title: Ethnicity, Education, and the Temporal Stability of Personality Traits In the East Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study.
abstract: We examined the influence of age, gender, Black vs. White ethnicity, and education on five indices of personality stability and change across an average interval of 8 years in the East Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study. In the full sample (n = 505, aged 30-88), examination of structural, rank-order, ipsative, and mean level stability, as well as indices of reliable change suggested that NEO-PI-R personality traits showed moderate to high levels of stability over time. There were few age and gender effects on temporal stability but rank-order, ipsative, and mean level stability were lower among Blacks and individuals with lower education. Future research should explore additional demographic predictors of temporal plasticity in a diverse range of samples, and employ observer ratings to assess personality.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, National Institute on Aging, NIH, DHHS.
authors.forename: Corinna E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Löckenhoff
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terracciano
authors.forename: O Joseph
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Bienvenu
authors.forename: Nicholas S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Patriciu
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nestadt
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: McCrae
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Costa