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The Moderating Effect of Situation Strength on the Relationship Between Personality and Provision of Effort 1
Author(s) -
Withey Michael J.,
Gellatly Ian R.,
Annett Michael
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2005.tb02186.x
Subject(s) - conscientiousness , agreeableness , psychology , openness to experience , personality , social psychology , extraversion and introversion , hierarchical structure of the big five , big five personality traits
In this research, we examine whether effort‐allocation decisions are influenced by the strength of the situation, the personality characteristics of the people involved, and the interaction between these factors. Two role‐playing scenarios were created using contextual information (e.g., availability of suitable alternatives) that varied in situation strength. We measured the Big Five personality factors (emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) of 418 students prior to the role‐playing task and assessed effort‐provision decisions after they were exposed to one of the role‐playing scenarios. As predicted, our results showed that the effect of personality on provision of effort depended on the strength of the situation. The implications for personality research are discussed.