The Big Three or the Big Five—the EPQ-R vs the NEO-PI: a research note, replication and elaboration

A study sought to address the issue of personality dimensionality by comparing two influential personality questionnaires which differ in their theoretical underpinnings; the EPQ-R (three-factor model) and the NEO-PI (five-factor model). Both instruments were found to have a good deal of variance in common, the majority of which was identified along the dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism. On factoring, there was little evidence of a five-factor model emerging; clearly there was variance unaccounted for by the three-factor measure, but this failed to form appropriately-sized additional factors. There is evidence for the interpretation of the NEO-PI ‘conscientiousness’ measure as a facet of Eysenckʹs ‘psychoticism’ (P) factor.