Short measurements of personality – Validity and reliability of the GSOEP Big Five Inventory (BFI-S)

In the last decade, an upward trend in the use of short measurements for personality can be observed. The goal of this study was to explore the psychometric characteristics of the GSOEP Big Five Inventory (BFI-S; Gerlitz & Schupp, 2005), a 15-item instrument. We compared the BFI-S with the NEO-PI-R (Costa and McCrae, 1992a and Costa and McCrae, 1992b) in a sample of 598 German adults (mean age = 42 years). Despite shortcomings for Agreeableness, the short scales generally showed acceptable levels of: (1) internal consistency, (2) stability over a period of 18 months, (3) convergent validity in relation to the NEO-PI-R and (4) discriminant validity. We conclude that in research settings with a pronounced need for parsimony, the BFI-S offers a sufficient level of utility.

► Researchers are often confronted with the requirement to use very brief scales.
► We examine the psychometric characteristics of the SOEP Big Five Inventory (BFI-S).
► We compare the BFI-S scales with the dimensions and facets of the NEO-PI-R.
► Results indicate that the BFI-S shows acceptable levels of reliability and validity.
► The BFI-S scales capture the Big Five personality domains reasonably well.