8 - Factor Analytic Trait Theories Flashcards
Why are factor analytic trait theories the dominant view?
- not because it is better at predicting behaviour
- but because of easy quantification and ancestry (familiarity, history)
What is factor analysis?
- factor analytic theories are based on a mathematical technique called factor analysis
- in general, factor analysis identifies patterns of intercorrelated variables, and models how such patterns could be accounted for by hypothesizing a small number of factors underlying and contributing to the correlated variables
What is the process for factor analysis?
- there are more than 15 000 words that describe positions on trait dimensions
- people are asked where they would place themselves on a scale for a set number of trait dimensions
- then, look at the correlation between the trait dimensions
- conduct factor analysis to analyze why the values of particular variables are related so closely to each other
What are factors?
- an explanation for a correlation is that there is a common underlying characteristic or factor
- each factor is described mathematically as an equation
- the equation estimates the extent to which the hypothesized factor is reflected in the value of each intercorrelated variable
- these are the factor loadings
- the higher the loading for each variable, the more its value is determined by the underlying factor
What is the difference between orthogonal and non-orthogonal factors?
- orthogonal = occurs when the set of variables making up one factor are completely different from the set of variables making up the other factor
- non-orthogonal = occurs when one factor includes some of the same variables as the other factor; leads to an increased number of factors
How do you name a factor?
- a factor analysis does not tell us what the underlying factors are, or how we should name and describe them
- usually, a factor is given a name based on the sorts of variables it influences
- people can differ in terms of the names they give to certain factors
What does factor analysis do?
- does not find “real” things = factors are hypothetical constructs
- does not identify factors
- not necessarily traits = originally used for components of intelligence
- results depend on measures
- results depend on parameters = orthogonal vs non-orthogonal
non-orthogonal, exploratory vs. confirmatory factor analysis
What makes a factor basic?
- reliable = stable over time and observers
- used by both theorists and laypersons
- appear across cultures (lexical hypothesis) = if people find something is important, they will develop a word for it
- must have some biological basis
What is Cattell’s 16 PF?
- non-orthogonal factors
- unusual names that were later changed = affectia, premsia, surgency, tensidia
What is the Big Five?
- dominant view in factor analysis
- there are five dimensions in the Big Five
- the dimension itself is not a trait
What are the dimensions in the Big Five?
- dimension 1 = extroversion - introversion
- dimension 2 = agreeableness
- dimension 3 = conscientiousness - will
- dimension 4 = neuroticism - ego stability
- dimension 5 = intellect/openness
How doe the Big Five factors change with age?
- increase in social dominance (extroversion) between 20 and 40
- increase in conscientiousness between 20 and 40
- increase in emotional stability (neuroticism) between 20 and 40
- increase in social vitality (extroversion) in adolescence, down in old age
- increase in openness in adolescence, down in old age
- increase in agreeableness in old age
Why do changes in the Big Five occur?
- cultural factors
- Europeans and Americans have higher extraversion, higher openness, and lower agreeableness
- selected migration with genes for increased entroversion
- increased population area increases agreeableness
- different genes are active in different parts of life
What are Zuckerman and Kuhlman’s Alternative Five?
- sociability
- neuroticism/anxiety
- impulsive sensation seeking
- aggression/hostility
- activity
What is Zuckerman’s biological model?
- attempted to tie together higher-level personality constructs (traits and factors) with cognitive/behavioural tendencies, emotions, and underlying physicochemical system
- he focuses on the possible role of major neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine and norepinephrine)
How does low blood platelet MAO relate to the Alternate Five?
Low blood platelet MAO is positively associated with
- impulsive sensation-seeking
- sociability
- aggression-hostility
Low blood platelet MAO is correlated with
- chronic marijuana use
- chronic schizophrenia
- adults with borderline, antisocial PD
- children with ADHD, conduct disorder
How does Eysenck’s model compare to Zuckerman’s model?
Eysenck
- single optimal level of arousal
- extroverts are below the optimal level
- introverts are above the optimal level
Zuckerman
- two levels of optimal chemical arousal (low levels of MAO, high levels of activity)
- optimal arousal level for extroverts is higher than that of introverts
- extroverts are below their optimal level, and introverts are above their optimal level
How does factor 1 compare across the three theories?
- extroversion
- same across Big Five, Eysenck, and Alt 5
How does factor 2 compare across the three theories?
- agreeableness
- no equivalent in Eysenck
- negatively correlated with Alt 5’s aggression
How does factor 3 compare across the three theories?
- conscientiousness
- negatively correlated with Eysenck’s psychoticism
- negatively correlated with Alt 5’s sensation-seeking
How does factor 4 compare across the three theories?
- neuroticism
- same across Big Five, Eysenck, and Alt 5
How does factor 5 compare across the three theories?
- intellect/openness
- no equivalent in Eysenck
- positively correlated with Alt 5’s activity
What were the problems with the Big Five?
- no dimension 5 (openness) in several lexicons = Italian, Hungarian, Greek
- extroversion-conscientious dimension Filipino (Tagalog)
- six factors emerge in 7 language lexicons = Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Korean, French, German, Italian
- reanalysis of English lexicon also extracts 6 factor dimensions
What is the HEXACO model?
- honesty-humility (this is the new factor)
- emotionality (neuroticism)
- extraversion
- agreeableness
- conscientiousness
- openness
What is DeRaad et al’s model?
- combined trait lexicons from 10 languages = Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, Filipino, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian (2 lexicons), Polish
- 3 to 6 factor model
- affiliation = honesty-humility, agreeableness
- dynamism = extraversion
- order = emotionality, conscientiousness
- openness was not related to any higher level factor
What are the critiques of trait theories?
- little about personality development
- little clinical relevance
- lots of overlap among factors
- no mention of unconscious at all
- no mention of the relation between traits and cognitions
- no better at predicting behaviour
What is rank order consistency?
- the maintenance of individual differences in behaviour of personality over time or across situations
- we tend to maintain the ways in which we are different from other people the same age
What are the causes of stability?
- from temperament to personality
- physical and environmental factors
- birth order
- early experience
- person-environment transactions
- cumulative continuity and maturity
- end of history
What is heterotypic continuity?
- the reflection of the consistency of fundamental differences in personality that changes with age
- e.g. they may act differently as they age, but the underlying trait is the same
What are some differences in birth order?
- firstborn tend to be more conscientious than the secondborn children
- secondborn tend to be higher on openness
- however, all the effects are fairly small
What are the different types of person-environment transactions?
- active (seek out) = people seek out situations that are compatible, or avoid situations that are incompatible
- reactive (respond to) = people with different personalities may react differently to the same situation
- evocative (create) = people may change situations they encounter through behaviours that express their personality
What is the concept of “end of history”?
from the perspective of the present moment, we expect to change less in the future than we have in the past
What are the two methods of studying personality development?
- cross-sectional studies (can lead to cohort effects)
- longitudinal studies (illustrates maturity principle - conscientiousness, stability)
What are the causes of personality development?
- physical development
- different social roles people occupy at different stages of life
What is the social clock?
- a social clock places pressures on all people to accomplish certain things by certain ages
- on time = receive social approval and enjoy the feeling of being in sync with society
What are the three aspects of identity?
- actor = develop the social skills, traits, and roles that will allow one to begin to take a place in society
- agent (7-9 years) = guided by goals and values, start to plan for the future and align the plans toward outcomes that are important to you
- author (late adolescence) = results in the narrative of your life, comprises your narrative identity
What are some themes in narrative identity?
- agency = life story around episodes of challenging oneself and then accomplishing goals
- redemption = event that seemed terrible but turned out for the best
How do goals change across the lifespan?
- young = focused on preparation for the future
- old = focus on what they find emotionally meaningful, especially ties with family and long-time friends
- appears to result from having a broader or narrower scope about time
How do people desire change?
- desire for change tends to be in a socially desirable direction
- higher in extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness
- lower in neuroticism
How does psychotherapy work?
- can produce long-term behaviour changes
- generally conducted in conjunction with the prescription of psychiatric drugs
What are general interventions?
- typically aimed at important outcomes such as completing education, lessening criminal behaviour, and improving employment prospects
- can be expensive, but can be worth the cost
What are targeted interventions?
- programs tailored to address personality traits
- if you change the relevant behaviors, the trait will follow
then, other behavioural change will follow
How can you increase self-control?
- set realistic goals that are compatible with personal values
- monitor how well you are doing
- work on being consistent
How are life experiences related to personality change?
- big life experiences = starting college, trying drugs, onset of a chronic disease, becoming unemployed, financial setbacks, relationships problems, joining the military
- events can also long after childhood is over
- living abroad showed an increase in openness, self-esteem, agreeableness, and decrease in neuroticism
What are the obstacles to change?
- most people like their personalities the way they are, and do not see any reason for drastic change
- people tend to blame negative experiences and failures on external forces
- people like their lives to be consistent and predictable
What are the steps to personality change?
- precondition 1 = changing trait-related behaviours is considered desirable or necessary
- precondition 2 = changing trait-related behaviour is considered feasible
- self-regulated behavioural changes
- precondition 3 = self-regulated changes become habitual
- trait change
What are the principles of personality development?
- cumulative continuity principle
- maturity principle
- plasticity principle
- role continuity principle
- identity development principle
- social investment principle
- corresponsive principle
What is the cumulative continuity principle?
personality traits increase in rank-order consistency as people get older
What is the maturity principle?
people become better equipped to deal with the demands of life as they acquire experience and skills
What is the plasticity principle?
personality can change at any time, but such changes may not be easy
What is the role continuity principle?
taking on roles or images can lead personality to be consistent over time
What is the identity development principle?
people seek to develop a stable sense of who they are, and then strive to act consistently with this self-view
What is the social investment principle?
changing social roles at different stages of life, such as becoming a spouse, parent, or boss, can cause personality to change
What is the corresponsive principle?
person-environment transactions can cause personality traits to remain consistent or even magnify over time
Is personality change good or bad?
- having a disorganized, unsteady personality leads to difficulties presenting a consistent self to other people
- if one’s personality is constantly changing, then it will be difficult to choose consistent goals that can be pursued over the long term
- whether personality change is good or bad depends on exactly what changes
