Social-Personality Division

Dr. Roberts's primary line of research is dedicated to understanding the patterns of continuity and change in personality across the decades of adulthood and the mechanisms that affect these patterns. Dr. Roberts has a second line of research on personality assessment. This research line includes studies focusing on the meaning and scope of the trait of conscientiousness and the relationship between conscientiousness and the health process, the utility of contextualized assessments of personality, and the use of IRT in personality assessment.

Representative Publications:

• Harms, P. D., Roberts, B. W., & Winter, D. (2006). Becoming the Harvard man: Person-environment fit, personality development, and academic success. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 851-865.
• Wood, D., & Roberts, B. W. (2006). Cross-sectional and longitudinal tests of the personality and role identity structural model (PRISM). Journal of Personality, 74, 779- 809.
• Roberts, B. W., Walton, K. & Viechtbauer, W. (2006). Patterns of mean-Level change in personality traits across the life course: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 1-25.Psychological Bulletin.
• Roberts, B. W., Chernyshenko, O., Stark, S. & Goldberg, L. (2005). The structure of conscientiousness: An empirical investigation based on seven major personality questionnaires. Personnel Psychology, 58, 103-139.
• Roberts, B. W., Walton, K., & Bogg, T. (2005). Conscientiousness and health across the life course. Review of General Psychology, 9, 156-168.

Classes Recently Taught:

• Psychology 250 Laboratory in Personality
• Psychology 567 Personality Assessment
• Psychology 541 Personality and Behavioral Dynamics