The Hierarchical Structures of the NEO PI-R and the 16 PF 51

Abstract

Summary: The present study compares the higher-level dimensions and the hierarchical structures of the fifth edition of the 16 Personality Factors (16 PF 5) with those of the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO PI-R). Both inventories measure personality according to five higher-level dimensions. These inventories were, however, constructed according to different methods (bottom-up vs. top-down). Both questionnaires were filled out by 386 participants. Correlations, regressions, and canonical correlations made it possible to compare the inventories. As expected, they roughly measure the same aspects of personality. There is a coherent association among four of the five dimensions measured in the tests. However, Agreeableness, the remaining dimension in the NEO PI-R, is not represented in the 16 PF 5. Our analyses confirmed the hierarchical structures of both instruments, but this confirmation was more complete in the case of the NEO PI-R. Indeed, a parallel analysis indicated that a four-factor solution should be considered in the case of the 16 PF 5. On the other hand, the five-factor solution of the NEO PI-R was confirmed. The top-down construction of this instrument seems to make for a more legible structure. Of the two five-dimension constructs, the NEO PI-R, thus, seems the more reliable. This confirms the relevance of the Five-Factor Model of personality.