Lacunae and likeableness in the Big Five model of personality

In the abridged Big Five-factor Circumplex (AB5C) model of Hofstee, deRaad, and Goldberg (1991) each circumplex is divided into 12 facets, each of 30 degrees. Most facets contain several points representing the loadings of adjectives on the pair of factors involved. But 28 facets have between zero and two points. Significantly more such ‘lacunae’ arise in facets of the Factor I+ and Factor II− variety (heterogeneous blends) than in facets for I+ and II+ or I− and II− (homogeneous blends). Three studies examine different aspects of the overall hypothesis that most lacunae arise from inconsistent implications for likeableness associated with heterogeneous blend items. Study 1 examines the Anderson Likeableness values of adjectives falling in different types of facets. Study 2 expects raters to have difficulty assigning heterogeneous blend items correctly to their predicted factor membership. In Study 3, subjects rate the likeableness of items that explicitly pair adjectives of high and low likeableness. Results support the overall hypothesis that most lacunae are associated with incompatible implications for likeableness.