Aaron paul spiteri

Question 1

Individual differences is

Answer 1

defined as enduring, typical characteristics or dispositions of individuals.

Question 2

which approach is most common in ID

Answer 2

The psychometric approach is most frequently used in the study of individual differences.

Question 3

However, many in the field such as Caprara and Cervone (2000)

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

what will jobs measure you on

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

psychometric principle

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Main type of measurement is used in ID

Answer 6

So remember that the main types of measurement used in individual differences psychology are self-report data, observational data, life data and test data.

Question 7

heaviest report measure

Answer 7

However, Individual differences psychology relies heavily on self-report data.

Question 8

So remember that the type of reliability used to measure the relationship between the individual’s test score and their true score is

Answer 8

the alpha coefficient

Question 9

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

Answer 9

namely random error plus systematic error

Question 10

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).

Answer 10

We call your final single score aggregate individual data

Question 11

Allport (1927)

Answer 11

conceptualises personality traits as fundamental dispositions that are independent of and not influenced by other variables

Question 12

Research on individual differences that focuses on describing the discrete personality traits often concentrates on

Answer 12

developing taxonomies that list personality traits

Question 13

Trait approaches to personality often use

Answer 13

statistical models and the lexical hypothesis to develop their theories

Question 14

So, Eysenck’s tripartite model of personality consists of psychoticism;

Answer 14

extraversion; neuroticism that are described as superfactors

Question 15

So, remember that the NEO-PI-R is

Answer 15

a measure of the five factor personality traits

Question 16

Evidence suggests we also seek out contexts and activities that are coherent with our traits

Answer 16

(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.

Question 17

According to Cooper (2002) intellectual ability is

Answer 17

performance on some task that has a substantial information processing component

Question 18

Mayr (1982) identified two broad categories of theories of intelligence:

Answer 18

lumpers that conceptualise it as either a single entity or splitters that conceptualise it as comprised of different components

Question 19

Spearman (1904)

Answer 19

conceptualised intelligence as hierarchical and underpinned by g (general ability)

Question 20

An important feature of Thurstone’s theory of intelligence

Answer 20

is that different ‘intelligences’ are regarded as distinct and independent

Question 21

I might regard myself as an intelligent thinker because I have always performed well on tests of reasoning ability or what

Answer 21

Hakstian and Cattell (1978) call fluid intelligence

Question 22

However, my general knowledge of facts and figures is not as strong, or what

Answer 22

Hakstian and Cattell (1978) would call crystallised intelligence.

Question 23

An important feature of early research on the measurement of intelligence is

Answer 23

that it conceptualised it as

context-independent

Question 24

So, remember that tests of intellectual ability measure

Answer 24

optimal behaviour

Question 25

More contemporary research on intelligence has shifted to

Answer 25

conceptualising intelligent behaviour as that which enables the individual to adapt successfully to a range of challenges and
demands

Question 26

Traditionally, research on personality and physical health has focused on

Answer 26

identifying disease prone personalities

Question 27

An important principle of the biopsychosocial model of health is that many factors other than

Answer 27

the purely biochemical or somatic influence health and disease.

Question 28

Early researchers on type A behaviour pattern argued that it is linked to

Answer 28

to cardiovascular disease by pathogenic neurophysiological mechanisms

Question 29

Rosenman and Friedman argued that much of the behaviour typical of type B

Answer 29

personality can be described as appropriate autonomy

Question 30

Type A individuals often display a behavioural style typified by

Answer 30

‘anger-in’ (e.g. subtle behavioural expressions of anger in response to criticism) and ‘hostility’ (e.g. unfriendly and cold)

Question 31

How Type A behaviour pattern is measured is important and

Answer 31

the Structured Interview appears to be the most valid and reliable measure.

Question 32

Type C personality is used to describe what has been referred to as

Answer 32

the cancer prone personality.

Question 33

Research on type D personality was developed to help understanding of how individuals respond

Answer 33

to surgery, medication and other clinical outcomes, as well as patients help – seeking behaviours

Question 34

Keyes (2005) complete state model of health indicates that

Answer 34

individuals with complete mental health should be free of mental disorder and flourishing

Question 35

Hampson (2012) argues that

Answer 35

conscientiousness is a valuable predictor of health

Question 36

McCrae, Lockenhoff and Costa argue that

Answer 36

‘characteristic maladaptations’ are adverse consequences and problems of daily living that can develop as the individual with certain trait intensities interacts with their environment

Question 37

Trait negative affectivity

Answer 37

is measured using levels of trait neuroticism