Evaluating the Circumplexity of Interpersonal Traits and the Manifestation of Interpersonal Traits in Interpersonal Trust

Two studies assessed the goodness of fit of ideal, quasi-, and noncircumplex models of interpersonal traits. Study 1 ( N = 132) represents a secondary data analysis using J.S. Wiggins's (1979) original Interpersonal Adjectives Scales (IAS) and reported by J.S. Wiggins, J.H. Steiger, and L. Gaelick (1981) . Study 2 ( N = 401) represents a primary data analysis using Wiggins's revised IAS ( J.S. Wiggins, P. Trapnell, & N. Phillips, 1988 ). Results of both studies indicated that a quasi-circumplex model provided a better fit to the correlational data than did either ideal or noncircumplex models. Also, in Study 2, results for a subsample ( n = 113) indicated that an ideal circumplex model yielded a significant positive path coefficient from Nurturance to interpersonal trust ( J.K. Rempel, J.G. Holmes, & M.P. Zanna, 1985 ) but not from Dominance to interpersonal trust, whereas a quasi-circumplex model yielded significant positive paths from both Dominance and Nurturance to interpersonal trust.