Chapter 2: Intro to Personality Theory II Flashcards
What does LOTS (of data) stand for?
L- life record data
O- observer data
T- test data
S- self-report data
what is life record data? Give an example
info from person’s life history/record
eg. student’s grades- when researching relation bw personality and school performance
what is observer data? give an example
info provided by individuals who have observed target person who’s being assessed
eg. parents, friends, coworkers, teachers of target person
what is test data?
(gold standard) info from experimental procedures that measure people’s performance on a task
-implicit measures bc participants unaware of personality aspect
example of test data
marshmallow test for kids- ability for impulse control (wait to receive reward)
what is an example of self reported data
questionnaires, surveys
what are the limitations of self reported data
-response bias (overreport positive, underreport negative)
-diff cultures define words differently
-unaware of their own psychol. characteristics
what is the advantage of self reported data
-convenience (in person or online)
- easy to obtain
what kind of research is generally conducted using life record data?
correlational research
what is a limitation for observational data
based on assumptions, not 100%
what are contemporary developments in personality research?
- lanugage and social media
- computerized text analysis methods
what is a fixed measure?
the exact same measures are administered to all the people in a study ; scores computed in the same way
- most common method in personality psych.
what are the pros of fixed measures?
objective, simple
what are the cons of fixed measures?
-some items may be irrelevant to some of ppl taking the test
-features of personality that are not on the test
what is a flexible measure? give an example
unstructured personality tests
eg. let ppl describe themselves in own words
define nomothetic
fixed measures that are applied in the same manner to all persons
define idiographic
flexible assessment techniques that are tailored to the particular individual being studied
what are 2 types of evidence (bio evidence) about brain functioning that are valuable?
- electroencephalography (EEG)
-fMRI
how does EEG work?
electrodes placed on scalp- detect neurons
how does fMRI work?
uses imaging for blood flow to different parts of brain during task performance
what is a personality assessment?
any standardized procedure for learning about an individual’s personality/measuring differences in personality among people in a population
what guides the choice of assessment technique?
theory
what are the 4 targets of assessment in personality psychology?
-average behaviour
- variability in behaviour
- conscious thought
- unconscious mental events
define reliability
extent to which observations can be replicated; whether measures are dependable/stable
what factors impacts reliability
-psychological state
-carelessness in scoring test
-ambiguous rules for interpreting scores
-mood, motivation, age, location of test, etc.
how is reliability measured?
using:
- internal consistency
-test-retest reliability
- inter-rated reliability
what is internal consistency?
do different items on the test correlate with one another, as one would expect if each is a reflection of a common psychological construct?
what is test-retest reliability?
if people take the test at 2 different times, do their scores correlate with one another?
what is inter-rated reliability
different results with different researcher
eg. one researcher was really hot so your personality is “different”
define validity
extent to which observations reflect phenomenon of interest in a given study
- are you measuring what you say you’re measuring?
what do ethical principles encompass?
-treatment of participants
-interpretation and presentation of results
-reduction of personal and social bias
what is a case study
in depth analysis of individual cases
- idiographic approach
what are the 3 general approaches to research?
-personality questionnaires & correlational research
- case studies & clinical research
-lab studies & experimental research
what is the stereotype threat (Claude Steele)?
if person is member of group where there’s a stereotype, and if the person thinks of the stereotype, becomes threatened that they might confirm the stereotype
what are the key features of controlled experiments?
-participants assigned at random
-one or more variables manipulated
-can conclude variable causality
what is the correlation coefficient
stat used to gauge degree to which 2 variables and measures are linearly related
what are the strengths of questionnaires & correlation research?
-study wide range of variables
-study relationships among many variables
-large samples easily obtained
what are the limitations of questionnaires & correlation research?
-establish association, not causal
-problems of reliability and validity of self report questionnaires
-individuals not studied in depth
what are the strengths of lab studies & experiment. research?
-manipulate specific variables
-objective data
- establish cause & effect
what are the limitations of lab studies & experiment. research?
-exclude phenomena that can’t be studied in lab
-artificial setting that limits generality of findings
-foster demand characteristics and experimenter expectancy effects
what are the strengths of case studies & clinical research?
-avoid artificial lab
-study full complexity of person environment relationships
-lead to in depth study of person
what are the limitations of case studies & clinical research?
-lead to systematic observation
-encourage subjective interpretation of data
-do not establish causal relationships
