Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ)

Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Borgogni, L., & Perugini, M. (1993). The "big five questionnaire:" A new questionnaire to assess the five factor model. Personality and Individual Differences, 15(3), 281-288. doi: 10.1016/0191-8869(93)90218-R


Table of Contents

Description

History of Use

References

Description:

Purpose
The BFQ was designed to assess the constellation of traits defined by the Five Factor Theory of Personality.
  • Openness is characterized by originality, curiosity, and ingenuity.
    • This factor is sometimes referred to as Culture because of its emphasis on intellectualism, polish, and independence of mind.
    • This factor is also sometimes referred to as Intellect because of its emphasis on intelligence, sophistication, and reflection.
  • Conscientiousness is characterized by orderliness, responsibility, and dependability.
    • This factor is sometimes referred to as Dependability.
  • Extraversion is characterized by talkativeness, assertiveness, and energy.
    • This factor is sometimes referred to as Surgency or Energy.
  • Agreeableness is characterized by good-naturedness, cooperativeness, and trust.
    • While this factor is most commonly called Agreeableness, it can also be seen as a combination of friendliness and compliance.
  • Neuroticism is characterized by upsetability and is the polar opposite of emotional stability.
    • This factor is sometimes scored in the opposite direction and referred to as Emotional Stability.
This description of the Big Five is drawn from Digman (1990), Goldberg (1992), and John & Srivastava (1999). The factor structure used by the BFQ is described below under sub-scales.
Questions
132 items using 5-point ratings (1 = very false for me to 5 = very true for me)
Sub-scales
5 sub-scales:
  • Openness
    • Openness to culture
    • Openness to experience
  • Conscientiousness
    • Scrupulousness
    • Perseverance
  • Energy
    • Dynamism
    • Dominance
  • Friendliness
    • Cooperativeness
    • Politeness
  • Emotional Stability
    • Emotion control
    • Impulse control
  • Lie
Domain

Psychometrics

Sample items
  • I'm fascinated by novelties. (O)
  • I always pursue the decisions I've made through to the end. (C)
  • I am an active and vigorous person. (E)
  • I hold that there's something good in everyone. (F)
  • Usually I don't lose my calm. (ES)
  • I've never told a lie. (L)

History of Use:

Under-Construction-mini.gif

References:

Scale:
Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Borgogni, L., & Perugini, M. (1993). The "big five questionnaire:" A new questionnaire to assess the five factor model. Personality and Individual Differences, 15(3), 281-288. doi: 10.1016/0191-8869(93)90218-R
For more information on the Big 5 and their measurement, see:
Digman, J. M. (1990). Personality structure: Emergence of the five-factor model. Annual Review of Psychology, 41, 417-440. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ps.41.020190.002221
Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative “description of personality”: The Big-Five factor structure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(6), 1216-1229. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.59.6.1216
Goldberg, L. R. (1992). The development of markers for the Big-Five factor structure. Psychological Assessment, 4(1), 26-42. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.4.1.26
John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives. In L. A. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 102-138). New York: Guilford.
McCrae, R. R., & John, O. P. (1992). An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. Journal of Personality, 60(2), 175-215. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1992.tb00970.x
Uses:
  • Martos, T., Thege, B. K., & Steger, M. F. (2010). It's not only what you hold, it's how you hold it: Dimensions of religiosity and meaning in life. [Article]. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(8), 863-868. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.07.017
  • Vecchione, M., & Caprara, G. V. (2009). Personality determinants of political participation: The contribution of traits and self-efficacy beliefs. [Article]. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(4), 487-492. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2008.11.021