Aaron paul spiteri Flashcards
Individual differences is
defined as enduring, typical characteristics or dispositions of individuals.
which approach is most common in ID
The psychometric approach is most frequently used in the study of individual differences.
However, many in the field such as Caprara and Cervone (2000)
argue that the focus on developing lists of traits or taxonomies is limited because it tends to focus on descriptions of the nature and structure of individual differences.
what will jobs measure you on
Think about your own experiences and how your performance on tests (personality and intellectual ability) have and will be used to assess your suitability for a job or place on a well paid graduate training scheme. Test scores are used to make high stakes decisions about individuals.
psychometric principle
So remember that an important psychometric principle relates to scaling and this states that complex psychological phenomena can be transformed into quantities or numerical data that represent real differences in complex psychological qualities
Main type of measurement is used in ID
So remember that the main types of measurement used in individual differences psychology are self-report data, observational data, life data and test data.
heaviest report measure
However, Individual differences psychology relies heavily on self-report data.
So remember that the type of reliability used to measure the relationship between the individual’s test score and their true score is
the alpha coefficient
However, it is also important to remember that the psychometric approach to measurement states that actual measures or scores consist of two types of error
namely random error plus systematic error
It is also important to remember that psychometric tests consist of multiple items and your ‘score’ is calculated by adding up your scores on a number of items (and then sometimes calculating an average score).
We call your final single score aggregate individual data
Allport (1927)
conceptualises personality traits as fundamental dispositions that are independent of and not influenced by other variables
Research on individual differences that focuses on describing the discrete personality traits often concentrates on
developing taxonomies that list personality traits
Trait approaches to personality often use
statistical models and the lexical hypothesis to develop their theories
So, Eysenck’s tripartite model of personality consists of psychoticism;
extraversion; neuroticism that are described as superfactors
So, remember that the NEO-PI-R is
a measure of the five factor personality traits
Evidence suggests we also seek out contexts and activities that are coherent with our traits
(e.g. low levels of trait extraversion might lead an individual to seek out quieter environments and avoid large social group gatherings). This is known as trait coherency.
According to Cooper (2002) intellectual ability is
performance on some task that has a substantial information processing component
Mayr (1982) identified two broad categories of theories of intelligence:
lumpers that conceptualise it as either a single entity or splitters that conceptualise it as comprised of different components
Spearman (1904)
conceptualised intelligence as hierarchical and underpinned by g (general ability)
An important feature of Thurstone’s theory of intelligence
is that different ‘intelligences’ are regarded as distinct and independent
I might regard myself as an intelligent thinker because I have always performed well on tests of reasoning ability or what
Hakstian and Cattell (1978) call fluid intelligence
However, my general knowledge of facts and figures is not as strong, or what
Hakstian and Cattell (1978) would call crystallised intelligence.
An important feature of early research on the measurement of intelligence is
that it conceptualised it as
context-independent
So, remember that tests of intellectual ability measure
optimal behaviour
More contemporary research on intelligence has shifted to
conceptualising intelligent behaviour as that which enables the individual to adapt successfully to a range of challenges and
demands
Traditionally, research on personality and physical health has focused on
identifying disease prone personalities
An important principle of the biopsychosocial model of health is that many factors other than
the purely biochemical or somatic influence health and disease.
Early researchers on type A behaviour pattern argued that it is linked to
to cardiovascular disease by pathogenic neurophysiological mechanisms
Rosenman and Friedman argued that much of the behaviour typical of type B
personality can be described as appropriate autonomy
Type A individuals often display a behavioural style typified by
‘anger-in’ (e.g. subtle behavioural expressions of anger in response to criticism) and ‘hostility’ (e.g. unfriendly and cold)
How Type A behaviour pattern is measured is important and
the Structured Interview appears to be the most valid and reliable measure.
Type C personality is used to describe what has been referred to as
the cancer prone personality.
Research on type D personality was developed to help understanding of how individuals respond
to surgery, medication and other clinical outcomes, as well as patients help – seeking behaviours
Keyes (2005) complete state model of health indicates that
individuals with complete mental health should be free of mental disorder and flourishing
Hampson (2012) argues that
conscientiousness is a valuable predictor of health
McCrae, Lockenhoff and Costa argue that
‘characteristic maladaptations’ are adverse consequences and problems of daily living that can develop as the individual with certain trait intensities interacts with their environment
Trait negative affectivity
is measured using levels of trait neuroticism
