Introduction: What is the HEXACO Model?
The HEXACO model is a common tool used by psychologists to measure six major parts of a person’s personality: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness.
However, new research shows a major problem called “The HEXACO Miscalibration”. This happens when the standard “normal” expectations for these traits are applied to neurodivergent (ND) people, such as those with autism or ADHD. Instead of seeing these traits for what they are—stable parts of a person’s identity—society often misreads them as “errors” or behavioral “deficits”.
The Risk of Misunderstanding: How Traits are Misread
Because neurodivergent people often have “polarized” traits (meaning they are much higher or lower than average in certain areas), their natural way of being is often misinterpreted by neurotypical (NT) standards:
- Honesty-Humility: Many neurodivergent people are extremely high in honesty. Because they don’t use “social white lies,” they are often misread as being “blunt” or “not a team player”.
- Emotionality: A deep attachment to research, truth, or specific interests is often mistaken for “instability” or being “volatile”.
- Extraversion: For many, confidence changes depending on the situation. Being confident during a lecture but totally withdrawn in a hallway can look like “aloofness” to others.
- Agreeableness: A focused “furrowed brow” when someone is interrupted is often misread as “hostility” rather than just deep concentration.
- Conscientiousness: Extreme diligence and wanting to get things exactly right is often pathologized as “rigidity” or “obsessiveness”.
- Openness: A natural curiosity that leads to questioning foundational norms is often seen as “challenging authority” instead of a simple desire to understand.
Why This Matters for Technology: The HEXACO and NSIR Connection
This research isn’t just about personality—it’s about how we design technology like robots and AI. By understanding a person’s “stable traits” through HEXACO, we can predict how they will interact with technology using the Neurodivergent Scale for Interacting with Robots (NSIR).
The way a person’s personality is built affects how they view their “digital partners”:
- Fairness: A person who values fairness will judge a robot based on whether it treats them exactly the same as everyone else.
- Safety: Someone with higher levels of anxiety may need more reassurance to feel safe and comfortable around a robot.
- Connection: People who are naturally social are more likely to feel a long-term bond or “kinship” with their AI.
- Acceptance: Those who are more “unconventional” are often more willing to accept a robot as a unique social partner, rather than trying to force it to act like a human.
Conclusion: From Traits to Outcomes
The goal of studying the HEXACO Miscalibration is to move away from judging neurodivergent people for how they think. Instead, we use this information to ensure that technology is designed to be truly inclusive and safe.
While HEXACO measures a person’s internal traits, the NSIR measures the actual success of the interaction. By combining these two tools, we can stop seeing neurodivergence as a “miscalibration” and start building a world where technology adapts to the person, rather than forcing the person to change who they are.