Personality Dimensions in Nonhuman Animals

The evolutionary continuity between humans and other animals suggests that some dimensions of personality may be common across a wide range of species. Unfortunately, there is no unified body of research on animal personality; studies are dispersed across multiple disciplines and diverse journals. To review 19 studies of personality factors in 12 nonhuman species, we used the human Five-Factor Model plus Dominance and Activity as a preliminary framework. Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Agreeableness showed the strongest cross-species generality, followed by Openness; a separate Conscientiousness dimension appeared only in chimpanzees, humans' closest relatives. Cross-species evidence was modest for a separate Dominance dimension but scant for Activity. The comparative approach taken here offers a fresh perspective on human personality and should facilitate hypothesis-driven research on the social and biological bases of personality.

[1]  T. Maple,et al.  Personality Assessment in the Gorilla and Its Utility As a Management Tool , 1994 .

[2]  B. Hart,et al.  Selecting pet dogs on the basis of cluster analysis of breed behavior profiles and gender. , 1985, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

[3]  H. Harlow,et al.  Personality in Monkeys: Factor Analyses of Rhesus Social Behaviour , 1972, The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology.

[4]  Mario von Cranach,et al.  Social communication and movement : studies of interaction and expression in man and chimpanzee , 1976 .

[5]  Stanley Coren,et al.  Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality , 1998 .

[6]  J. French.  Assessment of donkey temperament and the influence of home environment , 1993 .

[7]  E. Wilsson,et al.  The use of a behaviour test for the selection of dogs for service and breeding, I: Method of testing and evaluating test results in the adult dog, demands on different kinds of service dogs, sex and breed differences , 1997 .

[8]  J. Mather,et al.  Personalities of octopuses (Octopus rubescens) , 1993 .

[9]  S. Gosling.  Personality dimensions in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). , 1998, Journal of comparative psychology.

[10]  K. Bard,et al.  Influences on development in infant chimpanzees: enculturation temperament, and cognition , 1996 .

[11]  T. Moffitt,et al.  The "little five": exploring the nomological network of the five-factor model of personality in adolescent boys. , 1994, Child development.

[12]  R. McCrae,et al.  An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. , 1992, Journal of personality.

[13]  J. King,et al.  The Five-Factor Model plus Dominance in Chimpanzee Personality ☆ ☆☆ ★ , 1997 .

[14]  O. John.  The "Big Five" factor taxonomy: Dimensions of personality in the natural language and in questionnaires. , 1990 .

[15]  P. Jensen,et al.  Personality, coping patterns, and aggression in piglets , 1995 .

[16]  F. Billingslea.  The relationship between emotionality and various other salients of behavior in the rat. , 1941 .

[17]  T. Draper.  Canine analogs of human personality factors. , 1995, The Journal of general psychology.

[18]  Arnold H. Buss,et al.  Personality: Evolutionary Heritage and Human Distinctiveness , 1988 .

[19]  M. Raleigh,et al.  Personality features in vervet monkeys: The effects of sex, age, social status, and group composition , 1994, American journal of primatology.

[20]  Kim A. Bard,et al.  Reaching into Thought: The Minds of the Great Apes , 1999 .

[21]  J. Capitanio.  Personality dimensions in adult male rhesus macaques: Prediction of behaviors across time and situation , 1999, American journal of primatology.

[22]  C. Darwin,et al.  The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals , 1872 .

[23]  L. A. Pervin.  Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research , 1992 .