Age differences in adult personality: Findings from the United States and China

This study used samples of adults from the United States (n = 285) and the People's Republic of China (n = 350) to examine age, gender, and culture di fferences in personality. Participants in both samples ranged from 20 to 87 years of age and responded to the California Psychological Inventory (CPD. Factor analyses of the CPI resulted in 4 personality factors (i.e, extrave rsion, control(norm orientation, flexibility, femininity/masculinity), with high congruence across cultures after targeted rotation. Multivariate anal yses of variance with scale scores revealed significant Age Group 3 Culture and Gender 3 Culture interactions, and significant main effects of age, ge nder and culture. Specifically, negative age differences were found for sca les that loaded on extraversion and flexibility, with older adults having l ower scores on these scales. In contrast, positive age differences were fou nd for scales indicative of control/norm orientation. In general, age diffe rences were more pronounced for Chinese adults than for Us. adults.