What dimensions do young children's trait concepts have for peers?

Abstract

This study investigated what dimensions young children's trait concepts have for real peers at their nursery school. Teachers of nursery school rated children's personality characteristics in terms of each dimension of the Big Five, and children were selected who showed different behavioral characteristics in those the five dimensions. Five- and six-year-old children (26 participants: 14 boys and 12 girls) evaluated those selected peers' personality. It was found that young children made different evaluations between extroversion and the other four traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and intellect), and between agreeableness and intellect. The results suggested that young children's trait concepts have a dimension of extroversion, in addition to a general dimension of goodness-badness.