participants answered the questionnaire either while applying for a job as a science journalist (good fit), while applying for a job as a psychological therapist (poor fit), or without application context (control). Participants overclaimed most when general knowledge was most relevant, that is, when applying for the job as a science journalist. If participants applied for the job as a therapist, they still overclaimed more than without any application context. We conclude that the fit between OCQ and application context is important and should be considered when evaluating the usefulness of OCQs in detecting faking behavior.

Previous research results show that recruiters’ assessments of personality traits are regularly invalid or unreliable (Patton & Haugland, 2000; Cole et al, 2009). Self-confident appearance and presentation is a central requirement in many professional positions and is therefore an integral part of many assessment centers. The accurate and automated measurement of self-confidence and other relevant personality features could increase the objectivity of assessment centers and other application processes by relying on physiological measurement approaches instead of subjective judgements. Therefore, we present an explorative two-step approach which aims at the automated and objective extraction of job-relevant personality features (e.g. interpersonal competence, confidence, communication skills) from short application videos. For this purpose, we conducted and recorded structured application interviews on a demographically representative sample of N = 100 male and female participants of various age groups. In addition to rating the applicants interview performance, all videos were annotated along a comprehensive behavioural catalogue of 137 different basal gestures, postures and facial expressions, which are in a first step used to identify complex compound features and to predict various personality characteristics. A second step is concerned with an automated detection and classification of relevant gestures and expression, based on the annotated labels. Here we present univariate and multivariate associations and dynamic transition flows between relevant features as well as a preliminary classification model. Future models could be used within the framework of online based platforms for an objective and ecologically valid form of video applications or personal self-assessments.

Both trait extraversion and extraverted behavior are associated with greater positive affect. A recent study found this association to be mediated by perceived social contribution, a dimension of the social well being scale. However, a more comprehensive investigation of potential underlying mechanisms of the extraversion-positive affect link is still lacking. In the present study, we investigated if additional dimensions of well-being mediate the relationship between enacted extraverted behaviors and positive affect. One-hundred and eight participants were instructed to enact either extraverted or introverted behaviors (versus no instruction) in a group discussion of three participants. Contrary to prior findings structural equation models demonstrated that state social contribution was not a significant mediator of the relationship between enacted extraverted behavior and positive affect. Instead, the well-being dimensions 'engagement' and 'relations' significantly mediated the relationship between enacted extraverted behavior and positive affect. This suggests that extraverted behavior may increase the experience of flow and the feeling of being appreciated during the task which may in turn lead to increases in positive affect. Limitations of the study and implications for the relationship between personality and well-being are discussed.

Online communication is getting increasingly important in shaping our everyday experiences; especially since it can be used to spread threatening and/or harmful messages. Internet trolling is considered a negative form of online interaction and can have tremendous effects on people’s well-being. The present preregistered (osf) experiment had two aims: First, to replicate prior findings of a relationship between internet users’ trolling behavior and the Dark Tetrad of personality (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism; RQ1). Second, to investigate the effect of experiencing social exclusion on people’s immediate motivation to troll others (RQ2). For our investigation, we conducted an online study. Participants (interim results n = 711) completed self-report questionnaires assessing personality and baseline trolling (i.e., someone’s regular trolling activities). Afterwards, participants were randomized to one of two conditions using the Cyberball paradigm: social inclusion vs. social exclusion. Finally, participants rated their immediate trolling motivation. To answer RQ1, we looked at the correlations of the Dark Tetrad with baseline trolling behavior. To answer RQ2, a t-test compared included and excluded participants concerning their immediate trolling motivation. Preliminary results regarding RQ1 indicate highly significant correlations between baseline trolling and the Dark Tetrad. However, our analysis for RQ2 does not suggest that excluded participants experience higher trolling motivation than included participants. The present study confirms that trolling behavior is associated with the Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Though exclusion did not affect trolling behavior, this study contributes to psychology by being one of the first preregistered experimental investigations of trolling behavior.