Making Implicit Personality Theories Explicit: A Classroom Demonstration

Abstract

I developed a 9-item implicit personality theory (IPT) scale to demonstrate the naive, lay beliefs students have regarding the construct of personality. Students (N = 162) completed the IPT Scale during Week I and Week 16 in a Personality Theories course. Analysis of Week 1 responses showed definite student preferences for certain IPTs. Factor analysis of these data also revealed 4 relatively unique factors that accounted for 65.2% of the variance. By Week 16, students' preference for a particular explicit theory of personality related to their responses on the IPT scale. Comparison of Week 1 and Week 16 scores indicated that individual IPTs were fairly resistant to change. Pedagogically, these results demonstrate the role of IPTs in the construction and validation of explicit personality theories. Also, class discussion on topics such as individual differences, attribution theory, self-serving bias, and personal constructs are enhanced when students' IPTs are made explicit.

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