Author's personal copy Applied Animal Behaviour Science 149 (2013) 55–62 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Applied Animal Behaviour Science jou rn al hom epage : w ww.elsevier.com/locate/applanim Personality assessment in African elephants (Loxodonta africana): Comparing the temporal stability of ethological coding versus trait rating Kristina M. Horback a,∗ , Lance J. Miller b , Stan A. Kuczaj II a a Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Dr. #5025, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, USA b Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027, USA a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Accepted 25 September 2013 Available online 4 October 2013 Keywords: Personality Temperament Elephants Zoo a b s t r a c t The consistency of personality assessment was addressed in this study of 12 zoological African elephants living at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, CA, USA during the 2010 and 2011 summer seasons. Using 480 h of observational behavior data, three personality traits were determined based on behavior events, with the most significant correlations (two-tailed r s > 0.77, P < 0.005) being playful, curious, and sociable. During both summers, the animal care staff rated all elephants across 25 adjective items. Four rating-based personality traits were then clustered based on items with the most signifi- cant correlations (one-tailed r s > 0.72, P < 0.005): playful, observant, shy and confident. All seven personality traits correlated significantly (P < 0.05) from 2010 to 2011 for each indi- vidual elephant, demonstrating temporal stability. Additionally, the coded playful trait was correlated significantly (P < 0.01) to the rated trait playful, demonstrating construct validity and cross-method consistency. These results suggest that humans have the ability to dis- criminate zoo elephant personalities reliably and accurately. This, therefore, suggests that rating of zoo elephant personalities by caretakers with extensive knowledge of the species’ behavioral repertoire may be a valid proxy for long-term behavioral monitoring. Person- ality assessments may allow animal caretakers to identify appropriate roles for certain individuals (i.e., social compatibility, operant training, and transport to another facility), aid the individualization of environmental enrichment, and provide vital predictors of coping ability (i.e., stress response/resiliency). © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Assessing personality in non-human animals can be accomplished through both rating of specific traits, and observational coding of specific behaviors (Gosling, 2001; Highfill et al., 2010; Mather, 1998; Vazire and ∗ Corresponding author at: Swine Teaching and Research Center, Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, 382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA. Tel.: +1 510 846 9037. E-mail addresses: khorback@vet.upenn.edu, km.horback@gmail.com (K.M. Horback). Gosling, 2004). Rating personality traits in animals requires zookeepers, trainers, or animal owners to use their intimate knowledge of each individual to rate the placement of the animal on a continuum of a specific trait (i.e., 1 [timid] – 5 [bold]). The number and complexity of rated items varies according to the approach by the researcher and the species of interest. For example, studies may try to adapt the Five Factor Model used in human personality research (OCEAN: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) (Goldberg, 1990, 1993), or they may offer several diverse adjectives to be sub- sequently condensed into key traits following a factor analysis (i.e., Gosling, 1998; Svartberg and Forkman, 2002). 0168-1591/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2013.09.009