Perceiving Big Five Traits Accurately at True Zero Acquaintance

This research focused on the accuracy of trait judgments at zero acquaintance and after five minutes of interaction. Thirty-five undergraduates judged the neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness of four to six others whom they did not know. Participants then interacted in one-on-one conversations with each target for five minutes. It was hypothesized that extraversion and conscientiousness would be more accurately judged at zero acquaintance than neuroticism, openness, or agreeableness. It was also predicted that all traits would be more accurately judged after five minutes and that the NEO PI-R, a validated personality assessment, would be a more accurate measure of the criterion than a brief self report consisting of ten items. Contrary to expectations, significant accuracy was found at zero acquaintance for only the trait of neuroticism. Extraversion accuracy did not appear until after the five minute conversation