11: Individual Differences Flashcards
What is a personality trait?
Stable cognitive, emotional and behavioral characteristics of people that help establish their individual identities and distinguish them from others
- Every character trait is a continuum
- can’t be directly measured but behavior can be observed to see trait
What is a personality state?
Difference in behavior in different situations (e.g. the different ways we are in bar vs. work etc.)
Explain the two factors that that Eysenecks two factor model of personality describes
- Neuroticism (stability, shift of emotions) –> tendency to experience negative emotions
- Extraversion- the degree to which a person is outgoing and seeks stimulation (not always social, but any outside stimulation)
Explain the big five factors of personality
Thought to be personality “supertraids” give main dimensions of a character (everyone is a spectrum)
OCEAN
- Openess
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
Describe the Characteristics of the character trait openess (according to the big five)
If high score:
- engage with philosophy
- creative but in a cognitive way
- a bit more concrete and more conservative
Describe the Characteristics of the character trait Conscientiousness (according to the big five)
= Gewissenhaft/Pflichtbewussseitn
- well organized
- on time
- hard working
Describe the Characteristics of the character trait Extroversion (according to the big five)
Often stimulation seeking from environment, people, thrill seeking activity (does not have to be social stimmulation)
- joiner
- talkative
- active
- affectionate
Describe the Characteristics of the character trait Agreeableness (according to the big five)
More about Empathy, ability to listen
- soft-hearted
- generous
- trusting
Describe the Characteristics of the character trait Necroticism (according to the big five)
Tendency to experience emotional shifts
- worried
- tempramental
- self-conscious
- Emotional
What does Eyseneck proposed are the bases of the different personality traits (big five)?
He explained it with biological differences
- differnet levels of cortical arousal (RAAS)
- Introverts are overaroused
- extraverts are underaroused
- Suddenness of shifts in arousal
- Unstable (neurotic) people show large and sudden shifts in limbic system arousal;
- stable people do not
What is the genetical influence on character taraits?
Difficult to determine but research suggest that approx 25-50% is genetically determined
Explain the influence of conscientiousness on health
Overall with higher health outcomes (+ longevity), probably due to
- higher adherence
- increased health beneficial health behavior
- In people with less ability, who are less organised:
- Can be increased with e.g. text reminders, goal setting
What is the influence Neuroticism on health?
Overall: poorer health outcome
- higher mental health condictions
- higher report of somatic symptoms (e.g. pain)
- Higher mortality rated in chronicle illnesses (e.g. CVS)
- higher rates of health care usage but less likely to adhere to treatment
What is intelligence?
The ability to acquire knowledge, to think and reason effectively, deal adaptively with the environment
But: hard to measure so now definition is more: (“intelligence is intelligence tests measure)
Describe Spearman’s two factor theory of intelligence
Believed intellectual activity involved general factor (g) and specific factor (s)
Explain the concept of general factor intelligence
Basically what is measured in IQ test and mapped onto Wechsler intelligence scale
Explain the Idea of Gardners Multiple Intelligences
There is not just one general inteligence but many forms of different intelligences (not need to know them)
- Linguistic Intelligence: e.g. Shakespeare
- Logical-Mathematic Intelligence: e.g. Einstein
- Spatial Intelligence: e.g. Zaha Hadid
- Musical Intelligence: e.g. Prince
- Furthermore, Gardner believes cardiologists may have this kind of intelligence in abundance as they make diagnoses on the careful listening to patterns of sounds.
- Bodily-Kinaesthetic Intelligence: e.g. Serena Williams
- Intrapersonal Intelligence: e.g. Dalai Lama
- Interpersonal functioning: e.g. Susie Orbach
- Naturalistic Intelligence, the ability to understand and work effectively in the natural world e.g. Bear Grylls
- Existential Intelligence the ability to ponder questions about existence e.g. Sartre.
Explain why IQ not always a useful concept to describe an individual’s abilities
- Because there might not just be a single type of intelligence that can be measured in a IQ test
- Averaging does not necessarily make sense (needs individual scores) for individual inteligences
What is Crystallized Intelligence?
How does it change with age?
GC
- the ability to apply previously acquired knowledge to current problems.
- Improves with age then stabelises
What is Fluid Intelligence?
How does it change with age?
GF
- the ability to deal with novel problem-solving situations for which personal experience does not provide a solution.
- Shows steady pattern of decline in aging.
What are different factors that influence cognitive ability at age?
Many influences summarised in picture:
but overall: a lot of general intelligence at young age + environmental factors (but overall declining at age)
What is the influence of genes and environment in intelligence?
-
Genetic factors can influence the effects produced by the environment
- Accounts for 1/2 of the variation in IQ?
- No single “intelligence gene” identified
- Accounts for 1/2 of the variation in IQ?
-
Environment can influence how genes express themselves
- Accounts for 1/2 of the variation in IQ?
- Both shared and unshared environmental factors are involved
- Educational experiences are very important
Describe the findings of twin studies on the roles of heredity and environment in intelligence research
- Some genetic influence on intelligence
- but hard to determine
- even adopted twins often have similar upbringing
Explain the influence of sex on intelligence
Though there are areas where men and women score better, unsure what the reason ist a lot of gender+ social influence
What is autism?
3 Aspects are involve. People have difficulties in
- Social and Emotional areas (empathy, friendship)
- Language and Communication (jokes, sarcasm, body language)
- Flexibility of thought and imagination
Explain Baron Cohen theory of atism
Extreme Male brain hypothesis –> Male is more extreme in high systemising ans low empathising
Two factors influence autism
-
Empathising
- being able to infer the thoughts and feelings of others (‘Theory of Mind’) and having an appropriate emotional reaction
-
Systemising
- is the drive to analyse or construct any kind of system i.e. identifying the rules that a govern a system, in order to predict how that system will behave
Define Simon Baron-Cohen’s Systemising and Empathising Quotients and how they relate to autism
Atism= low empathizing quotient and high systmising quotient
–> Systemising and empathising quotient measured (with giving scores to qustions)
What is more effective: problem focussed or emotion focused coping with disease?
Optimal coping depends on the individual and the situation- flexibility is the most beneficial.
- but most studies: emotional less effective (but might be due to close proximity to avoidance coping)
