Chapter 2 Flashcards
Technical training focuses on what is known. What does scientific training focus on?
Questioning what is known
What is Funder’s second law?
There are no perfect indicators of personality. There are only clues, and clues are always ambiguous.
Is it prudent to pick and choose what clues to accept or reject?
No, instead you should gather all the clues you can with the resources you have.
What is Funder’s third law?
Something beats nothing, two times out of three
What are the four levels of reports that give clues about personality?
They are Self reporting (S data), Informant reporting (I data), life outcomes (L data), and behavioral reporting (B data.)
Together they form the acronym BLIS.
In self reporting, how is a large amount of info an advantage?
Can provide complex aspects of character that no other source can provide.
What are the disadvantages of self reporting?
Maybe they won’t tell you
Maybe they can’t tell you
Too simple and easy
In self reporting, how is access to thoughts, feelings and intent an advantage?
The psychological meaning of a behavior often lies in what was intended; others can infer this, but only the individual can verify it.
In self reporting, how is definitional truth an advantage?
If you think you have a trait then you do. No one else’s opinion matters. (Ex: self esteem)
In self reporting, how is causal force an advantage?
Efficacy expectations are goals you believe you can achieve.
Self verification means that you want others to see you how you see yourself. (If you’re friendly, you want others to see you as such)
What are the advantages of self reporting?
Large amount of info Access to thoughts, feelings and intent Definitional truth Causal force Cost effective
What are the advantages of I data?
A large amount of info Real world basis Common sense Definitional truth Causal force
In I reporting, how is a large amount of info an advantage?
Average is better than one judgement, which gives I data a strong advantage.
In I reporting, how is real world basis an advantage?
You see the individual in their environment and this can give great clues about life outcomes
In I reporting, how is common sense an advantage?
They can consider both an immediate situation and the person’s behaviors
In I reporting, how is definitional truth an advantage?
Some traits can only be seen “in the eye of the beholder.”
The difficulty we have seeing ourselves as others do may be a reason I data is better at predicting outcomes such as academic achievement and occupational success.
In I reporting, how is causal force an advantage?
It can reflect reputation, may be unfair but produces consequences and the expectancy effect- we tend to become what others think of us.
What are the disadvantages of I data?
Limited behavioral info
Lack of access to prior experience
Error
Bias
In I reporting, how is limited behavioral info a disadvantage?
Know only parts of a persons personality, not holistically. A co worker will not know how you behave at a family Christmas party.
In I reporting, how is lack of access to thoughts and feelings a disadvantage?
Fantasies, hopes, fears, and dreams can only come from S data or what is shared.
In I reporting, how is error a disadvantage?
Humans make mistakes
May not remember everything
We remember emotionally charged, unusual or extreme experiences
People tend to take a singular event and assume it’s applicable broadly, but it might have been an isolated incident
Consistent behavior is more informant about personality
In I reporting, how is bias a disadvantage?
Differs from error because it is systematic, seeing someone either more positively or negatively than they deserve.
Most people will choose others who describe them positively
Includes racism, sexism or judgements about thier job/career
What are some examples of L data?
Archival records such as arrest reports, medical files, web pages, also directly asked questions about life events, also social media.
What are the advantages of L data?
Objective and verifiable Intrinsic importance (the goal of psychology is often to affect positive life outcomes) Psychological relevance (quantifiable and measurable attributes
What are the disadvantages of L data?
Hard to link cause to multiple traits
(Ex college success finance or ability)
Predictions based on L data have a high chance of being inaccurate
A scientist can only predict a particular outcome to the degree it is psychologically caused
L data are only psychologically caused to a small degree
What are the two types of B data?
Natural and laboratory data
What are some examples of natural b data?
Diaries, experiential sampling (beeper study) and ambulatory assessment (computer assisted)
What are the types of laboratory b data?
Experiment and physiological measure
What are the two advantages of B data?
Range of contexts ( can create an environment to observe events that don’t often occur in real life)
Appearance of objectivity (psychologist doesn’t have to take someone’s word, and direct gathering increases precision)
What are the disadvantages of B data?
Difficult and expensive Uncertain interpretation ( numbers don’t interpret themselves)
What are the advantage and disadvantage of B data?
Each type provide info missed by the other and each raises its own distinct possibilities of error
What three questions should we ask to assess data quality?
Are the data reliable?
Are the data valid?
Are the data generalizable?
