Purpose of the Questionnaire

The questionnaire was created in order to investigate personality traits. It is used in personnel selection and evaluation as well as in career counseling.

Questionnaire Analysis

It is an evolution of the fourth edition of the 16PF, one of the few scientific tests worldwide for measuring personality traits. The fifth edition of the 16PF includes 185 items, which cover the 16 primary personality factor scales, as well as 5 secondary factors that result from a factor analysis of the primary scales of the questionnaire. New control indices have been applied for the assessment of biased responses. An Impression Management (IM) index, consisting of items not included in the 16 primary personality factors, has replaced the faking good and faking bad scales of the fourth edition. The fifth edition also includes an acquiescence (ACQ) scale, which measures individuals’ tendency to choose the answer “true” regardless of the question, and an infrequency (INF) scale.

Scoring of Questions

The scoring of personality questions is no longer based on validity indices. Although remaining faithful to the original goals of the 16PF, the fifth edition presents improvements in the phrasing of questions, the response scale, and provides a clearer definition of psychometric properties.

Sample

Norms exist for the Greek population. It should be noted that the norms are distinct for children and adults, as well as for men and women.

Statistical Analysis

The questionnaire can be scored by computer using IPAT software. Once the results are scanned into the specialized software, the raw scores are converted into stens, and then a diagram and a report of the examinee’s personality profile are generated. The fifth edition can also be scored manually, using a series of keys.

Validity

Correlations have been made between the 16PF – 5th edition and other tests, showing that it correlates with the 16PF – 4th edition (r=0.31 to r=0.81) as well as with the PRF (Personality Research Form), CPI (California Psychological Inventory), NEO PI-R (NEO Personality Inventory Revised), and MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), where many factors of these tests are correlated with the secondary factors of the 16PF. In addition, Factor B of the 16PF (abstract reasoning ability) correlates with the Information Inventory (r=0.61) and with Scale 2 of the CFIT (Culture Fair Intelligence Test). Finally, with regard to criterion validity and predictive ability, the questionnaire has been found to correlate with measures of self-esteem, adjustment, social skills, creative leadership potential, and empathy.

Reliability of the Questionnaire

Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) is on average 0.75, while test-retest reliability is 0.82 for a two-week interval and 0.73 for a two-month interval.

Main References

Adcock, C. J. (1959). A review of the 16PF Questionnaire. In O. K. Buros (Ed.), The fifth mental measurements yearbook. Highland Park, NJ: Gryphon Press.
Cattell, H. B. (1989). The 16PF: Personality in depth. Champaign, IL: PAT.
Cattell, H. B., Eber, H. W., & Tatsuoka, M. M. (1970). Handbook of the 16PF. Champaign, IL: PAT.
IPAT Staff (1979). Administrator’s Manual for the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF). Champaign, IL: IPAT.

Keywords:
Questionnaire, assessment, test, scale, statistical analysis, validity.