Trace MeasuresLearning about people from the things left

in their wake

Sam GoslingDepartment of Psychology

University of Texas, Austin, USA

Goals

• Challenges of collecting trace measures• Ubiquity of traces• Viability of approach

Lindsay GrahamUniv. of Texas

Laura NaumannSonoma State Univ.

Jason RentfrowCambridge Univ.

Jamie PennebakerUniv. of Texas

Simine VazireWashington Univ.

Matthias MehlUniv. of Arizona

Domains in which personality could be expressed

LOWCONTROL

HIGHCONTROL

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

WebsitesAttractiveness

Dorm rooms

Office spaceNationality

Language style

Injuries

Dreams

Passwords

Underwear

Journal

Wallet

Books

Thoughts

Writing

Movie prefs

Sleep

Social life

Food prefs

Music prefs

Residence

Profession

Handshake Sports prefs

Language content

Appearance

FriendsCar

Bumper stickerEmail signature

Ans. Mach. messageGeographic location

Physical environments: Offices and bedrooms

Virtual environments: websites, Facebook, & Foursquare

Aural environments: Music

Trace MeasuresPros• Nonreactive• New populations• Often aggregates behavior• Can be hard to fake (because it’s real)

Cons• Not all contexts contain traces• Not all traits leave traces (A vs. O)• It’s hard!

It’s Hard…

1.Identify likely traces to match construct2.Must measure those traces reliably3.Must combine them into an index

Personal Living Space Cue Inventory(PLSCI)

725 Individual Cues

WALLS, FLOORS, ETC.

FURNITURE.

POSTERS/ART.

OTHER THIINGS ON WALLS.

BOOKS MAGAZINES

COOKING STUFF

BEAUTY PRODUCTS

CLOTHING.

MUSIC

STATIONERY

ELECTRONICSOTHER…

Act Frequency Approach (AFA)(Buss & Craik, 1983)

GREGARIOUSNESS• He (she) took the initiative when meeting neighbors for the first time.• He (she) introduced him/herself to new co-workers without hesitation.• He (she) threw a surprise party for a friend.• He (she) made people in a crowded elevator laugh and smile.

ALOOFNESS• He (she) displayed no emotion when meeting the long lost friend at the airport• He (she) hid in the bedroom when the others came over to visit.• When spoken to, he (she) seemed to feign not hearing and walked quickly away in the other direction.• He (she) avoided her (his) love-struck gaze and walked with his (her) nose in the air.

Riverside Behavioral Q-sort (RBQ)(Funder, Furr, & Colvin, 2000)

Behavior at “Psychologically Meaningful” level

• Tries to control the interaction• Dominates the interaction• Is reserved and unexpressive• Laughs frequently• Shows high enthusiasm and a high energy level• Behaves in a fearful or time manner

PLSCI725 Individual Cues 42 Global attributes

Undecorated Vs. DecoratedGloomy Vs. CheerfulDrab Vs. ColorfulDirty Vs. CleanMessy Vs. NeatUncluttered Vs. ClutteredEmpty Vs. FullCramped Vs. RoomyCheap Vs. ExpensiveRepelling Vs. InvitingOrdinary Vs. DistinctiveUnstylish Vs. StylishStuffy Vs. Drafty

Varied books

Distinctive

Varied magazines

Many CDs

Multi-purpose

Decorated

Many books

Varied CDs

.36

.44

.48

.27

Ope

nnes

s

Openness to Experience

Judg

e-R

epor

ted

Ope

nnes

s

.35

.33

.23

.34

.39

.31

.50

r = .79

Uncluttered

Well-organized

Neat

Organized clothing

Relatively empty

Organized CDs

Organized books

Organized stationery

Clean

Inviting

Comfortable

Good condition

Cheerful

Colorful

Not much stationery

Conscientiousness

r = .81

Judg

e-R

epor

ted

Con

scie

ntio

usne

ss

.30

.46

.42

.57

.64

.62

.61

.50

.58

.47

.29

.36

.75

.56

.70

Con

scie

ntio

usne

ss

.27

.27

.27

.29

.36

.32

.27

But not all traits are expressed in spaces

Cheerful

Colorful

Inviting

Neat

Clean

Good condition

Well-organized

Organized CDs

Organized stationery

Few clothes

Agreeableness

Agr

eeab

lene

ss

r = -.22

Judg

e-R

epor

ted

Agr

eeab

lene

ss

.39

.43

.26

.26

.36

.33

.37

.52

.66

.51