Openness to Experience: its lower level structure, measurement, and cross-cultural equivalence

J Pers Assess. 2014;96(1):29-45. doi: 10.1080/00223891.2013.806328. Epub 2013 Jun 24.

Abstract

Openness to Experience is an important but relatively poorly understood personality construct. Advances in openness research require further construct clarification as well as establishment of a common framework for conceptualizing and measuring the lower level structure of the construct. In this article, we present data from 3 studies to address this research need. In Study 1, we identify 6 facets of Openness to Experience--intellectual efficiency, ingenuity, curiosity, aesthetics, tolerance, and depth--based on a factor analysis of 36 existing Openness-related scales. In Study 2, we present further validity evidence for the 6-facet structure based on a newly developed measure of Openness. Data from this study also suggest the presence of 2 intermediate-level factors (i.e., aspects) of Openness: intellect and culture. In Study 3, we present a short form of the newly developed measure, retaining items that showed the highest internal consistency and measurement invariance across 3 samples: U.S. undergraduates, Chinese MBA students, and Chinese undergraduates. Together these 3 studies offer a more nuanced understanding of the multifaceted nature of the Openness construct.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • China
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Culture*
  • Exploratory Behavior*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intelligence*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Personality Inventory
  • Personality*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States
  • Young Adult