Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42904031›Full record

ArticleRoyal Society open science2026

Applying psychometrics to large language model simulated populations: recreating the HEXACO personality inventory experiment with generative agents.

Sarah Mercer, Daniel Martin, Phil Swatton

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Royal Society open science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sarah MercerThe Alan Turing Institute, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3068-991X
Daniel MartinThe Alan Turing Institute, London, UK.
Phil SwattonThe Alan Turing Institute, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Generative agents powered by large language models (LLMs) demonstrate human-like characteristics through sophisticated natural language interactions. Their ability to assume roles and personalities based on predefined character biographies has positioned them as cost-effective substitutes for human participants in social science research. This paper explores the validity of such persona-based agents in representing human populations; we recreate the HEXACO personality inventory experiment by surveying 310 GPT-4 powered agents, conducting factor analysis on their responses, and comparing these results to the original findings presented by Ashton

Indexed as

generative agentsgenerative AIlarge language modelslexical analysismachine psychologypersona promptingpsychometricstrait consistency

Identifiers

PMID42904031
PMCPMC13682896

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.