chapter 1

Question 1

what is the definition of personality psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of what makes us who we are

Question 2

social psych and personality psych?

Answer 2

both fields study topics of interest that are the same, but study them in different ways (ask different questions)

Question 3

what are the distinct differences between social psych and personality psych

Answer 3

personality: interested in individual differences (what makes us unique)
- see person themselves as responsible for what they do
- personality, attitudes, beliefs, morals, etc.

social: study characteristics of situation that can determine behavior
- power of the situation ex. Milgram’s obedience

Question 4

explain an example of personality and social psych

Answer 4

ex. how people behave at a party (both fields might look at this)
- personality: know about person and their personality (individual characteristics)
- social: know about the party and the situation (what kind of party it is)

• *we might think these two fields are pitted against eachother, but they are not, they complement one another
• *the best journals combine the two fields

Question 5

what is Kurt Lewin’s “grand truism”

Answer 5

one of the main founders of personality psych
-his explanation for behavior

B = f(P, E)

Behavior = Function of Personal and Enviornment

Question 6

what is the “grand truism” known as

Answer 6

interactionist perspective
-for the most part personality does not operate in isolation, and neither do social situational variables

personality and situation interaction

Question 7

what is a main effect

Answer 7

one of the independent variables has an effect on the dependent variable by itself (ignoring the other independent variable)

Question 8

what is an interaction

Answer 8

the effect of one of the IVs on the DV depends on the other IV

Question 9

explain person and situation interaction

Answer 9

these two things interact with eachother to determine human behavior

Question 10

explain the example of the interaction between shyness and alcohol and dancing at a party

Answer 10

IV: shyness (high or low)
IV: alcohol (some or none)
DV: amount of dancing

there is a main effect of shyness and a main effect of alcohol consumption (different heights on bar graph, see on paper)

there is also an interaction. the effect of shyness on dancing at a party depends on alcohol consumption (show bar graphs on paper)
No alcohol: shy people dance less than non shy
Alcohol: shy people dance more than non shy

Question 11

how do we assess personality (acronym)

Answer 11

LOTS

Question 12

what does the LOTS acronym stand for

Answer 12

L data: Life experiences and public information
O data: observation of behavior
T data: test/performance
S data: self-report

Question 13

explain S-Data and the types

Answer 13

1) questionnaires (there are many of these in personality psych)
2) interviews
- structured and semi-structured: interviewer has set questions they are supposed to ask

Question 14

advantages and disadvantages of S-Data

Answer 14

Advantages:
going right to source, can get things (thoughts and emotions) you do not get by observing, cheap and easy

Disadvantages:
could lie, inadequate introspection, people do not know why they do things, subjective (don’t know how each person is interpreting scale)

Question 15

explain T-Data

Answer 15

observing performance in a test-like situation

-tests are very structured with specific procedures (IAT test)

Question 16

advantages and disadvantages of T-Data

Answer 16

Advantages:
highly standardized (given in certain way)

Disadvantages:
difficult to apply data to real life (limited generalizability)

Question 17

explain O-Data

Answer 17

observe behavior and make inferences about personality

-lots of ways to do it (experimenter, teacher, parent, trained observers)

Question 18

advantages and disadvantages of O-Data

Answer 18

Advantages:
do not know they are being observed so avoid self-presentational concerns, see behavior in natural setting

Disadvantages:
time consuming, expensive, observers have biases (Especially if they know purpose of study)

Question 19

explain L-Data

Answer 19

information about a person that is publicly available

ex. criminal background check, look at Facebook

Question 20

advantages and disadvantages of L-Data

Answer 20

Advantages:
objective- data is already out there, verifiable, easily accessible

Disadvantages:
does not provide much nuance data (Facebook friends does not necessarily equal social connectedness)

Question 21

what is triangulation

Answer 21

using multiple methods to assess personality (using one or more of LOTS)