San Diego State University
Department
of Psychology
Jeffrey M. Conte
Conte, J. M., & Jacobs,
R. R. (in press). Validity evidence linking polychronicity and Big 5 personality
dimensions to absence, lateness, and performance. Human
Performance.
Abstract
This study developed criterion and construct validity evidence for a relatively
new construct, polychronicity, which is the extent to which people prefer
to be engaged in two or more tasks or activities at the same time.
Hypothesized relationships between polychronicity and lateness, absence,
and supervisory ratings of performance were developed and tested in a field
sample of 181 train operators. Results indicated that polychronicity
was significantly related to absence (r = .25), lateness (r = .19), and
supervisory ratings of performance (r = -.17). Hypothesized Big Five
personality dimensions (Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism)
were also significantly associated with absence, but not lateness.
Specifically, absence was significantly related to Conscientiousness (r
= -.23), Extraversion (r = .15), and Neuroticism (r = .19). In addition,
polychronicity accounted for variance in absence and lateness beyond that
accounted for by hypothesized Big Five personality dimensions, cognitive
ability, and demographic characteristics. Future research directions
for work on polychronicity are discussed. (Copyright Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
Inc.).
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