3. Traits and Evolutionary Psychology

Question 1

Universal theories of personality include:

Answer 1

Trait psychology: traits apply to every cultural group across the world, even if there might be some variation at the individual level

Evolutionary psychology: universally evolved preferences and mechanisms (try to explain this in terms of gender and cultural differences)

Question 2

Outline trait theory

Answer 2

Traits = dispositions or tendencies (in certain situations, you’re more predisposed to act in a certain way)
Nomothetic approach (traits are general and universal)
Dominant approach in personality research
Nature over nurture (implies culture has very little to do with shaping traits)

Lexical hypothesis - the words we used to describe one another indicate the relevant dimensions of personality

Question 3

How might Markus critique trait theory?

Answer 3

Critiques it because it doesn’t take into account culture - there’s no reference at all to social situations shaping who we are.

Question 4

Outline the Five Factor Model

Answer 4

The idea that traits are enduring tendencies to think, feel and behave in consistent ways.
High scores indicate…
- Openness: curious, wide range of interests, independent
- Conscientiousness: high competence, self-disciplined, goal driven, thoughtful
- Extraversion: sociability, assertiveness, emotional expression
- Agreeableness: cooperative, trustworthy, good-natured
- Neuroticism: unstable emotions, anxious

Question 5

What are some general findings about the OCEAN model?

Answer 5

Judge (2002) found that low neuroticism and high extraverion is associated with job satisfaction.

Malouff (2005) found high N, low C A and E are associated with clinical disorders.

Poropat (2009) found that conscientiousness predicted uni-performance, independent of intelligence

Question 6

Traits are biologically fixed human universals

Answer 6

They are considered endogenous (arising from within), meaning there is no transfer from culture to personality.
i.e. only our biological bases shape our personality traits

Question 7

Are 5 Factor Model Traits Universal?

Answer 7

The NEO was based on the English dictionary - so instead look at native languages.

If you take the 5 factor model and test it in an indigenous population that doesn’t have the same formal education or much contact with Western world, this does not replicate.

Question 8

Thinking about the geography of personality

Answer 8

Traits are likely to shape culture
Patterns emerge:
- individualist societies tend to be more extraverted (Hofstede)
- the further you move away from the equator, you get more extraverted and less conscientious
- geographical neighbours tend to have personalities similar to yourself
- but we also see that clusters of personality profiles emerge within countries

Question 9

Do personality differences across countries exist?

Answer 9

Yes but they are very small
Differences between individuals within countries are larger than differences between countries.

Note: genetics and environment overlap

Question 10

How do genetics come into this geographical personality profile

Answer 10

Prediction is that you should be able to find genetic differences between people in the East and West to substantiate these claims
- only 40% of personality differences were found to be genetic in nature
- Balestri did a systematic review with no consensus on the role of genes

Question 11

Evolutionary - searching for a universal human nature

Answer 11

Tooby and COsmides
- relatively recent thought saying that just like through evolution, our personaliy and consciousness are shaped
- our mind and personality helps us make decisions for our survival
- individuals that have characteristics to survive are going to reproduce and pass down these traits (i.e. we have a certain bias to naturally fear some things than others)

Question 12

We don’t come into the world as a blank slate:

Answer 12

We have automatic and nonconscious psychological mechanisms
- concept of Preparedness (fear of heights, dark, snakes, strangers)

We have perceptual biases where we spot differences.

Question 13

Natural selection by gender

Answer 13

the idea that women face the problem of securing reliable resources to carry them through pregnancy and lactation

Question 14

First generation of evolutionary psychology

Answer 14

Looked at universal trait preferences in mates:
- From 37 countries
- Females prefer status and resources in LT
- males prefer looks in ST and LT

Question 15

How did Bandura critique EP?

Answer 15

Gender roles appear more nurture than nature (not biologically driven)
- rapid shift in gender roles can’t be explained by genetics but only by culture

Beauty standards differ across cultures

And how might EP account for transmitted and evoked culture (cultural differences drawn out by different environments)
- i.e. evolutionary psychologists say beauty ideals are related to prevalence of pathogens

Question 16

Pathogen prevalence was the strongest predictor for

Answer 16

mate preference

Question 17

There are costs and benefits associated with different traits…

Answer 17

When infectious disease is more prevalent, people may adopt a more conservative stance (Low openness and low extraversion, high sexual restriction)

Findigns that in countries where disease prevalence increased, negative attitudes towards promiscuity decreases, and extraversion + openness decreases