ABSTRACT
“Think of yourself and write down five adjectives that best describe you.” This basic instruction identifies the Adjective Generation Technique (AGT) as a self-report method of assessment. In Fiske’s (1971) classification schema, the AGT is a Mode 1 measure in which self-description data are produced by a subject whose task of reporting a picture of self is typically done with awareness that he or she is being assessed. However, the AGT instruction is more open-ended than other Mode 1 measures, such as checklists (Potkay & Allen, 1973). Adjective checklists contain a fixed number of predetermined adjectives, typically presented in alphabetical order (Gough & Heilbrun, 1980; McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971; Zuckerman & Lubin, 1980). In contrast, the AGT allows for the spontaneous selection of any adjective in the participant’s repertoire. Thus, the person’s self-descriptive responses are determined more by his or her characteristics and experiences than by any definitive external checklist or stimulus. The operational definition of self-description is simply the words a person uses to describe him or herself. Wells and Marwell (1976) refer to the AGT as “an open-ended modification of the Adjective Check List” that is related to measures of “Who Am I?” (p. 114). However, the AGT also has been used to describe nonself targets, including other people, situations, and inanimate objects.
