| The present study was designed to test whether iris features share any association with personality measures. Several investigators have observed that personality was related to iris features (Deck, 1965; Hall, 1981; Jensen, 1982; Johnson, 1984; Sharan, 1989), yet no experimental or quasi-experimental research has tested such speculation.; The Rayid model of iris interpretation (Johnson, 1984; 1988) proposes that iris features shared latent genetic traits with major dimensions of personality. The appearance of hyperpigmentations or separations in the iris trabeculae were claimed to signify introversion and emotional tendencies, respectively. Additionally, iris features were said to predict learning styles, as well as lateral body signs.; Iris slides were taken from 208 subjects, with nearly equal numbers of adult women and men volunteers. Three independent judges rated the iris photographic slides. Each subject took a test battery consisting of the Language System Diagnostic Inventory (LSDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Comrey Personality Scales (CPS). A correlational design was used to determine the degree of association between iris features, test measures and lateral body signs.; The results of correlational analysis revealed that seven out of eleven iris features were significantly related to personality factors (p {dollar}<{dollar}.05). The strongest relationship was between extraversion and separations of the iris trabeculae (r =.23, p {dollar}<{dollar}.001) as predicted by the Rayid model. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that all four second-order personality factors--extraversion, emotionality, conformity and agreeableness--were significantly associated to one or more iris features. However, the size of the effect was small. The agreeableness personality factor was best predicted by four iris features (multiple r =.30). Learning styles--auditory, visual, kinesthetic--had no relationship to iris features. A small relationship was found between lateral body signs and iris features.; A final confirmatory factor analysis suggested that, overall, the Rayid model was not supported. Nine separate factors emerged, which grouped into three super-clusters of four personality factors, three iris factors and two biographical factors of sex and age. Little common variance was shared among these nine factors. An unexpectedly strong relationship was found between age and five iris features. Yet, the age factor did not contribute to the relationships between iris features and personality. |
