The paper presents validation of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ), measuring the constructs of the Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity theory (RST). The research was conducted on a sample of 565 participants, using three measures of the constructs of the Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory – the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System (BIS/BAS) scale, Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ), and Reinforcement Sensitivity Questionnaire. The results of confirmatory factor analysis suggest good internal validity of the RSQ, while the results of principal components analysis show that the RSQ scales are significantly related to other RST measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic, a health emergency with international consequences, has brought serious impact on all aspects of society and affects not only health and economy, but psychological functioning and mental health as well. This research was conducted in order to examine and further our understanding of emotional reactions to the ongoing pandemic. Change in emotional reactions during the pandemic and relations with specific pandemic related behaviors and personality traits from the revised Reinforcement sensitivity theory were explored. The research was conducted in Serbia for 35 days while the country was in a state of emergency, as a citizen science project. Out of the 1526 participants that joined the study, 444 (67% female) had measures for all five weeks. Longitudinal changes in four emotional states during the pandemic were examined: worry, fear, boredom, and anger/annoyance. Results indicate a decrease in all four emotional states over time. The biggest decrease was present in case of worry, followed by fear and boredom. Regression analysis showed that personality dimensions, as well as behavioral responses in this situation significantly predicted emotional reactions. Findings revealed the Behavioral activation system was significantly related to worry, fear and boredom, Fight with boredom and anger, and the Behavioral inhibition system with anger. Adherence to protection measures, as well as increased exposure to the media, had significant positive relations with worry and fear. These results indicate that both stable characteristics and specific pandemic-related behaviors are significantly related to emotional response during the pandemic.

This study examined the differences in personality traits between the clusters reflecting the roles in violent interactions among high school students. The sample included 397 students (51.1% male) of Serbian nationality from the first to the fourth grades of different high schools. Based on scores of five dimensions related to peer violence (Physical Aggression, Psychological Aggression, Victimization, Adapted Behavior, and Risky Behavior), three clusters were extracted: Adapted Adolescents, Victims, and Bullies. These three clusters were compared with respect to lexical Big Seven personality traits, and the results indicate that the clusters differ significantly on Aggressiveness, Neuroticism, and Negative Valence. The Adapted Adolescents have the lowest scores on all three dimensions, while the Victims score highest on Neuroticism, and the Bullies on Aggressiveness. The potential importance of certain Extraversion facets for the roles in violent interaction was discussed.

The aims of the paper are to provide the optimal structure of personality-descriptive terms in the Serbian language, and to address crucial procedural issues in psycho-lexical studies. In Study 1, a non-restrictive methodology for the selection of personality descriptors was applied. In Study 2, we compared the structures obtained using a standard adjective item format versus a contextualized format. In Study 3, the effects of using different categories of description on the trait structure were studied. In Study 4, the descriptors used in three previous studies were analyzed jointly. The results suggest that the outcomes of psycho-lexical studies are affected by various procedural factors, pointing to two-and three-factor solutions as the most robust across methods.

The main aim of this study was to explore reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and their relationship with personality traits using a person-centered approach. Sample of 471 Serbian citizens was collected during the first 7 weeks of the pandemic. Cluster analysis revealed three clusters based on reactions to the pandemic: Adapted, Antagonized, and Passive. Adaptive type is characterized by stable emotional reactions and adherence to behavioral guidelines. Antagonized cluster is characterized by lowered adherence to behavioral guidelines, while Passive cluster is characterized by increased fear and boredom. Clusters differed significantly on HEXACO and PANAS traits. Similarity of obtained clusters with prototypes that commonly emerge using personality traits for classification, stresses the importance of basic individual differences in pandemic-induced behavior.