Item context effects on Big Five personality measures

The most widely used personality questionnaires are based on the trait paradigm, which implies relatively stable behavioural and emotional patterns. This assumption, however, has often been criticized and empirically called into question. For example, recent research has shown that trait questionnaires and aggregated momentary assessments of personality are highly related, but do not show convergence (Augustine & Larsen, 2012). Therefore evidence exists that general self-report personality questionnaires capture different aspects of one’s personality, depending on various measurement circumstances. Previous research (e.g., Gordon & Holden, 1996, 1998) has also shown that individuals use different strategies for answering items in personality questionnaires. These strategies may be affected implicitly and/or explicitly by test instructions and questionnaire form. They affect individual personality trait scores and the measurement properties of the questionnaire. One of these influences can also be contextual or situational cues, i.e., the frame-of-reference effect. The well-known trait vs. situation debate, which highlights the question whether stable factors or situational ones