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Psychological measurement and theories face a constant proliferation of allegedly new constructs and scales, leading to numerous semantic overlaps between these. Additionally, common-method variance can be responsible for construct overlap, which itself can be influenced by respondents' affectivity and mood. The construct of mindfulness may also be affected by such phenomena, as its boundaries are not yet clearly defined and because it shows noticeable conceptual overlap with other constructs, like the Big Five, emotion regulation, or mental health. This study examined semantic and sentiment similarities between widely used scales assessing mindfulness (FFMQ, FFMQ-S, KIMS, MAAS), the Big Five (NEO-PI-R, NEO-FFI, BFI), emotion regulation (ERQ, CERQ, PANRS), and mental health (SCL-90, BSI-53, BSI-18, STAI, PANAS, BDI-2, PSS, PSWQ). Construct overlap was assessed via latent semantic analysis, sentiment analysis, and a qualitative content analysis. Mindfulness scales showed high construct overlap among each other (semantic and sentiment similarity: 0.93 and 0.63) and the Big Five (0.85 and 0.64), as well as substantial construct overlap with emotion regulation (0.84 and 0.51) and mental health scales (0.74 and 0.42). These findings suggest that semantic and sentiment similarities contribute to the high correlations of mindfulness measures with these other measures observed in extant research. • Mindfulness shows conceptual overlap with other constructs. • Semantic and sentiment similarities of item content may be responsible for this. • Similarities are high with Big Five, emotion regulation, and mental health scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two studies examined beliefs about the personality of male butchers and hunters and the factuality of such beliefs. These professions’ daily routines involve killing animals and handling their carcasses, acts that could be facilitated by specific personality constellations. Study 1 (102 raters) evidenced perceptions of higher aggressiveness and masculinity of butchers/hunters and higher self-esteem (hunters only), as compared with average men. In contrast, Study 2 found little evidence for the factuality of such beliefs, based on multi-method personality assessments in a case-control design of 96 men (23 and 25 dyads including one butcher or hunter, matched with same-generation, other-occupation friends or relatives). Only implicit, but not explicit, aggressiveness (measured with an Implicit Association Test) was higher in butchers/hunters than in controls. Both masculinity (whether measured unobtrusively [digit ratio, 2D:4D] or explicitly) and self-esteem (whether measured implicitly [name-letter effect] or explicitly) were comparable for butchers/hunters and controls. Lower self-reported conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness in butchers/hunters than controls were not generalizable to informant reports of these Big Five dimensions. Discussion focuses on the merits of utilizing belief-factuality contrasts, controlled designs, and multi-method assessments in personality research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispositional mindfulness (i.e., its trait-like and universal component) and the Big Five personality dimensions empirically overlap on both the aggregate and facet levels. This overlap is strongest for neuroticism and conscientiousness, two major correlates of mental health. Associations of dispositional mindfulness with mental health could thus be due to underlying personality configurations. We investigated the latent structure and the incremental validity of dispositional mindfulness and the Big Five in accounting for mental health (perceived stress, anxiety, depression) in a community sample of N = 430 adults. Facets of dispositional mindfulness and the Big Five (using aggregate-level measures for openness, extraversion, and agreeableness) shared a common latent structure, which successfully recovered the Big Five. The incremental validity of mindfulness facets for mental health was small and negligible, only increasing in analyses of manifest (vs. latent) scores and when using aggregate (vs. facet-level) measures of neuroticism and conscientiousness. Predictor commonality and dominance analyses corroborated that the concurrent validity of dispositional mindfulness for mental health largely is qualified by personality dimensions. Emphasized are definitional overlaps of personality and dispositional mindfulness, and present-moment awareness as a possibly unique feature of dispositional mindfulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined associations between attitudes toward human rights and civil liberties (HR-CL) and a range of ideological, personality, and individual difference traits. A total of 474 German-speaking participants completed measures of attitudes toward HR-CL, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), Big Five personality traits, conspiracist ideation, and political cynicism. Preliminary analyses showed no significant sex differences on attitudes toward HR-CL. When these predictors were entered into a multiple regression, the only significant predictors were RWA, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness-Intellect. Further analyses showed that the relationship between Openness-Intellect and attitudes toward HR-CL was mediated by RWA. These results are discussed in relation to intervention programmes aimed at promoting more egalitarian HR-CL attitudes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There currently exists a dearth of research on the transmission and assimilation of myths. To overcome this limitation, we developed a novel scale that measures belief in science-related myths. A total of 363 participants completed this new scale along with measures of personality (the Big Five factors), anti-scientific attitudes, and New Age orientation. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the items of the belief in myths scale could be reduced to two factors concerning human-related and non-human-related myths. Both factors were internally reliable, were moderately inter-correlated, and were not rated significantly differently by women and men (although human-related myths were rated as significantly more believable than non-human-related myths). Further analysis showed that only human myths were significantly predicted by anti-scientific attitudes and the Big Five factor of Extraversion. These results are discussed in relation to the promotion of scientific literacy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Previous studies that have examined the association between aesthetic preferences and individual difference variables have relied on static artistic compositions. In contrast, the present study examined the individual difference antecedents of preferences for surrealist motion pictures. A total of 240 participants rated ten clips of surrealist film for liking and familiarity, and completed measures of the Big Five personality factors, sensation seeking, and ambiguity tolerance. Results of a multiple regression showed that, controlling for familiarity, greater preference for surrealist motion pictures was significantly associated with higher Openness to Experience, greater sensation seeking, and greater ambiguity tolerance. Limitations of the current study are highlighted and results are discussed in relation to previous work on aesthetic preferences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]