Larry Bernard | Loyola Marymount University (original) (raw)

Papers by Larry Bernard

Journal of Research in Personality, 2013

Psychometric surveys suggest that sex differences in personality are minimal. Herein, we argue th... more Psychometric surveys suggest that sex differences in personality are minimal. Herein, we argue that (a) the mind is likely biased toward assessing oneself relative to same-sex others, and (b) this bias may affect the measurement of sex differences in personality. In support of this, an experiment demonstrates modulation of sex differences on the HEXACO facets by manipulating the sex of the ''reference class''-the group of people subjects compare themselves to when making self-assessments on survey items. Although patterns varied across traits, sex differences were relatively small in the ''unspecified'' and ''same-sex'' reference class conditions-but substantially larger in the ''opposite-sex'' condition. These findings point to a same-sex comparison bias that may impact the measurement of sex differences in personality.

Studia Psychologica, 2021

The Action–Trait theory of human motivation posits that individual differences in predispositiona... more The Action–Trait theory of human motivation posits that individual differences in predispositional traits of action may account for variance in contemporary purposeful human behavior. Prior research has supported the theory, psychometric properties of scales designed to assess the motive dimensions of the theory, and the utility of these scales to predict an array of behaviors, but this is the first study to evaluate the cross-linguistical invariance of the 15-factor theoretical model. This study evaluated translations of the English language 60-item Quick AIM in 5 samples – Croatian (N = 614), French (N = 246), German (N = 154), Polish (M = 314), and U.S. English (N = 490) – recruited from 4 countries (Croatia, Poland, Switzerland, and the U.S.). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) supported the theoretical model on which the traits of action are based and scrutinized the measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar invariance) of the scale across the languages.

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2012

ABSTRACT. The authors review psychology’s historical, competing perspectives on human motivation ... more ABSTRACT. The authors review psychology’s historical, competing perspectives on human motivation and propose a new comprehensive theory. The new theory is based on evolutionary principles as proposed by C. Darwin (1859) and modified by W. D. Hamilton (1964, 1996), R. L. Trivers (1971, 1972), and R. Dawkins (1989). The theory unifies biological, behavioral, and cognitive approaches to motivation. The theory is neuropsychological and addresses conscious and nonconscious processes that underlie motivation, emotion, and self-control. The theory predicts a hierarchical structure of motives that are measurable as individual differences in human behavior. These motives are related to social problem domains (D. B. Bugental, 2000; D. T. Kenrick, N. P. Li, & J. Butner, 2003), and each is hypothesized to solve a particular problem of human inclusive fitness. Key words: evolutionary psychology, motivation, motives WE PROPOSE AN EVOLUTIONARY THEORY of human motivation, wherein motivation is defi...

Assessment

... 1963; Roessler, Burch, & Childers, 1966; Roessler, Burch, & Mefferd, 1967; Ro... more ... 1963; Roessler, Burch, & Childers, 1966; Roessler, Burch, & Mefferd, 1967; Roessler & Collins, 1970; Roessler, Greenfield, B Alexander, 1964). ... structure of personality (Goldberg, 1990, 1992), which appears to correspond closely to earlier mod-els of personality (Digman, 1990 ...

Journal of Clinical Psychology, Jul 1, 1990

Rey (1964) proposed a brief screening test to assess the validity of memory complaints and hypoth... more Rey (1964) proposed a brief screening test to assess the validity of memory complaints and hypothesized that the ease of the task would mislead malingerers to perform more poorly even than persons with impaired memory due to brain injury. Lezak (1983) suggested cut-offs, but only one empirical report on Rey's task could be located in the literature. That study by Goldberg and Miller (1986) supported Lezak's cut-offs; however, the criterion groups were psychiatric and mentally retarded inpatients. In the present study, Rey's test, along with other neuropsychological tests designed to determine various types of memory dysfunction, was administered to brain-damaged (n = 18) and comparison (n = 16) groups. The results again generally supported Lezak's cut-offs.

Journal of Personality Assessment, Jun 10, 2010

Nine principal components were extracted from the scores of 26 homosexual and 26 heterosexual mal... more Nine principal components were extracted from the scores of 26 homosexual and 26 heterosexual males matched on age, education, occupation status, and sampling frame on Adjective Check List, Bem Sex Role Inventory, Chapin Social Insight Test, Experience Inventory, and Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire scales selected to represent a variety of "masculine" and "feminine" sex role attributes. The four most general varimax factors, accounting for 48% of the total variance, were: I) "Feminine Openness," II) "Masculine Boldness," III) "Reflection," and IV) "Novelty Seeking." Factor scores were constructed and indicated that the homosexual sample was significantly more identified with Factor I (p < .00l; 17% of total variance). There was no significant difference between the samples on Factor II, nor on the remaining two general factors which were not sex typed.

Psychological Reports, Sep 1, 2008

Three studies (total N = 403 participants; M age = 31.1 yr.; SD=13.8) are reported on the develop... more Three studies (total N = 403 participants; M age = 31.1 yr.; SD=13.8) are reported on the development, psychometric properties, and convergent and discriminant validities of two individual differences dimensions of Vigor (constructive arousal and energy that drives the general intensity of behavior) and Deliberation (prudence in the delay of immediate action and consideration of competing motives, emotions, and consequences of action that promote convergence of behavior toward socially desirable outcomes). These dimensions are part of Bernard, Mills, Swenson, and Walsh's evolutionary psychology theory of human motivation. Analysis suggests Vigor and Deliberation scales have reasonably good psychometric properties and may aid research on motivation from an evolutionary perspective.

Motivation and Emotion, Sep 1, 2009

Data from three sources—an initial self sample (N = 108) and a friend sample (N = 103) and relati... more Data from three sources—an initial self sample (N = 108) and a friend sample (N = 103) and relative sample (N = 103) recruited by self sample participants—were used to test the consensual and behavioral validity of new individual differences measures of 15 dimensions of motivation represented in the assessment of individual motives-questionnaire (AIM-Q). AIM-Q scores for all three samples converged and hypotheses of their predicted

Http Dx Doi Org 10 2466 21 02 Pr0 115c30z0, Dec 2, 2014

A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explain... more A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explained by multidimensional individual differences "traits of action" (motives). Its 15 motives can be characterized according to their purpose: individual integrity, competitiveness, and cooperativeness. Existing evidence supports the model on which the motives are based and the reliability and validity of strategies to assess them. This experiment tested whether the hypothetical results of consistent, motivated cooperative and competitive behavior could affect ratings of attractiveness. Male and female participants (N = 98; M age = 18.8, SD = 1.4) were shown 24 opposite-sex facial photos ranging in attractiveness. The photos were paired with one of three conditions representing theoretical outcomes that would result from low, control, and high levels of cooperative and competitive motives. As predicted, outcome descriptions representing high motive strength of six motives statistically significantly affected ratings of attractiveness. This result was independent of sex of participant and consistent with the theory.

ABSTRACT - Compared validities of single item self-ratings and multiple item questiomiaire scores... more ABSTRACT - Compared validities of single item self-ratings and multiple item questiomiaire scores measuring the Big-Five personality domains. Scores on the five domain scales ofthe NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992) - Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeabieness, and Conscientiousness - were obtained froml 49 participants who also provided self- radngs on descriptions ofthe same domains. Acquaintances provided criterion ratings of the participants on the NEO PI-R Form R. Multiple regression analyses indicated that participants' domain,self-ratings and NEO PI-R scores accounted for equivalent amounts of variance in criterion ratings of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. However, participants' NEO PI-R scores accounted for significantly more variance in criterion ratings of Extraversion,Openness, and Agreeabieness scores than single-item self ratings. Implications are discussed. When seeking to determine an individual's standing on a p...

Psychological reports, 2014

A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explain... more A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explained by multidimensional individual differences "traits of action" (motives). Its 15 motives can be characterized according to their purpose: individual integrity, competitiveness, and cooperativeness. Existing evidence supports the model on which the motives are based and the reliability and validity of strategies to assess them. This experiment tested whether the hypothetical results of consistent, motivated cooperative and competitive behavior could affect ratings of attractiveness. Male and female participants (N = 98; M age = 18.8, SD = 1.4) were shown 24 opposite-sex facial photos ranging in attractiveness. The photos were paired with one of three conditions representing theoretical outcomes that would result from low, control, and high levels of cooperative and competitive motives. As predicted, outcome descriptions representing high motive strength of six motives statisti...

Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, 1990

The vulnerability of several neuropsychological memory tests--the Wechsler Memory Scale--Revised,... more The vulnerability of several neuropsychological memory tests--the Wechsler Memory Scale--Revised, Complex Figure Test, Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and Rey Memory Test--to faked deficits was evaluated. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Control (n = 28), Malingering with a financial incentive (n = 30), and Malingering without a financial incentive (n = 28). Overall, the performance of the Malingering Groups was not significantly different from one another, but both groups were significantly poorer than Controls. Discriminant functions with a reduced set of predictors correctly classified about 75% of cases in both the Control and the combined Malingering Groups on cross-validation. The results suggest that neuropsychological memory tests are vulnerable to faked deficits, and that recognition tasks are disproportionately affected. The use of incentives in simulation research is also discussed.

Psychological Reports, 2005

This is an historical review and contemporary empirical evaluation of the Motivation Analysis Tes... more This is an historical review and contemporary empirical evaluation of the Motivation Analysis Test (MAT), one of the first tests to take a psychometric approach to the assessment of motivation. Reviews were quite positive, but the test is now over 50 years old. Nevertheless, it employs innovations in measurement not widely used in objective measurement then or now: (1) subtests with different formats, (2) disguised items, (3) speeded administration procedures, and (4) ipsative format and scoring procedures. These issues are discussed and a contemporary sample ( N = 360) obtained to evaluate the Motivation Analysis Test in light of its innovative characteristics.

Psychological Reports, 2010

There are few multidimensional measures of individual differences in motivation available. The As... more There are few multidimensional measures of individual differences in motivation available. The Assessment of Individual Motives–Questionnaire assesses 15 putative dimensions of motivation. The dimensions are based on evolutionary theory and preliminary evidence suggests the motive scales have good psychometric properties. The scales are reliable and there is evidence of their consensual validity (convergence of self–other ratings) and behavioral validity (relationships with self–other reported behaviors of social importance). Additional validity research is necessary, however, especially with respect to current models of personality. The present study tested two general and 24 specific hypotheses based on proposed evolutionary advantages/disadvantages and fitness benefits/costs of the five-factor model of personality together with the new motive scales in a sample of 424 participants ( M age = 28.8 yr., SD = 14.6). Results were largely supportive of the hypotheses. These results sup...

Journal of Research in Personality, 2013

Psychometric surveys suggest that sex differences in personality are minimal. Herein, we argue th... more Psychometric surveys suggest that sex differences in personality are minimal. Herein, we argue that (a) the mind is likely biased toward assessing oneself relative to same-sex others, and (b) this bias may affect the measurement of sex differences in personality. In support of this, an experiment demonstrates modulation of sex differences on the HEXACO facets by manipulating the sex of the ''reference class''-the group of people subjects compare themselves to when making self-assessments on survey items. Although patterns varied across traits, sex differences were relatively small in the ''unspecified'' and ''same-sex'' reference class conditions-but substantially larger in the ''opposite-sex'' condition. These findings point to a same-sex comparison bias that may impact the measurement of sex differences in personality.

Studia Psychologica, 2021

The Action–Trait theory of human motivation posits that individual differences in predispositiona... more The Action–Trait theory of human motivation posits that individual differences in predispositional traits of action may account for variance in contemporary purposeful human behavior. Prior research has supported the theory, psychometric properties of scales designed to assess the motive dimensions of the theory, and the utility of these scales to predict an array of behaviors, but this is the first study to evaluate the cross-linguistical invariance of the 15-factor theoretical model. This study evaluated translations of the English language 60-item Quick AIM in 5 samples – Croatian (N = 614), French (N = 246), German (N = 154), Polish (M = 314), and U.S. English (N = 490) – recruited from 4 countries (Croatia, Poland, Switzerland, and the U.S.). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) supported the theoretical model on which the traits of action are based and scrutinized the measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar invariance) of the scale across the languages.

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2012

ABSTRACT. The authors review psychology’s historical, competing perspectives on human motivation ... more ABSTRACT. The authors review psychology’s historical, competing perspectives on human motivation and propose a new comprehensive theory. The new theory is based on evolutionary principles as proposed by C. Darwin (1859) and modified by W. D. Hamilton (1964, 1996), R. L. Trivers (1971, 1972), and R. Dawkins (1989). The theory unifies biological, behavioral, and cognitive approaches to motivation. The theory is neuropsychological and addresses conscious and nonconscious processes that underlie motivation, emotion, and self-control. The theory predicts a hierarchical structure of motives that are measurable as individual differences in human behavior. These motives are related to social problem domains (D. B. Bugental, 2000; D. T. Kenrick, N. P. Li, & J. Butner, 2003), and each is hypothesized to solve a particular problem of human inclusive fitness. Key words: evolutionary psychology, motivation, motives WE PROPOSE AN EVOLUTIONARY THEORY of human motivation, wherein motivation is defi...

Assessment

... 1963; Roessler, Burch, & Childers, 1966; Roessler, Burch, & Mefferd, 1967; Ro... more ... 1963; Roessler, Burch, & Childers, 1966; Roessler, Burch, & Mefferd, 1967; Roessler & Collins, 1970; Roessler, Greenfield, B Alexander, 1964). ... structure of personality (Goldberg, 1990, 1992), which appears to correspond closely to earlier mod-els of personality (Digman, 1990 ...

Journal of Clinical Psychology, Jul 1, 1990

Rey (1964) proposed a brief screening test to assess the validity of memory complaints and hypoth... more Rey (1964) proposed a brief screening test to assess the validity of memory complaints and hypothesized that the ease of the task would mislead malingerers to perform more poorly even than persons with impaired memory due to brain injury. Lezak (1983) suggested cut-offs, but only one empirical report on Rey's task could be located in the literature. That study by Goldberg and Miller (1986) supported Lezak's cut-offs; however, the criterion groups were psychiatric and mentally retarded inpatients. In the present study, Rey's test, along with other neuropsychological tests designed to determine various types of memory dysfunction, was administered to brain-damaged (n = 18) and comparison (n = 16) groups. The results again generally supported Lezak's cut-offs.

Journal of Personality Assessment, Jun 10, 2010

Nine principal components were extracted from the scores of 26 homosexual and 26 heterosexual mal... more Nine principal components were extracted from the scores of 26 homosexual and 26 heterosexual males matched on age, education, occupation status, and sampling frame on Adjective Check List, Bem Sex Role Inventory, Chapin Social Insight Test, Experience Inventory, and Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire scales selected to represent a variety of "masculine" and "feminine" sex role attributes. The four most general varimax factors, accounting for 48% of the total variance, were: I) "Feminine Openness," II) "Masculine Boldness," III) "Reflection," and IV) "Novelty Seeking." Factor scores were constructed and indicated that the homosexual sample was significantly more identified with Factor I (p < .00l; 17% of total variance). There was no significant difference between the samples on Factor II, nor on the remaining two general factors which were not sex typed.

Psychological Reports, Sep 1, 2008

Three studies (total N = 403 participants; M age = 31.1 yr.; SD=13.8) are reported on the develop... more Three studies (total N = 403 participants; M age = 31.1 yr.; SD=13.8) are reported on the development, psychometric properties, and convergent and discriminant validities of two individual differences dimensions of Vigor (constructive arousal and energy that drives the general intensity of behavior) and Deliberation (prudence in the delay of immediate action and consideration of competing motives, emotions, and consequences of action that promote convergence of behavior toward socially desirable outcomes). These dimensions are part of Bernard, Mills, Swenson, and Walsh's evolutionary psychology theory of human motivation. Analysis suggests Vigor and Deliberation scales have reasonably good psychometric properties and may aid research on motivation from an evolutionary perspective.

Motivation and Emotion, Sep 1, 2009

Data from three sources—an initial self sample (N = 108) and a friend sample (N = 103) and relati... more Data from three sources—an initial self sample (N = 108) and a friend sample (N = 103) and relative sample (N = 103) recruited by self sample participants—were used to test the consensual and behavioral validity of new individual differences measures of 15 dimensions of motivation represented in the assessment of individual motives-questionnaire (AIM-Q). AIM-Q scores for all three samples converged and hypotheses of their predicted

Http Dx Doi Org 10 2466 21 02 Pr0 115c30z0, Dec 2, 2014

A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explain... more A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explained by multidimensional individual differences "traits of action" (motives). Its 15 motives can be characterized according to their purpose: individual integrity, competitiveness, and cooperativeness. Existing evidence supports the model on which the motives are based and the reliability and validity of strategies to assess them. This experiment tested whether the hypothetical results of consistent, motivated cooperative and competitive behavior could affect ratings of attractiveness. Male and female participants (N = 98; M age = 18.8, SD = 1.4) were shown 24 opposite-sex facial photos ranging in attractiveness. The photos were paired with one of three conditions representing theoretical outcomes that would result from low, control, and high levels of cooperative and competitive motives. As predicted, outcome descriptions representing high motive strength of six motives statistically significantly affected ratings of attractiveness. This result was independent of sex of participant and consistent with the theory.

ABSTRACT - Compared validities of single item self-ratings and multiple item questiomiaire scores... more ABSTRACT - Compared validities of single item self-ratings and multiple item questiomiaire scores measuring the Big-Five personality domains. Scores on the five domain scales ofthe NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992) - Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeabieness, and Conscientiousness - were obtained froml 49 participants who also provided self- radngs on descriptions ofthe same domains. Acquaintances provided criterion ratings of the participants on the NEO PI-R Form R. Multiple regression analyses indicated that participants' domain,self-ratings and NEO PI-R scores accounted for equivalent amounts of variance in criterion ratings of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. However, participants' NEO PI-R scores accounted for significantly more variance in criterion ratings of Extraversion,Openness, and Agreeabieness scores than single-item self ratings. Implications are discussed. When seeking to determine an individual's standing on a p...

Psychological reports, 2014

A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explain... more A relatively new theory of motivation posits that purposeful human behavior may be partly explained by multidimensional individual differences "traits of action" (motives). Its 15 motives can be characterized according to their purpose: individual integrity, competitiveness, and cooperativeness. Existing evidence supports the model on which the motives are based and the reliability and validity of strategies to assess them. This experiment tested whether the hypothetical results of consistent, motivated cooperative and competitive behavior could affect ratings of attractiveness. Male and female participants (N = 98; M age = 18.8, SD = 1.4) were shown 24 opposite-sex facial photos ranging in attractiveness. The photos were paired with one of three conditions representing theoretical outcomes that would result from low, control, and high levels of cooperative and competitive motives. As predicted, outcome descriptions representing high motive strength of six motives statisti...

Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, 1990

The vulnerability of several neuropsychological memory tests--the Wechsler Memory Scale--Revised,... more The vulnerability of several neuropsychological memory tests--the Wechsler Memory Scale--Revised, Complex Figure Test, Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and Rey Memory Test--to faked deficits was evaluated. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Control (n = 28), Malingering with a financial incentive (n = 30), and Malingering without a financial incentive (n = 28). Overall, the performance of the Malingering Groups was not significantly different from one another, but both groups were significantly poorer than Controls. Discriminant functions with a reduced set of predictors correctly classified about 75% of cases in both the Control and the combined Malingering Groups on cross-validation. The results suggest that neuropsychological memory tests are vulnerable to faked deficits, and that recognition tasks are disproportionately affected. The use of incentives in simulation research is also discussed.

Psychological Reports, 2005

This is an historical review and contemporary empirical evaluation of the Motivation Analysis Tes... more This is an historical review and contemporary empirical evaluation of the Motivation Analysis Test (MAT), one of the first tests to take a psychometric approach to the assessment of motivation. Reviews were quite positive, but the test is now over 50 years old. Nevertheless, it employs innovations in measurement not widely used in objective measurement then or now: (1) subtests with different formats, (2) disguised items, (3) speeded administration procedures, and (4) ipsative format and scoring procedures. These issues are discussed and a contemporary sample ( N = 360) obtained to evaluate the Motivation Analysis Test in light of its innovative characteristics.

Psychological Reports, 2010

There are few multidimensional measures of individual differences in motivation available. The As... more There are few multidimensional measures of individual differences in motivation available. The Assessment of Individual Motives–Questionnaire assesses 15 putative dimensions of motivation. The dimensions are based on evolutionary theory and preliminary evidence suggests the motive scales have good psychometric properties. The scales are reliable and there is evidence of their consensual validity (convergence of self–other ratings) and behavioral validity (relationships with self–other reported behaviors of social importance). Additional validity research is necessary, however, especially with respect to current models of personality. The present study tested two general and 24 specific hypotheses based on proposed evolutionary advantages/disadvantages and fitness benefits/costs of the five-factor model of personality together with the new motive scales in a sample of 424 participants ( M age = 28.8 yr., SD = 14.6). Results were largely supportive of the hypotheses. These results sup...