An Assessment of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule From the Perspective of the Five-Factor Model

We examined the validity of need scales of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) by correlating them with a measure of the five basic factors of personality; we also considered test format as a possible source of invalidity. Three hundred thirty (223 women, 107 men) undergraduate students completed both the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI)-a measure of the five factors-and one of two versions of the EPPS. Results show that both ipsafive and normative versions of the EPPS couid be meaningfully interpreted within the five-factor model, although the ipsanve, forced-choice format of the standard EPPS apparently lowered validity coefficients and decreased convergent and discriminant validity. We argue that the five-factor model can provide a useful interpretive context for evaluating many clinical measures.