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PSYC 315 Personality > 305 Lecture 3 > Flashcards

305 Lecture 3 Flashcards

1
Q

what have situationists argued about personality across situations

A

behaviour varies across situations, and situational differences (not traits) determine behaviour

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2
Q

what have trait psychologists argued about personality across situations

A

assume cross-situational consistency –> if situations mainly control how people behave then the existence or relevance of traits is questionable

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3
Q

describe an example of when situation did not guide a person’s behaviour

A

Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq –> some military personnel led others to engage in terrible acts like physical/sexual assault, humiliation and murder, but others were uninvolved

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4
Q

what did Zimbardo’s prison experiment suggest about situationism

A

he believed that if you put anybody into a particular situation you would get the same type of behaviour

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5
Q

What is interactionism

A

suggests that personality and situation interact to produce behaviour (person x situation interaction) –> we can never disentangle these two concepts because behaviour is a function of both

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6
Q

what is situation specificity

A

certain situations can provoke behaviour that is out of character for an individual (e.g. courageousness exhibited in an emergency)

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7
Q

what is a strong situation

A

situations in which most people react in a similar way –> personality has a lesser effect (e.g. public speaking most people get nervous, grief)

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8
Q

what are weak situations

A

when situations are weak and ambiguous personality has the strongest influence (e.g. Rorschack inkblot test, getting text of “sure.”)

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9
Q

what are the three mechanisms of interaction

A

selection, evocation and manipulation

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10
Q

describe the “selection” mechanism of interaction

A

tendency to choose/select situations in which one finds oneself as a function of personality (e.g. extravert chooses a stimulating environment, assortative mating with partner who is similar to you)

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11
Q

describe how the “selection” mechanism of interaction applies with social media

A
  • extraverts are more likely to use social media and use them more frequently
  • high agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness is associated with more frequent use
  • may be different reasons (extraversion = social networking, neuroticism = fear of missing out)
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12
Q

describe the “evocation” mechanism of interaction

A

certain personality traits may naturally evoke specific responses from others (e.g. neuroticism may evoke an anxious response from others, neurotic people might have a hostile attribution bias and assume people are angry which ends up evoking an angry response)

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13
Q

describe how the “evocation” mechanism of interaction applies with social media

A
  • neuroticism is associated with receiving more angry responses from posts
  • narcissism is associated with receiving more likes/comments –> naturally displaying behaviour that draws peoples’ attention (or could be intentionally seeking attention)
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14
Q

describe the “manipulation” mechanism of interaction

A

various means by which people intentionally influence others’ behaviour or alter environments –> not always negative (e.g. asking someone if they want to get coffee, trying to make someone feel better)

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15
Q

describe how the “manipulation” mechanism of interaction applies with social media

A
  • extraverts posts about social activities, use emojis and tend to relationships
  • conscientious people ask for help
  • open people post about intellectual topics to start debate/discourse
  • narcissists self-promote
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16
Q

describe machiavellianism

A
  • manipulative strategy of social interaction
  • uses other people as tools for personal gain (deception, exploiting, self-serving)
  • part of the dark tetrad
  • seen in more competitive environments (e.g. politics)
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17
Q

describe how the three mechanisms of interaction move in a sequential fashion

A

selection occurs first, then evocation occurs, and finally manipulation

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18
Q

describe how the three mechanisms of interaction move in a sequential fashion, using the dark tetrad traits as an example

A
  1. selection –> select situations that are loosely structure and/or people who admire then
  2. evocation –> viewed as brilliant & entertaining, OR as selfish/egocentric
  3. manipulation of those who stick around
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19
Q

describe some characteristics of people who are more likely to be manipulated in a negative way

A

high on agreeableness, low on social dominance, more emotionally sensitive –> will not recognize when they are being manipulated

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20
Q

describe the theory of person-environment fit

A

suggest that there are certain environments/situations that are more complementary to a person’s traits and characteristics –> might motivate people to select certain situations over others

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21
Q

describe 3 motivations for people to select certain situations

A
  • match between personality trait and the situation
  • need in the environment met by a person’s personality (e.g. group needs a leader)
  • need in a person is met by the situation (e.g. quiet space needed by an introvert
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22
Q

what are some practical implications of selecting an environment that fits your personality

A
  • optimal functioning
  • performance coping
  • school/career success
  • social support to help with coping
  • health & happiness
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23
Q

would an introvert be more willing to pick going to a club or an intimate dinner

A

depends on the situation –> do they know the people at the dinner? introverts still sometimes like busy environments

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24
Q

what personality would fit an emergency situation

A
  • someone high on openness –> more open to unpredictable experiences
  • higher neuroticism can increase risk of PTSD in these situations
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25
Q

would a person high on agreeableness AND extraversion do better in the stock market or teaching children’s soccer

A

probably teaching kids because you need to be extraverted/enthusiastic AND highly agreeable, whereas in the stock market you sometimes actually need to be less agreeable to get your way

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26
Q

what kinds of environments do introverts vs extraverts prefer to be in

A
  • introverts prefer mountains and secluded areas
  • extraverts prefer open terrain, think it would take more effort to have fun in the mountains
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27
Q

how is person-environment fit applied in real life

A

personality tests are being used more frequently to screen out the “wrong” individuals from job applicants

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28
Q

what are some personality inventories that are used to select people for jobs

A
  • MMPI
  • CPI
  • 16PF
  • SFPQ (used in RCMP, divides conscientiousness into 2 factors)
  • MBTI
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29
Q

what is the MBTI

A

self-report assessment of personality designed to identify psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions –> based on Carl Jung’s 8 psychological types (separated into sensation, intuition, thinking and feeling), not not upheld in any research –> “typology approach”

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30
Q

what are Carl Jung’s 8 psychological types

A
  • divided into perceiving and judging
  • sensation, intuition, thinking & feeling
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31
Q

what are the four scales of the MBTI

A
  • where do you get your energy (extraversion, introverted)
  • how do you take in information (sensing/intuitive) –> openness
  • how do you make decisions (thinking/feeling) –> agreeableness
  • your orientation to the world (judging/perceiving) –> conscientiousness
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32
Q

how would we assess Steve Jobs on the MBTI

A
  • extraverted (action, draws energy from outside)
  • intuition (prefers information from 6th sense, openness)
  • thinking (prefers logic, organization, conscientiousness)
  • judging or perceiving??
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33
Q

describe the sensing/intuition typology of the MBTI

A
  • sensing = prefers taking in information through all senses, attends to what actually exists
  • intuition = prefers information derived from a 6th sense, notices what’s possible rather than what is
34
Q

describe the thinking/feeling typology of the MBTI

A
  • thinking = prefers logic, organization, objective structure, makes decisions in impersonal way
  • feeling = prefers a person/value oriented way of processing information, harmony, forgiveness
35
Q

describe the judging/perceiving typology of the MBTI

A
  • judging = prefers living a well-ordered and controlled life, thinks rules and deadlines should be respected
  • perceiving = prefers to live spontaneously, with room for flexible activities, likes to improvise

–> hard to place Jobs on this dimension because he has some characteristics of both

36
Q

describe the issue with the categorical approach to personality taken by the MBTI

A
  • assumes large between-type differences, and no within
  • there is evidence that the 4 factors are more dimensional than truly dichotomous (looks like a bell curve)
37
Q

describe the reliability of the MBTI

A
  • many studies have found low test-retest reliability –> this is problematic because personality is relatively stable
  • as many as 50% of respondents will be classified into a different type over a short retest interval
38
Q

describe why the content of the MBTI is questionable

A
  • are thinking and feeling really opposites? typically they co-occur
  • why is emotional stability not included on the scale
  • where are narrow traits like conscientiousness
  • is the definition of introversion/extroversion complete and accurate
39
Q

why is the MBTI so popular

A
  • might be popular because it is popular
  • we like the idea of being categorized and want to know where we are –> don’t like idea of being on a dimension or in the middle
40
Q

what is aggregation

A
  • process of adding up/averaging several single observations –> results in a better (more reliable) measure of a personality trait than any single observation
  • implies that traits refer to a person’s average level of experience/behaviour across situations and over time
  • differentiates between traits and states
41
Q

describe what a density distribution of states shows

A

a high density of states could suggest a personality trait –> but it could still be the situation, so we need to collect density over a longer period of time before drawing conclusions –> more evidence of a state increases our confidence on a person’s trait(s)

42
Q

what is the trait ascription bias

A
  • the tendency for people to view themselves as relatively variable in terms of personality, behaviour and mood (across different situations) while viewing others as much more predictable/stable
  • draw conclusions about peoples’ internal characteristics from single observations
43
Q

what is the fundamental attribution error

A

comes from trait ascription bias–> we tend to emphasize the internal characteristics of other people (rather than external factors) when explaining their behaviour, but we better recognize situational factors in our own behaviour

44
Q

what are some of the negative implications of the fundamental attribution error

A

victim blaming

45
Q

what are two reasons why we make the fundamental attribution error

A
  • don’t want to believe the world is a random place –> we want to feel in control of our outcomes
  • we don’t have information about other people so we resort to blaming their internal characteristics
46
Q

what are the two main challenges in predicting single acts/behaviours in others

A
  • causal variables are numerous (“causal density”) –> too many possible causes to account for
  • contextual factors are numerous (situations are unpredictable and there’s so many things possible)

–> human behaviour and experience are very complex but psychology can generate successful predictions

47
Q

describe the fie temperament types outlined by the Dunedin study

A
  • well-adjusted
  • confidence (extraverted)
  • reserved
  • undercontrolled (emotionally unstable, impulsive)
  • inhibited (shy, fearful)
48
Q

what did the Dunedin study find

A
  • 3 year old children were examined for their temperament (confidence, inhibition, etc.)
  • the children were examined 23 years later with self- and other-reports on the big 5
  • childrens’ early emerging behavioural styles were associated with behaviours, thoughts and feelings in adulthood
49
Q

what are the two qualities that signal personality change

A
  • internal –> changes are internal to a person, not occurring in the external environment and surroundings
  • enduring –> changes are not temporary
50
Q

would it be a personality change if Jia moved to Canada from China and is displaying more extraversion?

A
  • she changed after an environmental change
  • would have to examine how her personality looked if she returned to China
  • she could have always been extraverted, but her previous environment did not allow her to display these characteristics
51
Q

would it be a personality change if Mike developed PTSD 3 years ago and is displaying more neuroticism, but is starting to recover?

A
  • not very enduring because he is showing signs of recovery
  • PTSD could have aggravated neuroticism he already had
  • disorder ≠ personality
  • however, depression and self-consciousness (part of neuroticism) is not directly linked to PTSD
52
Q

would it be a personality change if Alyssa went through a divorce and ever since has been more independent, less agreeable, and more rigid in her thoughts/values?

A
  • depends on the nature of her relationship –> was it controlling? Maybe she couldn’t display these characteristics in the relationship
  • experiences can change a person, so maybe it is a personality change
53
Q

what event would undeniably cause a personality change

A
  • brain injury or physical trauma
  • this would directly cause changes to the structure & function of the brain, causing both internal and enduring changes
54
Q

what are the two types of personality changes observed in research

A
  • rank order change –> one’s position within a group
  • mean level –> average level of a population
55
Q

describe what rank order change and stability would look like

A
  • change = person’s trait changes relative to another individual
  • stability = little/no change in rank-ordering within a group

–> both of these assessed by test-retest reliability correlations

56
Q

describe what mean level change and stability would look like

A
  • change = average (normative) level changes over time
  • stability = no change in average level over time

–> measured using longitudinal studies, t-tests to see differences between means

57
Q

what does it mean if there is low rank order stability in a personality trait

A

this trait is more volatile and can be easily changed by environmental factors –> less predictable, more maleable

58
Q

what might be some factors that influence mean level change is a personality characteristic

A
  • aging (developmental changes)
  • societal changes (cohort effects)
  • common life experiences (e.g. puberty)
59
Q

describe the mean level changes that occur in sensation seeking

A
  • there is a predictable trajectory
  • peaks in late adolescence
  • decreases from adolescence to adulthood
  • roughly corresponds to decreases in impulsivity
60
Q

describe the differences between changes in sensation-seeking vs impulsivity that occur

A
  • decline in impulsivity is steeper and begins earlier than declines in sensation-seeking
  • impulsivity is much higher in early adolescence
  • suggests different biological systems involved in each (one corresponds with a socioemotional system while the other corresponds with a cognitive control system)
61
Q

describe the stability/changes observed in self-esteem

A
  • people differ in their self-esteem levels daily
  • self-esteem declines markedly during adolescence (mean level change), more so for girls than boys
  • young men recover more quickly than young women
  • observed mean level changes –> age seems to have an impact because people experience common life events (loss of loved ones, declining mobility, etc.)
62
Q

when population changes are shown on a graph, what type of stability/change is this graphing

A

mean level changes (NOT rank order)

63
Q

describe the mean level changes observed in self-esteem in college students

A

there is a marked decrease in self-esteem after the first semester of university –> students are comparing themselves to others, having lower grades than high school, etc.

64
Q

describe the rank order stability of self-esteem in college

A

it is pretty high (suggests that peoples’ order within a group does not change)

65
Q

what are some mean level changes observed in the big 5 personality traits

A
  • agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and social dominance gradually increases from young adulthood to middle age –> due to psychological maturation, more life experiences, etc.
  • openness and extraversion gradually decline –> more set in beliefs, smaller group of friends, learning what you want and being comfortable with that
66
Q

when looking at college students, what mean level changes and rank order changes are observed in the big 5 traits

A
  • there is mean level increases in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness, and a mean level decrease in neuroticism
  • rank order stability is high for all traits (position in comparison to population remains stable)
67
Q

describe peoples’ perceptions of change in the Big 5 traits throughout college

A
  • people think they’ve increased in extraversion when they really haven’t –> this is likely because they are in a more socially stimulating environment
  • on other traits, most people correctly perceive they’ve increased/decreased in a trait
  • in general, people tend to overestimate how much they’ve changed
68
Q

is it helpful or harmful that people overestimate how much their personality traits have changed over time

A
  • could be a helpful placebo in some situations (e.g. increasing self-esteem by thinking they’ve changed in a positive direction)
  • narcissists tend to score higher on positive illusions
69
Q

what are some circumstances where personality change is out of one’s control

A
  • when they are subject to physical brain injury/trauma
  • e.g. phineas gage damaged frontal lobe and as a result was more impulsive, disrespectful, etc.
  • e.g. patient KC damaged temporal lobes and as a result was less social

–> damage can change levels of sensitivity to reward and dopamine –> damage is undoubtedly internal and enduring

70
Q

can psychological/emotional trauma change your personality

A
  • it is possible –> trauma has been associated with changes to brain structure and function (e.g. hyperactive amygdala)
  • BUT most extreme personality changes result from changes to brain biology caused by injury/disease –> “deep psychology”
71
Q

what is personality coherence

A
  • predictable changes in manifestations or outcomes of personality factors over time, even if the underlying characteristics remain stable
  • stability in underlying trait but change in outward manifestation
  • e.g. temper tantrums in childhood vs relationship stability in adulthood –> both characteristic of high neuroticism
72
Q

what are the broad conclusions we can draw about personality change

A
  • we see moderate evidence for mean level change in some traits
  • rank order stability is very high –> changing position in a group is difficult!
  • but changeability varies between people (depends on individual and situational factors)
73
Q

when do people’s personalities appear to stop changing

A
  • McCrae & Costa claim personality is set at 30
  • others suggest stability increases with age and peaks at age 50
  • victoria longitudinal study found evidence of significant change in big 5 traits from age 55-85
74
Q

can we actively change our personality

A
  • most people want to work on aspects of their personality (e.g. decrease their neuroticism, increase their conscientiousness/extraversion)
  • there is some evidence you can set intentional goals to change (but it is questionable whether any of these changes are enduring)
  • mindfulness based meditation can decrease anxiety and increase conscientiousness and cooperativeness
  • increasing cognitive ability can increase openness
75
Q

what did the study on actively increasing extraversion find

A
  • intentional goals on a daily basis were strongly associated with state measures of extraversion
  • asked people how much more extraverted they felt –> was this internal and enduring?
76
Q

what was found about using mindfulness-based meditation to change personality

A
  • meditation was associated with decreased trait anxiety and increased conscientiousness & cooperativeness
  • but is this personality or is this just coping with anxiety?
77
Q

what evidence is there that people can actively become more open minded

A
  • interventions increasing cognitive ability in older adults was found to increase openness –> did not follow up so not sure if these changes were enduring
  • psilocybin (mushrooms) increases openness, especially if people had mystical/spiritual experiences
78
Q

what evidence is there that psychadelics can change personality

A
  • psilocybin might increase openness, especially in people who have a mystical/spiritual experience while on them
  • use of psychadelics might reduce antisocial tendencies –> men had reduced likelihood of perpetrating physical violence against their partner
  • better emotional regulation
79
Q

describe evidence on volitional personality change

A
  • people were coached in a 16 week intervention to make changes in the big 5 traits they desired
  • tended to increase their agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and extraversion is desired
  • did this by setting practical intentions
80
Q

what can you definitely change about yourself

A

specific behaviours, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, values and social roles

81
Q

how might changing specific behaviours, attitudes, etc. result in personality change

A
  • becoming more invested in job increases conscientiousness
  • investing in romantic relationship increases emotional stability

–> might be social reinforcement from others in both of these cases

PSYC 315 Personality (16 decks)

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