Being Liked is More than Having a Good Personality: The Role of Matching

Characteristics and quality assessment of online mentoring profile texts in academic medical mentoring

BACKGROUND

Mentoring is important for a successful career in academic medicine. In online matching processes, profile texts are decisive for the mentor-selection. We aimed to qualitatively characterize mentoring-profile-texts, identify differences in form and content and thus elements that promote selection.

METHODS

In a mixed method study first, quality of texts in 150 selected mentoring profiles was evaluated (10-point Likert scale; 1 = insufficient to 10 = very good). Second, based on a thematic and content analysis approach of profile texts, categories and subcategories were defined. We compared the presence of the assigned categories between the 25% highest ranked profiles with the 25% lowest ranked ones. Finally, additional predefined categories (hot topics) were labelled on the selected texts and their impact on student evaluation was statistically examined.

RESULTS

Students rated the quality of texts with a mean of 5.89 ± 1.45. 5 main thematic categories, 21 categories and a total of 74 subcategories were identified. Ten subcategories were significantly associated with high- and four with low-rated profiles. The presence of three or more hot topics in texts significantly correlated with a positive evaluation.

CONCLUSION

The introduced classification system helps to understand how mentoring profile texts are composed and which aspects are important for choosing a suited mentor.

Development and Validation of a German Interpersonal Sensitivities Circumplex (ISC-G)

Abstract. The Interpersonal Sensitivities Circumplex (ISC) assesses individual differences in sensitivities to aversive interpersonal behaviors. In this research (total N = 1,519), we developed and validated a German adaptation of the ISC (ISC-G) and extended the nomological net of interpersonal sensitivity as a construct. Using the structural summary method, we investigated associations with self- and informant reports of adaptive (interpersonal) personality traits as well as self-reported personality functioning, maladaptive personality traits, childhood trauma, and hypersensitivity. Replicating and extending previous findings with the ISC, the present research sheds light on the interplay between different personality traits and the perception of others’ interpersonal behavior. Results suggested that individuals report experiencing interpersonal behavior opposite to their own self-description in terms of agency and communion as aversive. This oppositional pattern was most pronounced for antagonistic vs. agreeable traits/behaviors. We discuss these results in the context of research on personality pathology.

Tendency to laugh is a stable trait: findings from a round-robin conversation study

People often laugh during conversation. Who is more responsible for the laughter, the person laughing or their partner for eliciting it? We used a round-robin design where participants (N = 66) engaged in 10 different conversations with 10 same-gender strangers and counted the instances of laughter for each person in each conversation. After each conversation, participants rated their perceived similarity with their partner and how much they enjoyed the conversation. More than half the variability in the amount a person laughed was attributable to the person laughing-some people tend to laugh more than others. By contrast, less than 5% of the variability was attributable to the laugher's partner. We also found that the more a person laughed, the more their partners felt similar to them. Counterintuitively, laughter negatively predicted conversation enjoyment. These findings suggest that, in conversations between strangers, laughter may not be a straightforward signal of amusement, but rather a social tool. We did not find any personality predictors of how much a person laughs or elicits laughter. In summary, how much a person laughs in conversation appears to be a stable trait associated with being relatable, and is not necessarily reflective of enjoyment. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cracking the laugh code: laughter through the lens of biology, psychology and neuroscience'.

Motivational strategies and approaches for single and multi-player exergames: a social perspective

BACKGROUND

Exergames have attracted the interest of academics, practitioners, and designers, in domains as diverse as health, human-computer interaction, psychology, and information technology. This is primarily because exergames can make the exercise experience more enjoyable and entertaining, and in turn, can increase exercise levels. Despite the many benefits of exergames, they suffer from retention problems. Thus, the objective of this article was to review theories and game elements that have been empirically examined or employed in an attempt to make exergames more motivating so people engage in sustained physical activity (duration of physical activity) in a repeating pattern over time (frequency of physical activity).

METHODOLOGY

A literature search and narrative review were conducted.

RESULTS

Five major theories and elements were prevalent in the exergaming literature: (1) self-determination theory, (2) gamification, (3) competition and cooperation, (4) situational interest, and (5) social interaction. These theories and elements are important for encouraging long-term play and show promise for designing exergames to promote sustained engagement and motivate physical activity. We discuss their strengths and weaknesses throughout the paper.

CONCLUSIONS

The long-term effectiveness of exergame interventions is unclear mainly because of the limited amount of long-term studies. Better metrics are also needed to evaluate this effectiveness. We also identified particular attention to social factors and group dynamics, such as multi-player exergames and more effective player matchmaking strategies for increasing social connectedness, as a key area of future research.

How Likable Are Personality Disorder and General Personality Traits to Those Who Possess Them?

OBJECTIVE

The goal of the present study was to investigate whether having higher scores on maladaptive personality traits was related to rating these traits as more likable.

METHOD

Two studies were conducted, one with personality disorder traits (N = 219; M_age  = 19.4; 63.8% female; 76.6% Caucasian) and one with general personality traits (N = 198; M_age  = 19.5; 69.7% female; 77.3% Caucasian). In each study, participants self-rated their own personality and separately provided ratings of how "likable" they considered those personality traits.

RESULTS

As expected, participants rated maladaptive traits more favorably if they considered themselves to possess those traits as well. Also as expected, individuals with higher Antagonism scores (including self-rated Dark Triad constructs of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) rated Antagonism and its related facets as "tolerable"-not necessarily likable, but as less unlikable than the average participant.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have implications for the ways that individuals with personality pathology perceive the people around them, which may in turn impact their expectations and behaviors.

Voting for a personality: Do first impressions and self-evaluations affect voting decisions?

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People rated themselves and video clips of politicians on personality.

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People gave an estimate of the probability that they would vote for the politicians.

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Ratings of some personality traits were strongly related to voting behavior.

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For the preferred personality traits people gave themselves higher ratings.

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People’s voting decisions may be guided by traits they value high in themselves.

Participants were asked to assess their own personality (i.e. Big Five scales), the personality of politicians shown in brief silent video clips, and the probability that they would vote for these politicians. Response surface analyses (RSA) revealed noteworthy effects of self-ratings and observer-ratings of openness, agreeableness, and emotional stability on voting probability. Furthermore, the participants perceived themselves as being more open, more agreeable, more emotionally stable, and more extraverted than the average politician. The study supports previous findings that first impressions affect decision making on important issues. Results also indicate that when only nonverbal information is available people prefer political candidates they perceive as having personality traits they value in themselves.

This examined life: the upside of self-knowledge for interpersonal relationships

Although self-knowledge is an unquestioned good in many philosophical traditions, testing this assumption scientifically has posed a challenge because of the difficulty of measuring individual differences in self-knowledge. In this study, we used a novel, naturalistic, and objective criterion to determine individuals' degree of self-knowledge. Specifically, self-knowledge was measured as the congruence between people's beliefs about how they typically behave and their actual behavior as measured with unobtrusive audio recordings from daily life. We found that this measure of self-knowledge was positively correlated with informants' perceptions of relationship quality. These results suggest that self-knowledge is interpersonally advantageous. Given the importance of relationships for our social species, self-knowledge could have great social value that has heretofore been overlooked.

On the similarity between exchangeable profiles: A psychometric model, analytic strategy, and empirical illustration

Analyses of profile similarity are widespread in personality psychology, but their apparent simplicity masks difficult psychometric and statistical issues. We present a psychometric framework that addresses an important challenge (i.e., profile normativeness) in examinations of dyadic exchangeable profiles. In addition, we present an analytic strategy accounting for non-independence that often arises in analyses of profile similarity, facilitating integrated examinations of variables at dyadic and individual levels. An empirical analysis of personality similarity and relationship quality demonstrates that the model and analytic strategy can reveal novel psychological insights. These are important advances, as previous work has ignored exchangeable profiles and has failed to present an integrated psychometric and statistical framework for profile similarity.

Generalization of positive and negative attitudes toward individuals to outgroup attitudes

The generalization of attitudes toward individual outgroup members into attitudes toward the outgroup as a whole can affect intergroup relations. However, little is known about the relative strengths of the generalization of negative and positive interpersonal attitudes into attitudes about the outgroup. The unique contribution of negative (disliking) interpersonal attitudes to intergroup attitudes was examined and its strength was compared with the effect of positive (liking) interpersonal attitudes, using cross-sectional (Study 1; N = 733, age 10-12) and longitudinal data (Study 2; N = 960, age 12-13). Disliking uniquely contributed to respondents' outgroup attitudes. The generalization of interpersonal liking and disliking was about equally strong in both studies. This underpins the importance of examining the effects of both positive and negative intergroup contact experiences on the formation of outgroup attitudes.

Perceived Personality Similarity and Perceptions of Expert Testimony

This study examined perceived similarity in a mock juror-expert witness paradigm. Using a Five-Factor Model (FFM) perspective, 328 mock jurors provided self-rated personality characteristics and rated the expert witness on personality as well as testimony-related outcomes of credibility and agreement (as indicated by sentencing recommendations). Results showed that perceived similarity in all FFM traits predicted perceptions of expert credibility. Openness and Conscientiousness predicted agreement with the witness. Global perceived personality similarity was associated with credibility, but not agreement with the witness, when simultaneously evaluated with trait-level similarity. Findings support the utility of a multidimensional trait-based model of perceived similarity.