Research and Development

1. Development

Development of the Personality Section began with the identification of items for every dimension of personality that could be imagined and then by administering an inventory of those items through several iterations to large samples. The resulting factor analysis consistently revealed the presence of six major personality trait dimensions. The six traits are Authoritative, Outgoing, Compassionate, Conscientious, Adventurous, and Creative. Names for the overall dimensions were based on the general thrust of the items in the dimensions. Next, adjectives were chosen to describe both ends of the dimension. Dimensions comprise a continuum of behaviors. For instance, Compliant - mid-range - Authoritative, or Reserved - mid-range - Outgoing. Individual scores are shown at points on this continuum, based on their scores compared to the norm or the standard of the population that was measured.

2. Design Process

Both a rational approach and a principal component factor analytic approach were used to develop the inventory.
Traits of personality dimensions were developed from the sample subjects' responses using statistical analyses. These included principal components factor analyses, with rotated varimax factors. These analyses grouped the words by the major traits that resulted.
Subtraits for each main trait were developed, yielding a total of sixteen subtraits within the six personality traits.

3. Scoring

Raw scores for each trait (six personality) and subtrait (sixteen, two or three for each factor) are the sum of the numerical responses marked for each word of the factor (a five-word factor with all "5's", "very much like me" responses has a raw score of twenty-five; all "1's", "not like me" responses results in a raw score of five).
Standardized "T" scores were derived from the raw scores of the standardization sample for adults and youth (see final sample described above in "Samples"). The conversion formula for "T" standard scores is: T score = ((x-m)/ s)(S) + M, where x = raw score, m = sample mean, s = sample standard deviation, S = Standard t-score deviation of 10 and M = standard t-score mean of 50.
Standardized scores ensure that all scores are on the same scale of reference and therefore can be meaningfully compared and contrasted. Standardized T-scores put all scores on a scale where the mean or midpoint is 50 and almost all scores fall between 20 and 80.
Within the scoring program, T-score conversion tables for adults and youth exist for each trait and sub-trait for converting raw scores to standardized T-scores.

4. Scales

Using a T-score scale, low scores of below 20 were rounded up to 20 and high scores above 80 were rounded down to 80, making twenty the lowest possible score and 80 the highest. Fifty is the mean and the standard deviation is 10. One standard deviation above is 60, and one standard deviation below is 40.
The report sets the cutoff points for low and high at 45 and 55, respectively (½ standard deviation).
Low scores are 44 and below, mid-range are 45 to 55, and high are 56 and above.
These categories place approximately one-third of the scores in the low category, one-third in the mid-range, and one-third in the high range.
In a scaling update, we moved away from the words "low and high" and updated our scoring to reflect double "highs" to the right AND the left by denoting a +30 (left) to 0 (mid) to +30 (right), remaining congruent with the t-scale scoring range. This more accurately reflects the meaning of the scales in both directions.

5. Report Sections

Personality Highlights. The report begins with the personality highlights based on the six personality trait pairs (Unstructured/Conscientious, Factual/Compassionate, Reserved/Outgoing, Careful/Adventurous, Traditional/Creative, and Cooperative/Authoritative). The report begins with the trait on which an individual had the most extreme score, i.e., the greatest distance from 0. Therefore, the dimension reported on should be the one that most impacts the person's behavior. For example, an item could be a high if it scored 28 points to the left of the mid-range of 0. Alternatively, an item could be a high if it scored at 28 points to the right of the mid-range of 0.
Strengths & Struggles. These are generated from the sixteen subtraits that relate to the six personality trait pairs. The typical struggles section which follows is also derived from the sixteen subtraits. A strength and corresponding struggle sentence is generated for each subtrait for which there is a high or low score. There are no statements in the strengths and struggle section for a subtrait if an individual's score is in the mid-range section of a subtrait. Therefore, if a client has a lot of balanced subtraits, they will have a lower number of strengths and struggles listed in the report.
Personality Implications. The personality implications section is generated from the six major personality trait pairs, not the subtraits. Appropriate personlity implications descriptions are determined by low, mid-range, or high scores on the traits.

1. Format/Design

Updates were made in 2024, so that Activities section consists of 65 phrases, the Educational Subjects consists of 32 areas, and the Occupations section consists of 58 job titles. These sections are self-rated on a scale: "Not Like Me" to "Very Much Like Me".
The Abilities/Skills section consists of 85 phrases which are self-rated on a scale: "Not Like Me" to "Very Much Like Me". Terminology for Skill names were updated in 2024.
The Surroundings (living/work environment) -12 items, Results (outcomes of life/work) - 8 items, and Life Purpose (the "why" of life/work) - 9 items. Each Priority section is prioritized and rank ordered. The Priorities section was updated in 2024, keeping the same number of values in each section, but with more relevant terminology.

2. Scores & Scales

Raw scores for each factor (26 activities, 28 occupations, 32 subjects, 15 skills/abilities, are the sum of the numerical responses marked for each item of the factor. For example, a five-word factor with all "5's", (very much like me) has a raw score of twenty-five; all "1's", (not at all like me) results in a raw score of five).
Average scores for each factor are derived by dividing the raw score by the number of items in a factor. This yields an average of the item responses which is then converted to a 0 - 100 -scale with 1 = 20, 3 = 50, and 5 = 100. Scale updates were made in 2015 to move from a 20-80 scale to a 1-100 scale.
Scores on a 0 - 100 - scale ensure that all factor scores are presented on the same scale of reference and therefore can be meaningfully compared and contrasted. Scoring updates were made in 2015 to move from a 20-80 scale to a 1-100 scale.

Crown Career & YES! Resources Research & Development Team

BETTE NOBLE Senior Research and Development Consultant. Ph.D. course work in Applied Psychology and Business Management; Industrial and Organizational Psychology, B.S. Mathematics and Psychology. Twenty-two years counseling/ management experience and twenty years' experience in psychometric research and development of career testing materials.

GARNETT STOKES Former Lead Research and Test Development Consultant. Ph.D. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, former Professor of Applied Psychology, former Psychology Department Head, former Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, Provost, two major research universities, Licensed Industrial Psychologist. Thirty-five years of research and applied experience in test development and validation, career choice, and selection.

DAVE FRAKES Former Crown Career Resources Manager. M.A. Communications, B.A. Classics. Twenty-one years' experience in government personnel administration, management, and training. Former career counselor. Six years in development of career consulting network and career guidance products. College instructor in communications and technology.

BRIDGET BOYLE Former Research Associate. Ph.D. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, B.S. Psychology, and course work in selection and staffing, psychometrics, and research methodology. Research analyst for national occupational archive system.

LEE ELLIS Former Director of Life Pathways. M.S. Counseling and Human Development, B.A. History. Seventeen years' experience as a guidance counselor for college students and adults, co-author of three books on career planning, and author of book on team building. Nine years' experience in psychometric research and development of career guidance testing materials.

JACK GIBBS Former Vice President of Life Pathways. B.B.A. Sales Engineering. Background in advertising as well as Vice President and Account Manager of a nationwide personnel recruiting firm. Former board member for several national non-profit organizations. Four years' experience in development of CD-ROM career guidance system plus a new youth survey.

CHERYL TOTH Former Test Development Consultant. Ph.D. in Applied Psychology, M.A. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, B.A. Psychology. Performance Consultant for a large international corporation.

ROBIN HENAGER, Ph.D., M.B.A An award-winning researcher, serving as Assistant Dean, Honors Faculty Fellow, and Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at Whitworth University's School of Business. Past-President of the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI).