Ch2: Methods in the Study of Personality

Question 1

Gathering Information
1.1 Sources-Observe Yourself & Observe Others:
A) Introspection

Answer 1

• looking at your own experiences

- problem: special relationship between you and your memories can distort information

Question 2

B) Observing others:

Answer 2

• looking at someone else’s experiences

problem: impossibility of really knowing what is going inside the person’s mind

Question 3

2.1 Seeking Depth: Case studies

Point 1: Personology

Answer 3

-need to study the person as coherent entity

Question 4

Point 2: Case study

Answer 4

in depth study of one person

• usually over a long period of time
• multiple observations
• rich in detail; compelling examples illustrate broader themes

Question 5

2.2 Depth from Experience Sampling

Point 1: Experience Sampling

Answer 5

• diary studies
• conducted over a long period of time
• person prompted to repeatedly report own experience
• reduces distortion of faulty memory

Question 6

Point 2: Idiographic method: the specifics and characteristics of individuals

Answer 6

-focuses on individual: NOMOTHETIC

Question 7

2.3 Seeking Generality: studies of many people

Point 1: Generality or generalizability

Answer 7

• how widely a conclusion can be applied
• generalizable conclusions based on study of many people
• need to study many types of people

Question 8

Point 2: Limits to generalizability

Answer 8

• types of people used in the sample

- cultural or sociodemographic differences

Question 9

Correlation

Answer 9

• as variables are assessed over many instances, the values on one tend to go together with values on the other in a systematic way
• direction & strength are two independent aspects of a correlation

Question 10

Direction

Answer 10

positive correlation: if low values on one variable tend to go with low values on the other variable/ or high values match with high values
negative correlation: if high values on one variable to go with low values on the other variable

Question 11

Strength

Answer 11

degree of accuracy that values of one variable can be predicted with values on another variable
-expressed by a number or correlation coefficient

Question 12

Variable

Answer 12

• dimension along which there are at least two values or levels
• no cause & effect/ inferential correlated
• suggests a certain level of difference

Question 13

2 kinds of Significance

Answer 13

1. Statistical significance: when there is a very small probability of obtaining a correlation that is as large or larger than the correlation observed due to chance
   - statistical significance is less than 5%
2. Clinical significance: when effect is both statistically and clinical significant and its large enough to have practical imporance

Question 14

Causality

Answer 14

relationship between a cause & an effect

Question 15

Experimental method

Answer 15

• manipulate and create at least two levels of independent variables
• use of random assignment

Question 16

Experimental control

Answer 16

where all conditions are the same except the variable being manipulated

Question 17

Correlational studies

Answer 17

• a study that makes comparisons between groups

- groups represent naturally occurring differences

Question 18

Advtanges & Disadvantages of Experiments

Answer 18

can show cause and effect

disadvantages: unclear with aspect of manipulation produced the effect
- results may have something to do with personality

Question 19

Advantages & Disadvantages of Correlational studies

Answer 19

advantage: allows study of complex events & conditions that would be unethical to manipulate
disadvantage: cannot show cause and effect

Question 20

Multifacto studies

Answer 20

2 or more variables are varied separately

• uses all combinations of levels of predictor variables
• can include experimental manipulations & personality variables

Question 21

Experimental personality research

Answer 21

-combines experimental procedures and individual differences

Question 22

Main effect

Answer 22

-when a predictor variable is linked to the outcome in a systematic way, completely separate of the other predictor

Question 23

Interaction

Answer 23

• when the effect of one predictor variable differs across the levels of the other predictor variables
• need to study more than one factor at a time