Large language models (LLMs) have gained significant traction across a wide range of fields in recent years. There is also a growing expectation for them to display human-like personalities during interactions. To meet this expectation, numerous studies have proposed methods for modelling LLM personalities through psychometric evaluations. However, most existing models face two major limitations: they rely on the Big Five (OCEAN) framework, which only provides coarse personality dimensions, and they lack mechanisms for controlling trait intensity. In this paper, we address this gap by extending the Machine Personality Inventory (MPI), which originally used the Big Five model, to incorporate the 16 Personality Factor (16PF) model, allowing expressive control over sixteen distinct traits. We also developed a structured framework known as Specific Attribute Control (SAC) for evaluating and dynamically inducing trait intensity in LLMs. Our method introduces adjective-based semantic anchoring to guide trait intensity expression and leverages behavioural questions across five intensity factors: \textit{Frequency}, \textit{Depth}, \textit{Threshold}, \textit{Effort}, and \textit{Willingness}. Through experimentation, we find that modelling intensity as a continuous spectrum yields substantially more consistent and controllable personality expression compared to binary trait toggling. Moreover, we observe that changes in target trait intensity systematically influence closely related traits in psychologically coherent directions, suggesting that LLMs internalize multi-dimensional personality structures rather than treating traits in isolation. Our work opens new pathways for controlled and nuanced human-machine interactions in domains such as healthcare, education, and interviewing processes, bringing us one step closer to truly human-like social machines.
Exploring the Impact of Personality Traits on Conversational Recommender Systems: A Simulation with Large Language Models
Chinese University of Hong Kong(香港中文大学);National University of Singapore(新加坡国立大学);Singapore Management University(新加坡管理大学);Hong Kong Baptist University(香港浸会大学);Huazhong University of Science and Technology(华中科技大学)
Do Personality Traits Interfere? Geometric Limitations of Steering in Large Language Models
Network Analysis and Social Influence Modelling (NASIM) Lab(网络分析与社会影响建模实验室);School of Physics Maths and Computing(物理数学计算学院);The University of Western Australia(西澳大学);School of Computing(计算学院);Macquarie University(麦觉瑞大学)
Evaluating Personality Traits in Large Language Models: Insights from Psychological Questionnaires
School of Physics, Mathematics and Computing(物理、数学与计算学院);University of Western Australia(西澳大学);School of Computing(计算机学院);School of Psychological Sciences(心理科学学院)
Neuron-based Personality Trait Induction in Large Language Models
Gaoling School of Artificial Intelligence, Renmin University of China(中国人民大学首都人工智能学院);Tongyi Lab(通义实验室);Institute of Statistics and Big Data, Renmin University of China(中国人民大学统计与大数据研究院)
Personality Vector: Modulating Personality of Large Language Models by Model Merging
Department of Human-Artificial Intelligence Interaction, Sungkyunkwan University(人类-人工智能交互系,成均馆大学);Department of Immersive Media Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University(沉浸式媒体工程系,成均馆大学)
Predicting the Big Five Personality Traits in Chinese Counselling Dialogues Using Large Language Models
Zhejiang University(浙江大学);School of Engineering, Westlake University(西湖大学工程学院);Westlake University(西湖大学);School of Early Childhood Education, Hangzhou Polytechnic(杭州职业技术学院幼儿教育学院)
The Dark Patterns of Personalized Persuasion in Large Language Models: Exposing Persuasive Linguistic Features for Big Five Personality Traits in LLMs Responses
Warsaw University of Technology(华沙理工大学);University of Warsaw(华沙大学)