Abstract
Potential founder population effects on personality trait means and variances were examined in a large, genetically homogeneous sample (N = 5,669) from the Ogliastra, an isolated region within Sardinia, Italy. The Italian version of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory showed good psychometric properties: Internal consistency reliabilities ranged from 0.80 to 0.87; the factor structure replicated the American normative structure; and associations with education and gender replicated cross-cultural patterns. The hypothesis that mean trait levels in the Sardinian founder population would differ from mainland Italian values was not supported. Phenotypic variation in this founder population was within the range found in other cultures. However, the hypothesis of restricted phenotypic variation was supported for all five factors and 28 of the 30 facets when a Sardinian subsample matched on age, sex, and education was compared to a mainland Italian sample. The genetic homogeneity effect on the phenotypic expression of complex traits merits further exploration.
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Acknowledgments
Paul T. Costa Jr., and Robert R. McCrae receive royalties from the Revised NEO Personality Inventory. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute on Aging. Dr. Pilia died during preparation of this article.
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Costa, P.T., Terracciano, A., Uda, M. et al. Personality Traits in Sardinia: Testing Founder Population Effects on Trait Means and Variances. Behav Genet 37, 376–387 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-006-9103-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-006-9103-6