YPIE Scientist: Amelia Varghese

Research: Examining Academic Performance Through the Lens of Dark Tetrad Personality Traits

Awards: Somers 2023, WESEF 2024

Abstract:

The Dark Tetrad is a personality type that consists of four personality traits: Machiavellianism, Sadism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy. These four traits are correlated with one another but have very distinct characteristics. While there have been several studies on the broad idea of the Dark Tetrad, there has not been a study aiming to identify a correlation between The Dark Tetrad and academic performance in high school adolescents. This study aims to identify whether a student’s academic performance affects the level of dark tetrad traits they exhibit. The participants are 62 high school students in Yonkers complete self-report questionnaires. They take a survey that consists of 5 scales: The Youth Psychopathic Trait Inventory (Andershed et. al 2002), Personality Inventory (Ames et. al 2006), Machiavellian Inventory (Christie et. al 1970; Romney, 1979), Sadistic Impulse Scale (Chabrol et. al 2011; O’Meara et. al 2011) and a Study Habits Inventory (University of Puget Sound and Learning Center) to determine their dark tetrad score, and then they will self-report their grades in school. I expect to find a negative correlation between Dark Tetrad traits exhibited and how well a student performs in their academics. I also expect to find different variations and outliers in this study. This study will possibly suggest whether a significant number of adolescents exhibiting traits of The Dark Tetrad are being affected academically.

Presentation Slides