Comparison of Methods for Assessing Personality in Nonhuman Primates

Freeman, Hani D.; Gosling, Samuel D.; Schapiro, Steven J.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0176-6_2

Cited by 43 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…for the species being assessed [Freeman et al, 2011;Uher, 2008]. For example, some chimpanzee scales are derived from instruments originally developed to assess humans [e.g.…”

Section: Conflicts Of Interest: Nonementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The danger with top-down methods is that they can lead to the inclusion of traits that may not be relevant to the species being assessed or they may fail to include all relevant aspects of personality for the species being assessed [Freeman et al, 2011; Uher, 2008]. For example, some chimpanzee scales are derived from instruments originally developed to assess humans [e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing a comprehensive and comparative questionnaire for measuring personality in chimpanzees using a simultaneous top‐down/bottom‐up design

Freeman

Brosnan

Hopper

et al. 2013

American J Primatol

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101

202

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One effective method for measuring personality in primates is to use personality trait ratings to distill the experience of people familiar with the individual animals. Previous rating instruments were created using either top-down or bottom-up approaches. Top-down approaches, which essentially adapt instruments originally designed for use with another species, can unfortunately lead to the inclusion of traits irrelevant to chimpanzees or fail to include all relevant aspects of chimpanzee personality. Conversely, because bottom-up approaches derive traits specifically for chimpanzees, their unique items may impede comparisons with findings in other studies and other species. To address the limitations of each approach, we developed a new personality rating scale using a combined top-down/bottom-up design. Seventeen raters rated 99 chimpanzees on the new 41-item scale, with all but one item being rated reliably. Principal components analysis, using both varimax and direct oblimin rotations, identified six broad factors. Strong evidence was found for five of the factors (Reactivity/Undependability, Dominance, Openness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness). A sixth factor (Methodical) was offered provisionally until more data are collected. We validated the factors against behavioral data collected independently on the chimpanzees. The five factors demonstrated good evidence for convergent and predictive validity, thereby underscoring the robustness of the factors. Our combined top-down/ bottom-up approach provides the most extensive data to date to support the universal existence of these five personality factors in chimpanzees. This framework, which facilitates cross-species comparisons, can also play a vital role in understanding the evolution of personality and can assist with husbandry and welfare efforts.

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“…for the species being assessed [Freeman et al, 2011;Uher, 2008]. For example, some chimpanzee scales are derived from instruments originally developed to assess humans [e.g.…”

Section: Conflicts Of Interest: Nonementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a comprehensive and comparative questionnaire for measuring personality in chimpanzees using a simultaneous top‐down/bottom‐up design

Freeman

Brosnan

Hopper

et al. 2013

American J Primatol

Self Cite

101

202

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“…Continued development and improvement of existing scales will bolster the foundations upon which subsequent primate personality research is built. Systematic procedures for modifying existing scales or developing new ones are described in Freeman et al [2010], and Uher [2008a,b].…”

Section: Emotions Profile Index (Epi)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality in nonhuman primates: a review and evaluation of past research

Freeman

Gosling

2010

American J Primatol

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262

263

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Scientific reports of personality in nonhuman primates are now appearing with increasing frequency across a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, anthropology, endocrinology, and zoo management. To identify general patterns of research and summarize the major findings to date, we present a comprehensive review of the literature, allowing us to pinpoint the major gaps in knowledge and determine what research challenges lay ahead. An exhaustive search of five scientific databases identified 210 relevant research reports. These articles began to appear in the 1930s, but it was not until the 1980s that research on primate personality began to gather pace, with more than 100 articles published in the last decade. Our analyses of the literature indicate that some domains (e.g., sex, age, rearing conditions) are more evenly represented in the literature than are others (e.g., species, research location). Studies examining personality structure (e.g., with factor analysis) have identified personality dimensions that can be divided into 14 broad categories, with Sociability, Confidence/Aggression, and Fearfulness receiving the most research attention. Analyses of the findings pertaining to inter-rater agreement, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, generally support not only the reliability of primate personality ratings scales but also point to the need for more psychometric studies and greater consistency in how the analyses are reported. When measured at the level of broad dimensions, Extraversion and Dominance generally demonstrated the highest levels of inter-rater reliability, with weaker findings for the dimensions of Agreeableness, Emotionality, and Conscientiousness. Few studies provided data with regard to convergent and discriminant validity; Excitability and Dominance demonstrated the strongest validity coefficients when validated against relevant behavioral criterion measures. Overall, the validity data present a somewhat mixed picture, suggesting that high levels of validity are attainable, but by no means guaranteed. Discussion focuses on delineating major theoretical and empirical questions facing research and practice in primate personality.

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“…Intra-observer reliability for these measures was acceptable to good, which 379 suggests the lack of correlations between tests is due to instability of the behavior, not 380 recording error. These results suggest that these behavior are most subject to change, and 381 cannot be considered behavior that directly reflect personality traits due to their lack of 382 inter-individual consistency (Freeman et al, 2011). 383…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Test-retest reliability and predictive validity of a juvenile guide dog behavior test

Harvey

Craigon

Sommerville³

et al. 2016

Journal of Veterinary Behavior

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14The ability to measure stable and consistent behavioral traits in dogs would facilitate 15 selection and assessment of working dogs, such as guide dogs. Ideally, these measures 16 should predict suitability for the working role from a young age. This study assessed test-17 retest reliability of a juvenile guide dog behavior test and predictive validity using 18 qualification or withdrawal from guide dog training. Ninety-three guide dog puppies (52F; 19 41M) were tested at 5 (mean 4.78; ± 0.73 SD) and 8 (mean 7.98; ± 0.78 SD) months of age. 20The dogs were exposed to a sequence of 11 stimuli designed to assess the dogs' reactions 21 to: meeting a stranger, obedience commands, body sensitivity, scavenging, and 'animal' and 22 human distractions. The behavior of dogs was digitally recorded and analysed using an

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Comparison of Methods for Assessing Personality in Nonhuman Primates

Cited by 43 publications

References 37 publications

Developing a comprehensive and comparative questionnaire for measuring personality in chimpanzees using a simultaneous top‐down/bottom‐up design

Developing a comprehensive and comparative questionnaire for measuring personality in chimpanzees using a simultaneous top‐down/bottom‐up design

Personality in nonhuman primates: a review and evaluation of past research

Test-retest reliability and predictive validity of a juvenile guide dog behavior test

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