Agreeableness and Its Consequences: A Quantitative Review of Meta-Analytic Findings.

Agreeableness impacts people and real-world outcomes. In the most comprehensive quantitative review to date, we summarize results from 142 meta-analyses reporting effects for 275 variables, which represent N > 1.9 million participants from k > 3,900 studies. Arranging variables by their content and type, we use an organizational framework of 16 conceptual categories that presents a detailed account of Agreeableness' external relations. Overall, the trait has effects in a desirable direction for 93% of variables (grand mean ρ¯M=.16). We also review lower order trait evidence for 42 variables from 20 meta-analyses. Using these empirical findings, in tandem with existing theory, we synthesize eight general themes that describe Agreeableness' characteristic functioning across variables: self-transcendence, contentment, relational investment, teamworking, work investment, lower results emphasis, social norm orientation, and social integration. We conclude by discussing potential boundary conditions of findings, contributions and limitations of our review, and future research directions.

COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action.

The impacts of COVID-19 on workers and workplaces across the globe have been dramatic. This broad review of prior research rooted in work and organizational psychology, and related fields, is intended to make sense of the implications for employees, teams, and work organizations. This review and preview of relevant literatures focuses on (a) emergent changes in work practices (e.g., working from home, virtual teamwork) and (b) emergent changes for workers (e.g., social distancing, stress, and unemployment). In addition, potential moderating factors (demographic characteristics, individual differences, and organizational norms) are examined given the likelihood that COVID-19 will generate disparate effects. This broad-scope overview provides an integrative approach for considering the implications of COVID-19 for work, workers, and organizations while also identifying issues for future research and insights to inform solutions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Meta-analytic criterion profile analysis.

Intraindividual patterns or configurations are intuitive explanations for phenomena, and popular in both lay and research contexts. Criterion profile analysis (CPA; Davison & Davenport, 2002) is a well-established, regression-based pattern matching procedure that identifies a pattern of predictors that optimally relate to a criterion of interest and quantifies the strength of that association. Existing CPA methods require individual-level data, limiting opportunities for reanalysis of published work, including research synthesis via meta-analysis and associated corrections for psychometric artifacts. In this article, we develop methods for meta-analytic criterion profile analysis (MACPA), including new methods for estimating cross-validity and fungibility of criterion patterns. We also review key methodological considerations for applying MACPA, including homogeneity of studies in meta-analyses, corrections for statistical artifacts, and second-order sampling error. Finally, we present example applications of MACPA to published meta-analyses from organizational, educational, personality, and clinical psychological literatures. R code implementing these methods is provided in the configural package, available at https://cran.r-project.org/package=configural and at https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/aqmpc. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

A century of research on conscientiousness at work.

Evidence from more than 100 y of research indicates that conscientiousness (C) is the most potent noncognitive construct for occupational performance. However, questions remain about the magnitudes of its effect sizes across occupational variables, its defining characteristics and functions in occupational settings, and potential moderators of its performance relation. Drawing on 92 unique meta-analyses reporting effects for 175 distinct variables, which represent n > 1.1 million participants across k > 2,500 studies, we present the most comprehensive, quantitative review and synthesis of the occupational effects of C available in the literature. Results show C has effects in a desirable direction for 98% of variables and a grand mean of [Formula: see text] (SD = 0.13), indicative of a potent, pervasive influence across occupational variables. Using the top 33% of effect sizes [Formula: see text] we synthesize 10 characteristic themes of C's occupational functioning: 1) motivation for goal-directed performance, 2) preference for more predictable environments, 3) interpersonal responsibility for shared goals, 4) commitment, 5) perseverance, 6) self-regulatory restraint to avoid counterproductivity, and 7) proficient performance-especially for 8) conventional goals, 9) requiring persistence. Finally, we examine C's relation to performance across 8 occupations. Results indicate that occupational complexity moderates this relation. That is, 10) high occupational complexity versus low-to-moderate occupational complexity attenuates the performance effect of C. Altogether, results suggest that goal-directed performance is fundamental to C and that motivational engagement, behavioral restraint, and environmental predictability influence its optimal occupational expression. We conclude by discussing applied and policy implications of our findings.

Extraversion advantages at work: A quantitative review and synthesis of the meta-analytic evidence.

How and to what extent does extraversion relate to work relevant variables across the lifespan? In the most extensive quantitative review to date, we summarize results from 97 published meta-analyses reporting relations of extraversion to 165 distinct work relevant variables, as well as relations of extraversion's lower order traits to 58 variables. We first update all effects using a common set of statistical corrections and, when possible, combine independent estimates using second-order meta-analysis (Schmidt & Oh, 2013). We then organize effects within a framework of four career domains-education, job application, on the job, and career/lifespan-and five conceptual categories: motivations, values, and interests; attitudes and well-being; interpersonal; performance; and counterproductivity. Overall, extraversion shows effects in a desirable direction for 90% of variables (grand mean ρ̄ = .14), indicative of a small, persistent advantage at work. Findings also show areas with more substantial effects (ρ̄ ≥ .20), which we synthesize into four extraversion advantages. These motivational, emotional, interpersonal, and performance advantages offer a concise account of extraversion's relations and a new lens for understanding its effects at work. Our review of the lower order trait evidence reveals diverse relations (e.g., the positive emotions facet has consistently advantageous effects, the sociability facet confers few benefits, the sensation-seeking facet is largely disadvantageous), and extends knowledge about the functioning of extraversion and its advantages. We conclude by discussing potential boundary conditions of findings, contributions and limitations of our review, and new research directions for extraversion at work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Direct and conceptual replications of the taxometric analysis of type a behavior.

We present direct and conceptual replications of the influential taxometric analysis of Type A Behavior (TAB; Strube, 1989), which reported evidence for the latent typology of the construct. Study 1, the direct replication (N = 2,373), duplicated sampling and methodological procedures of the original study, but results showed that the item indicators used in the original study lacked sufficient validity to unambiguously determine latent structure. Using improved factorial subscale indicators to further test the question, multiple taxometric procedures, in combination with parallel analyses of simulated data, failed to replicate the original typological finding. Study 2, the conceptual replication, tested the latent structure of the wider construct of TAB using the sample from the Caerphilly Prospective Study (N = 2,254), which contains responses to the three most widely used self-report measures of TAB: the Jenkins Activity Survey, Bortner scale, and Framingham scale. Factorial subscale indicators were derived from the measures and submitted to multiple taxometric procedures. Results of Study 2 converged with those of Study 1, providing clear evidence of latent dimensional structure. Overall, results suggest there is no evidence for the type in TAB. Findings imply that theoretical models of TAB, assessment practices, and data analytic procedures that assume a typology should be replaced by dimensional models, factorial subscale measures, and corresponding statistical approaches. Specific subscale measures that tap multiple Big Five trait domains, and show evidence of predictive utility, are also recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

A null variant in the apolipoprotein L3 gene is associated with non-diabetic nephropathy.

Background: Inheritance of apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) renal-risk variants in a recessive pattern strongly associates with non-diabetic end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Further evidence supports risk modifiers in APOL1-associated nephropathy; some studies demonstrate that heterozygotes possess excess risk for ESKD or show earlier age at ESKD, relative to those with zero risk alleles. Nearby loci are also associated with ESKD in non-African Americans. Methods: We assessed the role of the APOL3 null allele rs11089781 on risk of non-diabetic ESKD. Four cohorts containing 2781 ESKD cases and 2474 controls were analyzed. Results: Stratifying by APOL1 risk genotype (recessive) and adjusting for African ancestry identified a significant additive association between rs11089781 and ESKD in each stratum and in a meta-analysis [meta-analysis P = 0.0070; odds ratio (OR) = 1.29]; ORs were consistent across APOL1 risk strata. The biological significance of this association is supported by the finding that the APOL3 gene is co-regulated with APOL1, and that APOL3 protein was able to bind to APOL1 protein. Conclusions: Taken together, the genetic and biological data support the concept that other APOL proteins besides APOL1 may also influence the risk of non-diabetic ESKD.

Using Item Response Theory to Develop Measures of Acquisitive and Protective Self-Monitoring From the Original Self-Monitoring Scale.

For the past 40 years, the conventional univariate model of self-monitoring has reigned as the dominant interpretative paradigm in the literature. However, recent findings associated with an alternative bivariate model challenge the conventional paradigm. In this study, item response theory is used to develop measures of the bivariate model of acquisitive and protective self-monitoring using original Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS) items, and data from two large, nonstudent samples ( Ns = 13,563 and 709). Results indicate that the new acquisitive (six-item) and protective (seven-item) self-monitoring scales are reliable, unbiased in terms of gender and age, and demonstrate theoretically consistent relations to measures of personality traits and cognitive ability. Additionally, by virtue of using original SMS items, previously collected responses can be reanalyzed in accordance with the alternative bivariate model. Recommendations for the reanalysis of archival SMS data, as well as directions for future research, are provided.

Self-Monitoring and the Metatraits.

Prior attempts at locating self-monitoring within general taxonomies of personality traits have largely proved unsuccessful. However, past research has typically neglected (a) the bidimensionality of the Self-Monitoring Scale and (b) the hierarchical nature of personality. The objective of this study was to test hypotheses that the two self-monitoring factors are located at the level of the metatraits. Using data from two large multi-informant samples, one community (Sample 1: N = 552, Mage = 51.26, 61% female; NPeers = 1,551, Mage = 48.61, 37% female) and one online (Sample 2: N = 3,726, Mage = 24.89, 59% female; NPeers = 17,868, Mage = 26.23, 64% female), confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results confirmed hypotheses that acquisitive self-monitoring would have a strong positive relation to metatrait Plasticity, whereas protective self-monitoring would have a moderate negative relation to metatrait Stability. In both samples, constraining the correlation between acquisitive self-monitoring and Plasticity to unity did not alter model fit indices, indicating that the two putatively distinct constructs are identical. Findings have wide-ranging implications, including integration of the construct of self-monitoring into the mainstream of personality research, as the latter moves toward the development of broad explanatory theories.

Emergence of an Ancestral Glycoprotein Hormone in the Pituitary of the Sea Lamprey, a Basal Vertebrate.

The gnathostome (jawed vertebrates) classical pituitary glycoprotein hormones, FSH, LH, and TSH, consist of a common α-subunit (GpA1) and unique ß-subunits (Gpß1, -2, and -3), whereas a recently identified pituitary glycoprotein hormone, thyrostimulin, consists of GpA2 and GpB5. This paper reports the identification, expression, and function of an ancestral, nonclassical, pituitary heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone (GpH) consisting of the thyrostimulin A2 subunit with the classical ß-subunit in the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, a jawless basal vertebrate. Lamprey (l) GpA2, and lGpHß were shown to form a heterodimer by coimmunoprecipitation of lGpA2 with FLAG-tagged lGpHß after the overexpression in transiently transfected COS7 cells using a bipromoter vector. Dual-label fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry showed the coexpression of individual subunits in the proximal pars distalis of the pituitary. GnRH-III (1µΜ) significantly increased the expression of lGpHß and lGpA2 in in vitro pituitary culture. Recombinant lamprey GpH was constructed by tethering the N terminal of lGpA2 to the C terminal of lGpHß with a linker region composed of six histidine residues followed by three glycine-serine repeats. This recombinant lamprey GpH activated the lamprey glycoprotein hormone receptor I as measured by increased cAMP/luciferase activity. These data are the first to demonstrate a functional, unique glycoprotein heterodimer that is not found in any other vertebrate. These data suggest an intermediate stage of the structure-function of the gonadotropin/thyroid-stimulating hormone in a basal vertebrate, leading to the emergence of the highly specialized gonadotropin hormones and thyroid stimulating hormones in gnathostomes.

Variation in glucose homeostasis traits associated with P2RX7 polymorphisms in mice and humans.

CONTEXT: Extracellular nucleotide receptors are expressed in pancreatic B-cells. Purinergic signaling via these receptors may regulate pancreatic B-cell function. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that purinergic signaling might influence glucose regulation and sought evidence in human studies of glycemic variation and a mouse model of purinergic signaling dysfunction. DESIGN: In humans, we mined genome-wide meta-analysis data sets to examine purinergic signaling genes for association with glycemic traits and type 2 diabetes. We performed additional testing in two genomic regions (P2RX4/P2RX7 and P2RY1) in a cohort from the Prevalence, Prediction, and Prevention of Diabetes in Botnia (n = 3504), which includes more refined measures of glucose homeostasis. In mice, we generated a congenic model of purinergic signaling dysfunction by crossing the naturally hypomorphic C57BL6 P2rx7 allele onto the 129SvJ background. RESULTS: Variants in five genes were associated with glycemic traits and in three genes with diabetes risk. In the Prevalence, Prediction, and Prevention of Diabetes in Botnia study, the minor allele in the missense functional variant rs1718119 (A348T) in P2RX7 was associated with increased insulin sensitivity and secretion, consistent with its known effect on increased pore function. Both male and female P2x7-C57 mice demonstrated impaired glucose tolerance compared with matched P2x7-129 mice. Insulin tolerance testing showed that P2x7-C57 mice were also less responsive to insulin than P2x7-129 mice. CONCLUSIONS: We show association of the purinergic signaling pathway in general and hypofunctioning P2X7 variants in particular with impaired glucose homeostasis in both mice and humans.

A contemporary taxometric analysis of the latent structure of self-monitoring.

One of the most provocative findings in the personality psychology literature is evidence that the latent structure of self-monitoring is categorical. That is, individuals can be classified as either high or low self-monitors (Gangestad & Snyder, 1985). Surprisingly, in the three decades since its original publication, this study has never been replicated. Using the sample from the original study (N = 1,918) and a replication sample (N = 2,951), the latent structure of self-monitoring was retested using contemporary taxometric procedures. Preliminary analyses indicated that the eight-item indicator set used in the original study lacked sufficient indicator validities for unambiguously detecting latent categorical structure. In addition, the Other-Directedness subscale, one of the three factor analytically derived subscale indicators used in the original investigation, was likewise found to be unsuitable, because of a combination of low validity and relative orthogonality vis-à-vis its fellow subscales. The 2 remaining subscales, Acting and Extraversion, had excellent properties as indicators, and were subsequently subjected to multiple taxometric procedures and consistency tests. Results failed to support the original taxonic claim; to the contrary, multiple comparison curves and a grand mean comparison curve fit index (CCFI) of .214 provided strong, convergent evidence that the latent structure of self-monitoring is dimensional rather than categorical. Dimensional findings indicate that the conventional model of self-monitoring may merit reexamination, and that theoretical models, measurement practices, and data analytic procedures that assume taxonicity should be replaced by dimensional conceptualizations and corresponding statistical procedures. Findings underscore the importance of replication in psychological science.

Innate immunity pathways regulate the nephropathy gene Apolipoprotein L1.

Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) risk variants greatly elevate the risk of kidney disease in African Americans. Here we report a cohort of patients who developed collapsing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis while receiving therapeutic interferon, all of whom carried the APOL1 high-risk genotype. This finding raised the possibility that interferons and the molecular pattern recognition receptors that stimulate interferon production may contribute to APOL1-associated kidney disease. In cell culture, interferons and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists increased APOL1 expression by up to 200-fold, in some cases with the appearance of transcripts not detected under basal conditions. PolyI:C, a double-stranded RNA TLR3 agonist, increased APOL1 expression by upregulating interferons directly or through an interferon-independent, IFN-regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)-dependent pathway. Using pharmacological inhibitors, small hairpin RNA knockdown, and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we found that the interferon-independent TLR3 pathway relied on signaling through TBK1, NF-κB, and Jak kinases, and on binding of IRF1, IRF2, and STAT2 at the APOL1 transcription start site. We also demonstrate that overexpression of the APOL1 risk variants is more injurious to cells than overexpression of the wild-type APOL1 protein. Our study illustrates that antiviral pathways may be important inducers of kidney disease in individuals with the APOL1 high-risk genotype and identifies potential targets for prevention or treatment.

Self-other rating agreement and leader-member exchange (LMX): a quasi-replication.

Data from a sample of 83 elected community leaders and 391 direct-report staff (resulting in 333 useable leader-member dyads) were reanalyzed to test relations between self-other rating agreement of servant leadership and member-reported leader-member exchange (LMX). Polynomial regression analysis indicated that the self-other rating agreement model was not statistically significant. Instead, all of the variance in member-reported LMX was accounted for by the others' ratings component alone.

Self-other rating agreement and leader-member exchange (LMX).

Data from a sample of 83 elected community leaders and 391 direct-report staffers (resulting in 306 useable leader-member dyads) were used to test relations between self-other rating agreement of leadership and member-reported leader-member exchange (LMX). Results of polynomial regression analysis indicated that the self-other rating agreement model was not significantly related to member-reported LMX. Instead, virtually all of the variance in member-reported LMX was accounted for by others' ratings.