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Nonverbal Decoding on Facebook: Applying the IPT-15 and the SSI to Personality Judgments

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Abstract

This study uses the lens model paradigm to explore whether two interpersonal sensitivity tests [i.e., Interpersonal Perception Task (IPT-15), Social Skills Inventory (SSI)] are associated with the accuracy of personality judgments made from Facebook (FB) profile pages. Target participants’ (N = 100) personality, self-monitoring, and FB honesty were self-reported, and the FB profile of each target was downloaded. Observers (N = 35) completed the IPT-15 and SSI and then estimated each profile owner’s personality from the profile pages. Observers’ scores on the IPT-15 were positively associated with the accuracy of estimates of targets’ extraversion and neuroticism. Observers’ SSI-ES scores were positively associated with the accuracy of estimates of targets’ agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness. Characteristics of targets, such as self-monitoring, FB honesty, and overall FB use, also affected the accuracy of estimates. Results demonstrate that offline measures of sensitivity are associated with the accuracy of online personality judgments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication Studies, East Texas Baptist University, SCBR 108, 1 Tiger Dr., Marshall, TX, 75670, USA

    Allyn Lueders

  2. Department of Communication Studies, University of Kansas, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd Rm 102, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Jeffery A. Hall, Natalie R. Pennington & Kris Knutson

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  1. Allyn Lueders
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Correspondence to Allyn Lueders.

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Lueders, A., Hall, J.A., Pennington, N.R. et al. Nonverbal Decoding on Facebook: Applying the IPT-15 and the SSI to Personality Judgments. J Nonverbal Behav 38, 413–427 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-014-0195-z

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