Keywords

Bilingualism, English speakers, Spanish speakers, Cross cultural psychology, language and identity, Emotional expression.

Abstract

This study explores the influence of bilingualism on personality traits specifically in English and Spanish-bilingual individuals. This examines how linguistic and cultural contexts have an impact on direct personality traits—extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, negative emotionality, and openness. Using a sample of 91 participants, paired samples t-tests were conducted to evaluate differences in personality trait scores between languages and calculated effect sizes to understand the practical significance of these differences. The results demonstrated no statistically significant differences in personality traits across the two languages. Furthermore, effect sizes were small, suggesting that any observed differences were not practically meaningful. While these findings do not support my initial hypothesis that there would be differences in personality traits based on the language used, they demonstrate the consistency of personality traits as measured in bilingual individuals. These results suggest that language does not necessarily alter the way participants perceive or express their personalities.

Thesis Completion Year

2024

Thesis Completion Semester

Fall

Thesis Chair

Raymonde Neal

Department

Psychology

Thesis Discipline

Psychology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Notes

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in Psychology in the College of Sciences and in the Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida

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In Copyright