Factorial Structure and Age-Related Psychometrics of the MIDUS Personality Adjective Items Across the Life Span

• Published in: Psychological assessment Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 173 - 186
• Main Authors: Zimprich, Daniel, Allemand, Mathias, Lachman, Margie E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-03-2012
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Age Differences; Age Factors; Aged; Aging; Aging - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data Collection; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Developmental psychology; Discriminant analysis; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Factor Structure; Female; Five Factor Personality Model; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Life Span; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Measurement; Measurement Invariance; Middle Aged; Models, Psychological; Models, Statistical; Personality; Personality Assessment - standards; Personality Assessment - statistics & numerical data; Personality Development; Personality Measures; Personality Traits; Personality. Affectivity; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychometrics; Quantitative psychology; Terminology as Topic; Test Validity; United States; Young Adult; United States; United States > US; five-factor structure; psychometrics; age differences; personality traits; measurement invariance; Human; Personality test; Factor analysis; Adjective; Psychometrics; Personality; Invariance; Lifetime; Language; Young adult; Adult; Elderly; Age
• ISSN: 1040-3590; 1939-134X
• DOI: 10.1037/a0025265

The present study addresses issues of measurement invariance and comparability of factor parameters of Big Five personality adjective items across age. Data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey were used to investigate age-related developmental psychometrics of the MIDUS personality adjective items in 2 large cross-sectional samples (exploratory sample: N = 862; analysis sample: N = 3,000). After having established and replicated a comprehensive 5-factor structure of the measure, increasing levels of measurement invariance were tested across 10 age groups. Results indicate that the measure demonstrates strict measurement invariance in terms of number of factors and factor loadings. Also, we found that factor variances and covariances were equal across age groups. By contrast, a number of age-related factor mean differences emerged. The practical implications of these results are discussed, and future research is suggested.