Implicit simplicity at low acquaintanceship: Evidence for a g-factor of personality in personality judgments

Beer and Watson (2008) inferred from high Big Five intercorrelations among other-ratings that people judge strangers on simplified trait structures (implicit simplicity). The present article investigates IS structures (big-one vs. big-two vs. hierarchical) at low acquaintanceship in a naturalistic classroom-setting with structural equation modeling. 24 six-person groups solved tasks and provided other- and self-ratings on the Big Five (TIPI-r; Denissen et al., 2008). Results indicate that people’s other-perceptions resemble the g-factor of personality. Future lines of research are delineated.