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Personality Variables Predict Strength‐Related Attitude Dimensions Across Objects
Author(s) -
Britt Thomas W.,
Millard Matthew R.,
Sundareswaran Preetha T.,
Moore DeWayne
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00567.x
Subject(s) - psychology , certainty , personality , social psychology , affect (linguistics) , relevance (law) , variance (accounting) , bivariate analysis , dimension (graph theory) , cognitive psychology , statistics , communication , mathematics , geometry , accounting , political science , pure mathematics , law , business
We examined personality predictors of different attitude strength‐related dimensions across objects. Participants responded to questions regarding 11 attitude objects that assessed the overall evaluation of the object and the strength‐related dimensions of importance, certainty, and relevance. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a 4‐factor solution underlying the self‐report and extremity dimensions across the 11 attitude objects, with importance and relevance and certainty and extremity loading on 2 second‐order factors. The need to evaluate, need for affect, sense of coherence, dogmatism, and personal fear of invalidity were all related at the bivariate level to at least one strength‐related dimension. The need to evaluate and the need for affect independently predicted variance in certainty/extremity across the attitude objects and sense of coherence and dogmatism predicted unique variance in importance/relevance across objects. Discussion focuses on the possible processes by which personality variables predict strength‐related dimensions across objects.