The validity of personality perceptions in discussion groups

The ability of group members to judge personality in long-term discussion groups was investigated. Participants were randomly assigned to groups of 5 to 7 members who met once a week for seven weeks. None of the participants in any group was previously acquainted. Prior to the first meeting, they completed a battery of self-report measures including the NEO Five Factor Inventory and the revised Interpersonal Adjective Scales. After the first, middle, and final meetings, group members rated each other on the Big Five personality traits and group participation. Self-reports showed moderate correlations (M=.31) with final-week single-item peer ratings. In addition, the correlations increased significantly over time. The same level of predictability was found when the criteria were peer free descriptions rather than ratings. Results are discussed in terms of the perception of personality in the context of group discussions.Arts, Faculty ofPsychology, Department ofGraduat