The Big Three or the Big Five? A replication study

Abstract This study addresses the question of the dimensionality of personality, in particular comparing the three- and five-factor models and trying to replicate the findings of Draycott and Kline (Draycott, S. G., & Kline, P. (1995). The Big Three or the Big Five — the EPQ-R vs the NEO-PI: a research note, replication and elaboration. Personality and Individual Differences, 18, 801–804). The Italian edition of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) and the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ) were compared by means of principal component factor analysis and canonical correlation analysis. Results confirm that the EPQ-R and BFQ share much variance, even if only four factors account for the correlations among the eight scales. Eysenck's hypothesis that Agreeableness and Conscientiousness are facets of the Psychoticism factor was partially supported. Only by using external criteria (e.g. the correlation with biological variables) can the question of dimensionality be resolved.

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