NEO-PI-R

The test was developed by Paul T. Costa, Jr. and Robert R. McCrae for use with adult (17+) men and women without overt psychopathology.

The original version of the measurement, published in 1978, was the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Inventory (NEO-I).

This version only measured three of the Big Five personality traits. It was later revised in 1985 to include all five traits and renamed the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI).

In this version, "NEO" was now considered part of the name of the test and was no longer an acronym.

This naming convention continued with the third version, the NEO PI-R, published in 1990.

The NEO-PI-3, an update to the NEO Inventory, was published in 2005.

A mnemonic device for the five primary factors is the acronym "OCEAN," or alternatively "CANOE".

The short version, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), has 60 items (12 items per domain).

The NEO PI-R and NEO-FFI were updated in 2010 in a manual called the NEO Inventories for the NEO Personality Inventory-3, NEO Five-Factor Model 3, and NEO Personality Inventory-Revised.

While the NEO PI-R is still being published, the NEO-PI-3 and NEO-FFI-3 feature updated normative data and new forms.

NEO-PI-R

Based on Big Five personality dimensions

Rationally and factor analytically derived

Newest of the major personality inventories

Very popular with researchersComposed of 5 domains, each with 6

facetsEasy to administer and score

The Big Five Neuroticism

Anxiety, Angry Hostility, Depression, Self-Consciousness, Impulsiveness, Vulnerability

Extraversion Warmth, Gregariousness, Assertiveness, Activity, Excitement-Seeking, Positive

Emotions

Openness Fantasy, Aesthetics, Feelings, Actions, Ideas, Values

Agreeableness Trust, Straightforwardness, Altruism, Compliance, Modesty, Tender-Mindedness

Conscientiousness Competence, Order, Dutifulness, Achievement Striving, Self-Discipline, Deliberation

AREA OF APPLICATION

The NEO PI-R has applications in occupational assessment for selection and development

vocational guidancecounseling research

FormsIn the most recent publication, there are two

forms for the NEO, one for self report (form S) and one for observer rating (form R).

Both forms consist of 240 items (descriptions of behavior) answered on a five point scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree".

Finally, there is a 60-item assessment of domains only called the "NEO FFI." There are paper and computer versions of all forms available.

AdministrationCosta and McCrae report that the assessment should not

be evaluated if there are more than 40 items missing. They also state that despite the fact that the assessment

is "balanced" to control for the effects of acquiescence and nay-saying, that if more than 150 responses, or less than 50 responses, are "agree" or "strongly agree," the results should be interpreted with caution.

Scores can be reported to most test takers on "Your NEO Summary," which provides a brief explanation of the assessment, and gives the participants’ domain levels and a strengths-based description of three levels (high, medium, and low) in each domain.

For example, low N reads "Secure, hardy, and generally relaxed even under stressful conditions," whereas high N reads "Sensitive, emotional, and prone to experience feelings that are upsetting." For profile interpretation, facet and domain scores are reported in T Scores and are recorded visually as compared to the appropriate norm group, much like other measures of personality.

DURATION

Test form- standardNo. of items- 243Time taken- 35 min

Psychometric propertiesThe psychometric properties reported below relate

to the UK adaptation of the NEO PI-R.Reliability

Item analysis, (Cronbach’s Alpha) and factor analysis were carried out on a sample of 609 respondents in the UK Anglicization study. The UK results show close alignment with those from the US. The domain scales show internal reliabilities which range from .87 to .92. Facet scales show internal reliabilities ranging from .58 to .82.

Test retest reliabilities are all above .75Validity

Validity data is extensive; for a full account the reader is referred to the Professional Manual (US edition), and reference lists are available from the publishers. 

Characteristics of NEO-PI-RN1 AnxietyN2 Angry HostilityN3 DepressionN4 Self-ConsciousnessN5 ImpulsivenessN6 VulnerabilityE1 WarmthE2 GregariousnessE3 AssertivenessE4 ActivityE5 Excitement SeekingE6 Positive EmotionsO1 Openness to FantasyO2 Openness to AestheticsO3 Openness to FeelingsO4 Openness to ActionsO5 Openness to IdeasO6 Openness to Values

A1 TrustA2 StraightforwardnessA3 AltruismA4 ComplianceA5 ModestyA6 Tender-MindednessC1 CompetenceC2 OrderC3 DutifulnessC4 Achievement StrivingC5 Self-DisciplineC6 DeliberationN Neuroticism     E Extraversion     O Openness to Experience     A Agreeableness     C Conscientiousness

Norms

Sample profile sheet

NEO-PI-R Interpretation: Some Combinations

Emotional style: N & EInterpersonal style: E & AVocational interests: E & OAttitudes: O & AAcademics: O & CCharacter: A & C

NEO-PI-R and Personality Disorders

N E O A C

ParanoidH L L L -

Antisocial- H - L L

BorderlineH H - L L

Dependent H L - H -

References Lord, Wendy (2007). NEO PI-R - A Guide to

Interpretation and Feedback in a Work Context. Hogrefe Ltd, Oxford.

B. Bell, C. L. Rose, & A. Damon (1972). "The normative aging study: An interdisciplinary and longitudinal study of health and aging". Aging & Human Development.

 McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T., Jr., (2010). NEO Inventories: Professional manual. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.

Church, A. T.; Katigbak, M. S. (2002). "Indigenization of psychology in the Philippines".International Journal of Psychology