16 Personality Factor (PF) Questionnaire 1

Discovering oneself through the use of 16PF: single assessment of a participant

Nandini Pandith

Jindal Institute of Behavioral Sciences, O.P. Jindal Global University

Practicum I

Dr. Sucharita Belavadi

September 19, 2023

16 Personality Factor (PF) Questionnaire 2

Introduction

Personality can be defined as individual differences in the pattern of thinking,

behaving and feelings. The word personality comes from the Latin word ‘Persona.’

Personality shapes our beliefs, values and is influenced by various factors such as heredity

and environment. According to Allport (1961), “Personality is a dynamic organization, inside

a person, of psychophysical systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of

thoughts, feelings and behavior” According to Cattell (1950), “Personality is that which

permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given situation.” Therefore, personality

plays a crucial role in understanding the way how individuals respond to similar situations

and people in a different way. “The characteristics or blend of characteristics that make a

person unique” (Weinberg and Gould, 1999).

In 1936, Gordon Allport, divided personality into three traits types- cardinal, central

and secondary traits. Cardinal traits are traits which are usually rare and develop later in life.

Sometimes their personality type becomes congruent with their name e.g., ‘Mahatma Gandhi-

like.’ Central traits are those traits with form the basis of our personality and can be used to

define someone e.g., ‘honest’ ‘clever.’ Secondary traits are traits which vary from situation to

situation and are usually related to one’s attitudes.

Raymond Cattell conceptualized traits into two distinct forms- source and surface

traits. Source traits are those traits which form the building blocks of an individual’s

personality and surface traits are occur due to the interaction of these source traits together.

There are two types of personality assessments- paper-pencil and projective tests.

Paper- pencil assessments also known as self-report assessments involve providing the

participant with a set of standardized questions which are highly structured and usually allow

the participant to choose from given choices e.g., Likert Scale, multiple choice questions.

16PF and intelligence tests such as Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) are some
16 Personality Factor (PF) Questionnaire 3

examples. The projective assessments allow the individuals to respond freely with their own

interpretation when presented with a stimulus such as an image. Rorschach Inkblot Test and

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) are some examples of projective assessments.

The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (PF)was developed by Raymond Cattell in

1949. He believed that the sixteen traits summarized personality characteristics (Corn &

Reike, 1994). The test is a self-report assessment and the respondents must choose from the

predetermined options given for each question. Later, when the questionnaire is scored, one

can get to know where the respondent lies on each factor. The 16 Personality Factor (16 PF)

has been revised four times- 1956, 1962, 1968 and most recent one in 1993. The fifth edition

has 185 questions with three options to choose from. The questionnaire has easy fifth grade

English level reading and is used on individuals 16 years and older. The 16 PF has 16 scales

with clear and meaningful definition of each scale and it takes around 35-50 minutes to

administer the paper-pencil version. There is a shorter version of the 16 PF which was

developed for employee selection settings (Cattell, R.B. et al., 1999). It is a widely used

personality test which provides a comprehensive look of an individual’s personality that can

be used to gain insight about an individual.

History of the test

In 1940’s Raymond Cattell started studying the factors that make up the personality of

an individual through the method of factor analysis. He did extensive research to investigate

the factors or traits that constitute personality. This led him to develop the 16 Personality

Factor Questionnaire in 1949. The test gained appreciation for its extensive application in

various fields such as business, employee selection, psychology, and counseling.

In 1952, the first edition of 16 PF questionnaire was launched in the Great Britain

(International Reference Manual, 2014). in 1980’s the questionnaire was translated into more

than thirty-five languages. In 2001, the 16PF Adolescent Personality Questionnaire (APQ)
16 Personality Factor (PF) Questionnaire 4

was published catering to adolescents to assess their problem-solving skills and personal

styles (Schuerger, J. M. 2001).

Similar Personality Tests

There are various personality tests like the 16 Personality Factor (PF) Questionnaire.

The Big Five (OCEAN) by Costa and McRae (1999) measures five dimensions of personality

namely, Openness, Conscientiousness, extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. As

compared to the 16PF it is easier to understand due to its simple structure while the former

offers a more complex view of personality. The Big Five also has a wider culture

applicability.

Another test is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which provides a more

categorical approach to personality. It lacks strong validity and reliability as compared to the

16PF which has been revised multiple times and possess strong psychometric properties.

MBTI also does not offer an in-depth understanding of an individual’s personality as

compared to 16PF. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) developed by Hans

Eysenck focuses primarily on three personality dimensions whereas 16PF focuses on 16

personality factors thus, the latter offers a more detailed insight on the individual.

Strengths and Limitations

It is detailed assessment providing an insight about the individual’s personality and

the multiple revisions of the assessment has provided it with reliable psychometric properties

such as internal consistency and construct validity. It is also considered as an invaluable

instrument for assessing the adult population (Cattell & Mead, 2008). Since the 16PF is a

self-report assessment, social desirability can occur in self-reporting and respondents may not

reflect what they are like. The complexity and length of assessment is also a limitation as it

can lead to respondent fatigue and affect the test results (Schermer. et al., 2020). The

assessment’s interpretation is tough and requires training (Cattell & Mead, 2008)
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Applications of the assessment

The 16PF questionnaire find its applicability in various fields. It is used in hiring,

employee selection, promotion in organizations and aids in team building to find the best

personality match of the members for the team (Grossman & Craig, 1995). In clinical and

counseling settings due to its ability to provide an inclusive and overall image of an

individual (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2008).

It has been successful in identifying the personality traits of competent managers and

leaders (Cattell, R.B. et al., 1970; Cattell, R.B. et al., 1999; Cattell, R.B. and Stice, 1954;

Christiansen et al., 1994; Conn and Rieke, 1994; Guastello and Rieke, 1993a; Johns et al.,

1980; Roy, 1995; Schuerger and Watterson, 1998; Walter, 2000; Watterson, 2002). Conn and

Rieke (1994) have examined the role played by 16 PF in identifying creativity in individuals.

Method

Aim

To assess the personality traits of the subject by administering the 16 PF questionnaire

(Form A)

Objective

To understand the participant’s personality traits and gain insight into the behavior an

preferences of the participant.

Participant Details

The participant volunteered to be a part of the assessment. Participant A was a female

college student, 25 years of age, of Indian ethnicity. The participant was born on 16th July,

1998. The test was conducted by the test administrator, Nandini Pandith on Wednesday, 13th

September, 2023 in the Brain Behavioral Lab of O.P. Jindal Global University.

Materials
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The 16 PF questionnaire (Form A) was administered to the participant. The

questionnaire was printed and the answer sheet for the same was provided. A pencil and

eraser were provided to the participant with a timer to time the participant. The scoring

templates, norm tables and test profile were also kept for the scoring of the participant’s

responses.

Procedure

The participant was brought in the laboratory and informed consent was taken

following the ethical guidelines of the APA (American Psychological Association). The

participant was made to sit comfortably and was asked about her daily morning routine to

ease her up. On September 13th, 2023 at 12:40 PM the test was administered in the Brain

Behavior Laboratory of Jindal Institute of Behavioral Sciences, O.P. Jindal Global

University.

The participant was given the 16 PF questionnaire (Form A) sheet and the answer

sheet with a pencil and eraser and it was made sure that the instructions were understood by

the participant before the test started. The participant was observed by the assessment

administer throughout the duration of the test. After the assessment, a short overview was

taken from the participant about the same and was thanked for their participation.

Instructions

Verbal Consent:

“The test will take around 25 to 35 minutes. You must answer a series of questions

where you must choose the option that is closest to you. You have answer honestly. Do you

give your consent to this assessment?”

After the consent was given, the following instructions were read out from the 16 PF

booklet. “Inside this booklet are some questions to see what attitudes and interests you have.
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There are three options to each question. Read the following examples and mark your

answers at the top of your answer sheet where it says ‘examples.’ Fill in the left-hand box if

your answer choice is the answer “a,” in the middle box if your answer choice is the “b”

answer, and in the right-hand box if you choose the “c” answer.”

Scoring and Analysis

The 16 PF questionnaire (Form A) was administered to the participant. It was scored

using stencil scoring sheets consisting of 1, 2 points. After the raw scores were obtained, they

were converted into Sten scores since raw scores cannot be interpretated. Sten scores are

scores which help us compare the participant’s scores with scores obtained by others in the

defined population. Sten scores of 1, 2 and 3 are low scores, Sten scores of 4, 5, 6, and 7 are

average scores and Sten scores of 8, 9 and 10 are high scores on the 16 PF.

Reliability

The assessment displays internal consistency on a diverse sample of 4,660 ranging

from 0.66 to 0.86, and a mean of 0.75 (Conn and Rieke, 1994).

Validity

Recent researches have found the 16 PF shows considerable validity in understanding

and predicting (criterion validity) different behaviours and creativity (Guastello and Rieke,

1993) in the context of schools, social skills (Conn and Rieke, 1994) and marital

compatibility (Rusell,1995).

Results

The Table 1 displays the raw scores and Standard Ten Scores obtained by the

participant on each factor. The raw scores were converted to Standard Ten Scores (STEN) for

interpretation. It can be observed from Table 1 that, the participant scored STEN Scores of 1,

2, 3 and 5 indicating low score on all the factors.

Table 1.
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Test scores of the participant

___________________________________________________________________________
Sr.No Factor Raw Score Sten Score
___________________________________________________________________________
1 A 13 2
2 B 10 1
3 C 9 1
4 E 13 3
5 F 5 1
6 G 11 3
7 H 12 3
8 I 17 2
9 L 9 3
10 M 9 1
11 N 16 3
12 O 18 3
13 Q1 11 3
14 Q2 14 5
15 Q3 16 3
16 Q4 17 3
___________________________________________________________________________
Note: The Standard Ten Scores (STEN) helps provide a better understanding. Standard Ten

Scores of 1-3 show low scores obtained, 4-7 show average scores and 8-10 show high scores

obtained.

Discussion

The participant’s scored 2 on Factor A which indicates a low score description. Factor

A identifies the traits of being composed and reclusive or amiable and approachable. As, the

participant scored 2, it can be said that has the traits of being a composed and a person of

modest demeanor. The participant also reported of working in a field wherein it is not

required to socialize much which complements their personality. She scored a ‘1’ in Factor B

which is inclined towards slower learning capacity with a fixed pattern of thinking as
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opposed to generating smart ideas and more adaptive and analytical way of thinking. It shows

that the participant is slow at understanding concepts and usually adopts similar patterns

solution to different problems and situations, which can also be based on prior experiences.

Factor C of the 16 PF tells us about the emotional strength of an individual- how well

an individual can emotionally support themselves in different situations. The participant

scored ‘1’ on Factor C indicating that she easily is affected by her surroundings and is not

able to deal with when presented with new situations. It also displays that the participant

prefers having things done her way and has low tolerance to unsatisfactory conditions.

On Factor E of the 16 PF, the participant scored ‘3’ indicating that she is more likely

to conform to authority and dependent on others as opposed to having firm, being

independent and defying authority. This shows that the participant has a habit of depending

on others and adjusts situations easily to various situations and has a need to be organized at

times. The participant has a sober personality which is measured by Factor F which displays

the impulsivity of an individual. She scored ‘1’ on the factor. As reported by the participant,

she is usually worried about her future mainly about her work.

Factor G talks about moral values and a sense of duty. The participant is low on this

factor too, scored ‘1’. It indicates that the participant has a low sense of duty but at the same

time protects the participant from somatic stress at times. As mentioned earlier, the

participant is a reserved, dependent individual which relates to Factor H, which indicates how

withdrawn or sociable a person is. The participant scored “3’ on the factor, restating that she

prefers a small group of two or three people instead of large friend groups. Factor I, Factor L

and Factor M talk about the sense of being practical and not in an imaginative world, self-

reliant and free of envy. The participant was more inclined towards being a reasonable

individual who enjoys healthy competition, has confidence in her work and is aware of the

outside world. Factor N and Factor O signify the assurance and art of being genuine or
16 Personality Factor (PF) Questionnaire 10

diplomatic in our social relations. The participant scored ‘3’ in both the factors displaying a

sincere guilt-free assured self.

Factor Q1 talks about a being careful with new ideas or trying out new alternatives to

pre-exiting ideas. Factor Q2 talks about being reliance on one’s group as opposed to prefer

working independently. Factor Q3 and Factor Q4 displays perspective about self and

integration and the easy-going versus anxious, impatient nature respectively. The participant

scored low on the above-mentioned factors indicating that she is a person who prefers

sticking with prior tested methods to go about situations with a sense of dependency on her

immediate group for emotional support and control with composed attitude.

Conclusion

The aim of the study was to get an overall view of the participant’s personality by

using the 16PF Questionnaire. We can clearly see that the participant displays traits such as a

composed, reliable, easy-going yet dependent personality with rigid viewpoints and low

emotional stability when confronted with new situations.

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References

Cattell, H. E. P., & Mead, A. D. (2008). The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF).

In G. J. Boyle, G. Matthews, & D. H. Saklofske (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of personality

theory and assessment, Vol. 2. Personality measurement and testing (pp. 135–159). Sage

Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849200479.n7

Cattell, R. B. (1950). Personality: A systematic theoretical and factual study, 1st ed. APA

PsycNet. https://doi.org/10.1037/10773-000

Costa, P. B., & McRae, R. R. (1999). A five-factor theory of personality. Handbook of

Personality: Theory and Research (2nd ed.).

Karson, S., & O’Dell, J. W. (1976). A guide to the clinical use of the 16PF. Champaign:

Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.

Kaplan, R. M., & Saccuzzo, D. P. (2008). Psychological Testing: Principles, Applications, and

Issues. Cengage Learning.

Russell, M. T. (1995). The 16PF couple’s counseling report user’s guide. Champaign: Institute

for Personality and Ability Testing https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.614038

Schermer, J. A., Krammer, G., Goffin, R. D., & Biderman, M. D. (2020). Using the 16PF to Test

the Differentiation of Personality by Intelligence Hypothesis. Journal of Intelligence, 8(1),

12. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence8010012

Schuerger, J. M. (1992). The sixteen-personality factor questionnaire and its junior versions.

Journal of Counseling & Development, 71(2), 231–244.

https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1992.tb02206
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Appendix A

The Standard Ten Scores (STEN) Scores of the individual.