Biography
Brent W. Roberts is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Roberts received his Ph.D. from Berkeley in 1994 in Personality Psychology and worked at the University of Tulsa until 1999 when he joined the faculty at Illinois. Dr. Roberts's research has focused on determining the replicable patterns of continuity and change in personality traits across adulthood, the life experiences associated with changes in personality traits over time, and the significance of these changes for individual functioning. Dr. Roberts also conducts research on psychometric issues, in particular how to measure the traits of conscientiousness and narcissism, and more recently, how to best assess socio-emotional skills.
He has received multiple awards for his work including the Carol and Ed Diener Mid-Career Award in Personality Psychology, the Theodore Millon Mid-Career Award in Personality Psychology, the Henry Murray Award, the Jack Block Award for Distinguished Research in Personality, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Basel. He has served as the Associate Editor for the Journal of Research in Personality and Psychological Science and is the Past President for the Association for Research in Personality.
Research Interests
- Personality Development
- Personality Assessment
- Personality and Health
- Conscientiousness
- Narcissism
Research Description
Dr. Roberts's primary line of research is dedicated to understanding the patterns of continuity and change in personality across the decades of adulthood and the mechanisms that affect these patterns. Dr. Roberts has a second line of research on personality assessment. This research line includes studies focusing on the meaning and scope of the trait of conscientiousness and narcissism, the relationship between conscientiousness and the health process, how best to assess social and emotional skills, and using machine learning and artificial intelligence systems to assess personality.
Education
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
Additional Campus Affiliations
Affiliate, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
Director, Center for Social and Behavioral Science (IHSI/Beckman Institute), Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation
Senior Science Advisor, Office of the Provost
- Links
- Publications
- google scholar profile
- Personality Interest Group Including Espresso (PIG-IE)
- Personality Assessment and Development Lab
- Personality Development
- Conscientiousness
- How conscientious are you?
- How narcissistic are you?
- Free online personality tests
- Psych 541 spring 2019 reading list
- Grad personality syllabus repository
Recent Publications
Bleidorn, W., Hopwood, C. J., Back, M. D., Denissen, J. J. A., Hennecke, M., Jokela, M., Kandler, C., Lucas, R. E., Luhmann, M., Orth, U., Roberts, B. W., Wagner, J., Wrzus, C., & Zimmermann, J. (2020). Longitudinal Experience-Wide Association Studies—A Framework for Studying Personality Change. European Journal of Personality, 34(3), 285-300. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2247
Stieger, M., Wepfer, S., Rüegger, D., Kowatsch, T., Roberts, B. W., & Allemand, M. (2020). Becoming More Conscientious or More Open to Experience? Effects of a Two-Week Smartphone-Based Intervention for Personality Change. European Journal of Personality, 34(3), 345-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2267
Wetzel, E., Lang, F. J., Back, M. D., Vecchione, M., Rogoza, R., & Roberts, B. W. (Accepted/In press). Measurement Invariance of Three Narcissism Questionnaires Across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191120907967
Wetzel, E., Grijalva, E., Robins, R. W., & Roberts, B. W. (2020). You're still so vain: Changes in narcissism from young adulthood to middle age. Journal of personality and social psychology, 119(2), 479-496. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000266
Bleidorn, W., Hill, P. L., Back, M. D., Denissen, J. J. A., Hennecke, M., Hopwood, C. J., Jokela, M., Kandler, C., Lucas, R. E., Luhmann, M., Orth, U., Wagner, J., Wrzus, C., Zimmermann, J., & Roberts, B. (2019). The policy relevance of personality traits. American Psychologist, 74(9), 1056-1067. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000503
