Last, but certainly not least, there is personality prediction. Nearly all of my research includes some element of prediction. I personally think it is *incredible* that someone's self-reported answers to a few questions can predict the level, frequency, and/or occurrence of a particular outcome up to decades in advance. So if it seems like my work often favors prediction as its goal, that is because it definitely does.
Broadly, I am interested in prospective associations that exist between personality and important life outcomes.
Within this (very) broad interest, though, I am particularly curious about specific nuances and boundary conditions of these effects. For example, some of my questions might be:
Are there differences in predictive utility for different individual difference metrics (e.g., mean-level changes, within-person variability)?
Are the mechanisms responsible for how various individual difference metrics are able to predict outcomes shared, or are they unique to that metric?
Are there factors that impact the predictive ability of personality?
If there are influential factors for prediction, are these primarily person-level variables (e.g., age, cognitive ability), design characteristics (e.g., number of waves, length of prediction interval), or analytic choices (e.g., choice of time variable, complexity of model form)?
What are the ways in which prediction can be optimized?
Wright, A. J. & Jackson, J. J. (2023). Do changes in personality predict life outcomes? 125(6), 1495-1518. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Peer-reviewed publication link: https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000472
Preprint link: https://psyarxiv.com/45yj7/
Wright, A. J., Weston, S. J., Norton, S., Voss, M., Bogdan, R., Oltmanns, T. F., & Jackson, J. J. (2022). Prospective self- and informant personality associations with inflammation, health behaviors, and health indicators. Health Psychology, 41(2), 121–133.
Peer-reviewed publication link: https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001162
Preprint link: https://psyarxiv.com/2hgps/
Wright, A. J., Litwin, A. W., & Jackson, J. J. (2023). Compensatory couple effects: How a spouse’s life goals impact one’s own career and health outcomes. Journal of Research in Personality, 103.
Peer-reviewed publication link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2023.104350
Preprint link: https://psyarxiv.com/jk6ta/
Wright, A. J. & Jackson, J. J. (2024). Is parent personality associated with child outcomes? A response surface analysis approach, 33(2), e2395. Infant and Child Development.
Peer-reviewed publication link: https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2395
Preprint link: https://psyarxiv.com/ahmzw