GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
This test is a little more involved than most, and probably takes 10 minutes to complete, unless your neighbor's wireless connection that you are piggybacking crashes on page eight, as happened to me. In that case, it will take a little longer to complete.
So what are your results according to this test? Do you agree with these results? What did you think of the questions?
I found many of the questions very difficult to answer because the situation causes me to react differently to a similar scenario. For example, the question regarding a familiar/new dish at a familiar/new restaurant .. that was difficult to answer because it depends upon what I am looking for at that particular time. For the most part, I enjoy dining out at new restuarants and trying new foods, but sometimes, I prefer to eat something familiar at one of my favorite restaurants. The question that asked about my reaction to changing my plans at the last minute is another obviously situation-based reaction .. for example, I would be quite upset if, at the last minute, my plans were canceled to travel to the south Pacific Islands where my birds live, but I would be only mildly disappointed if I planned to see a movie by myself and discovered it had been canceled.
Incidentally, if your wireless connection does crash and then is reinstated, the test resumes where you left off, so you don't have to take it over again.
Comments
Reserved Leader ... actually, the comments were fairly on the money. Unnerving.
Posted by: John Lynch | April 15, 2006 4:32 PM
"Animated Inventor." I wonder if this is why I can come up with plausible explanations for the screw-ups of my own and of my clients.
Posted by: biosparite | April 15, 2006 4:35 PM
You are a Benevolent Idealist... fun test
Posted by: Fred Gray | April 15, 2006 6:40 PM
Respectful analyst.
Posted by: Carl Manaster | April 15, 2006 6:50 PM
It said that I was a benevolent leader.
As for what I thought of the test, I think it's like any other online personality test in that it might tell you more about how you would like to be and how you see yourself rather than how you actually are.
It was a good test though, I enjoyed taking it. The whole slider idea was novel and kind of fun.
Posted by: CK | April 15, 2006 11:23 PM
Funny, I was just reading the Bad Astronomer's take on astrology. Sounds similar, in the way humans can recognise themselves in vague descriptions.
Posted by: JohnnieCanuck | April 15, 2006 11:24 PM
"Generous Analyst." That might be true, but I think a test writer needs to be on crack to give me the 90% on masculinity I got on this test (alternatively, everyone else who took this test is very feminine). On second thought, I live up to some intellectual sexists' ideal of a good man, but this ideal has nothing to do with how most men behave or think, or even with how most men think men should behave or think.
I got 60% on confidence, 18% on openness, 26% on extroversion, 52% on empathy, 4% on trust, 70% on agency, 90% on masculinity, 2% on femininity, 34% on spontaneity, 8% on style, 2% on authoritarianism, 62% on earthiness, and 24% on estheticism. If you ask me, my real percentages are closer to 50%, 25%, 20%, 50%, 15%, 90%, 50%, 25%, 20%, 5%, 5%, 75%, and 25%, respectively, relative to the people who take tests of this sort.
Relative to the general Western population, I expect everyone who took this test to have much lower earthiness and authoritarianism rates, much higher estheticism and spontaneity rates, and less polarized and somewhat more masculine gender traits. Netizens are significantly different from casual Internet surfers, and even more different from offline people.
Posted by: Alon Levy | April 16, 2006 9:22 AM
You don't work for Acme, do you?
I'm a considerate inventor, apparently. Which explains why I insist on adding a crash helmet into the Patent Speed-ee rocket ("Faster than a Startled Roadrunner!") box. It never does any good, though.
Bob
Posted by: Bob O'H | April 16, 2006 10:22 AM
Benevolent Inventor.
Not sure what that says about me.
The quiz was fun, I liked the sliders and boxes, but some of the questions seemed to be meaningless. Like on all personality quizzes, I suppose.
I am off to be kind to my cat.
Posted by: Lab Cat | April 16, 2006 9:11 PM
"Benevolent Director"
First I read it as "Dictator", which seemed weird since my score for "Authoritarianism" was 0.
Posted by: Kristjan Wager | April 17, 2006 6:54 AM
Alon, I think the feminine/masculine numbers are based upon the thinking patterns associated with the two genders (something which I personally is mostly bunk, but which is still quite accepted). I don't think neither you nor me should be affraid to get our feminist status revoked.
Posted by: Kristjan Wager | April 17, 2006 6:58 AM
I took this test a week or so ago, and was surprised. I got "Benevolent Visionary." But that wasn't the weird part. See, Alon, you're not the only one it called masculine. That was my highest score, by far, at 92%.... except I'm female. In most ways, the test pegged me pretty well.... and now I'm wondering if I might actually have a masculine personality. I used to be a "tomboy", tend to hang out "with the guys", love gadgets and kung fu movies, etc. So, however disturbing the results, they seemed to be rather accurate for me.
As for the masculine/feminine thinking patterns, I think there is some truth to the "accepted" theory... but there are always exceptions to the rule. (Like, apparently, me.)
Posted by: Karmen | April 19, 2006 12:03 PM
Ooo... I have a new one:
Considerate Builder - seems like it fits pretty well. Thanks for pointing me to this!
Posted by: Kristin | April 23, 2006 1:00 AM