Personality, social activities, job-search behavior and interview success:Distinguishing between PANAS trait positive affect and NEO extraversion

Past research has found that trait positive affect as measured by the Posit ive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and extraversion as measured by th e NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) are highly correlated. We examined th e relation between these two measures within the context of three social be haviors. Approximately 4 months before graduation, college seniors entering the job market completed the PANAS and the NEO-FFI and reported on their s ocial activities during college. Three months later these students were con tacted again and described their job search strategies and success at obtai ning follow-up job interviews. Trait positive affect scores and extraversio n scores were highly correlated and both predicted behavior in each of the three areas investigated. Regression analyses indicated that trait positive affect predicted behavior in all three areas after the effects of extraver sion were removed. However; extraversion did not add significantly to predi cting behavior in any of the three areas after the effects of trait positiv e affect were removed. The findings have implications for the conceptual re lation between extraversion and trait positive affect.