Allemand Mathias, Zimprich Daniel, Hertzog Christopher
Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
J Pers. 2007 Apr;75(2):323-58. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00441.x.
The present study examines different aspects of personality continuity (or change) in middle adulthood and old age both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The sample comprised 445 middle-aged (42-46 years) and 420 older (60-64 years) participants, reassessed after a 4-year interval. Personality was measured using the NEO-FFI personality inventory. After having established strict factorial invariance, factor covariances were found to be equal for both age groups and at both testing occasions, indicating perfect structural continuity of personality. A number of age differences in personality emerged at both measurement occasions. Longitudinally, in both age groups, an average decline in Neuroticism was observed. Longitudinal stability coefficients were around .80 in middle-aged and old participants, implying high, but not perfect, differential continuity. With respect to continuity of divergence, statistically significant cross-sectional age differences were found for the variance of Openness at both measurement occasions. Eventually, concerning specific versus general continuity, a variety of medium effect-sized correlated changes in the Big Five personality domains across the 4-year period was established, implying that personality changes share a certain amount of commonality.
本研究从横断面和纵向两个角度考察了中年和老年期人格连续性（或变化）的不同方面。样本包括445名中年（42 - 46岁）和420名老年（60 - 64岁）参与者，在4年间隔后进行重新评估。使用NEO - FFI人格量表测量人格。在建立严格的因子不变性后，发现两个年龄组在两个测试时间点的因子协方差相等，表明人格具有完美的结构连续性。在两个测量时间点都出现了一些人格方面的年龄差异。纵向来看，两个年龄组的神经质都出现了平均下降。中年和老年参与者的纵向稳定性系数约为0.80，这意味着具有较高但并非完美的差异连续性。关于差异的连续性，在两个测量时间点，开放性的方差在横断面年龄差异上具有统计学意义。最终，关于特定连续性与一般连续性，在4年期间的大五人格领域中建立了各种中等效应大小的相关变化，这意味着人格变化具有一定程度的共性。
