Multilevel Examination of Adults Personalitiy

本提案是为了响应RFA PA-99-049 NIA：试点研究资助计划，研究目标22而提交的。 人格与实验社会心理学：人格特质-结构-过程的相互作用。 本研究将社会认知理论和多层次评估方法引入到成人人格研究中，并通过以下几个方面扩展了现有的研究：（1）使用成人寿命样本;（2）将成人的特质和倾向与他们的个人目标、目标参数和目标取向联系起来;（3）使用心理幸福感的多维度测量（PWB）;（4）采用通径分析方法，考察了特质和目标对工作倦怠各维度的直接和间接影响。本研究以240名成年人为研究对象（青年、中年和老年各80名），具体目的是：（1）考察一级和二级人格变量在成年期的年龄差异。 第一个目标是描述性的，侧重于第一级的年龄差异（即，特征和倾向）和II级（即，个人目标、目标参数、目标取向）变量。 因为大多数关于个人目标的研究都是在大学生中进行的，所以这项研究的结果将为未来关于个人目标在成人人格中的作用的研究提供一个基线。 (2)目的：探讨不同年龄段成年人在目标承诺和目标可达性方面的差异。 据我们所知，没有数据表明不同年龄的成年人在具体目标参数方面是否存在差异，以及如何存在差异，如承诺或可实现性。然而，一些理论认为，目标承诺和可达性的年龄差异模式可能是积极的。 本研究将明确地检验这一假设。(3)研究第一层次和第二层次人格变量之间的关系。 关于目标相关变量和持久的人格特征（如特质）之间的关联，信息很少。 本研究将探讨大五特质，一般自我效能感，乐观，影响和目标相关变量之间的双变量关联。 本研究还检查了双变量关联是否随年龄而显着不同。 (4)检验一级和二级变量对成人PWB的直接和间接影响的模型。 过去的研究仅从双变量相关性的角度研究了特质或目标与PWB之间的关联。 本研究采用路径分析的方法，探讨目标承诺和目标可达性在负性情感、正性情感和效能取向对工作倦怠各维度的影响中的中介作用。

This proposal is submitted in response to RFA PA-99-049 NIA: Pilot Research Grant Program, research objective 22. Personality and Experimental Social Psychology: Personality trait-structure- process interactions. The proposed study incorporates social- cognitive theory and multilevel assessment into research on adults' personality and extends existing research in several ways by: (1) using an adult life span sample; (2) linking adults' traits and dispositions with their personal goals, goal parameters, and goal orientations; (3) using a multidimensional measure of psychological well-being (PWB); and (4) applying path analysis to examine the direct and indirect effects of traits and goals on different dimensions of PWB. Using a sample of 240 adults (80 young, middle-aged, and older adults), the specific aims of this study are: (1) To examine age differences in Level I and Level II personality variables across the adult life span. The first aim is descriptive in nature and focuses on age differences in Level I (i.e., traits and dispositions) and Level II (i.e., personal goals, goal parameters, goal orientations) variables. Because most research on personal goals has been conducted with college students, findings from this study will provide a baseline for future work on the role of personal goals in adult personality. (2) To examine age differences in goal commitment and goal attainability across the adult life span. To our knowledge, no data exist on whether and how adults of different ages differ with regard to specific goal parameters, such as commitment or attainability. Several theories, however, suggest that the pattern of age differences for goal commitment and attainability may be positive. This study will examine this hypothesis explicitly. (3) To examine the associations between Level I and Level II personality variables. Little information exists about the associations between goal-related variables and enduring personality characteristics, such as traits. This study will examine the bivariate associations between the Big Five traits, general self-efficacy, optimism, and affect and goal-related variables. This study also examines whether the bivariate associations differ significantly by age. (4) To test a model examining the direct and indirect effect of Level I and Level II variables on adults' PWB. Past studies have examined the associations between traits or goals and PWB simply in terms of bivariate correlations. This study will use path analysis to examine to what extent the effects of negative affectivity, positive affectivity, and efficacy orientation on different dimensions of PWB are mediated by adults' goal commitment and goal attainability.