Chapter 4 Flashcards
Assumptions of Trait Theories
What are the three important assumptions about personality traits shared by trait theories?
o Meaningful individual differences
o Stability over time
o Consistency across situations
Why are trait psychologists primarily interested in individual differences?
Trait psychologists focus on the ways in which people differ from each other, as any meaningful difference may potentially be identified as a personality trait.
What is another term for trait psychology and what does it include?
Differential psychology, which includes the study of abilities, aptitudes, and intelligence in addition to personality traits.
Why has trait psychology historically been concerned with accurate measurement?
Because it emphasizes the quantitative approach to how much a given individual differs from average.
What does the quantitative approach in trait psychology emphasize?
It emphasizes the amount or degree to which individuals differ from each other.
How do trait psychologists view the complexity of personality?
They believe that every personality, no matter how complex, is the product of a particular combination of a few basic and primary traits.
What is the evidence for the stability of personality traits over time?
Research shows that traits like intelligence, emotional reactivity, impulsiveness, shyness, and aggression have high test-retest correlations over years or decades.
Which personality traits are particularly noted for their stability due to a biological basis?
Extraversion, sensation seeking, activity level, and shyness.
What does rank order stability suggest about personality traits?
Individuals scoring high or low on a particular trait will continue to score high or low on that trait over time.
What is the third assumption of trait psychologists?
Traits will exhibit some consistency across situations.
Why has the consistency of traits across situations been debated?
Walter Mischel’s review of studies suggested low correlations between similar behaviors in different situations, questioning the consistency of personality traits.
What is situationism?
The theory that situational differences, rather than underlying personality traits, determine behavior.
What is aggregation and why is it important in trait psychology?
Aggregation is averaging several single observations to obtain a more reliable measure of a personality trait.
Explain the formula B = f(P × S).
This formula suggests that behavior (B) is a function of the interaction between personality traits (P) and situational forces (S).
What is situational specificity?
Situational specificity refers to the idea that people act in specific ways under particular circumstances, implying behavior is influenced by the situation.
How do personality traits interact with situational forces to produce behavior?
Personality traits and situational forces combine to influence behavior, with some traits being expressed differently depending on the situation.
What is situational selection?
The tendency to choose the situations in which one finds oneself, influenced by one’s personality.
What is evocation?
The idea that certain personality traits may evoke specific responses from the environment.
What is manipulation in the context of trait psychology?
The intentional use of certain tactics to influence the behavior of others, differing from selection, which involves choosing existing environments.
What is the primary method used to measure personality traits?
Self-report questionnaires.
What are some issues with measurement in trait psychology?
Carelessness, faking, false negatives, and false positives.
What is the purpose of an infrequency scale in questionnaires?
To detect carelessness by including items that almost all people will answer in a particular way.
What is the difference between overt and covert integrity tests?
Overt integrity tests ask directly about counterproductive behaviors, while covert tests assess personality traits correlated with such behaviors.
Why do integrity tests have a good record of demonstrating freedom from disparate impact?
They have extensive statistical evidence demonstrating their validity in predicting counterproductive behavior and are generally fair to all groups.
What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in relation to personality testing?
The ADA states that employers cannot conduct medical examinations or inquire about disabilities during the selection process.
What is the main legal concern for employers using personality testing?
Privacy, ensuring that questions do not intrude on an applicant’s rights.
What are the problems with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)?
It is based on Jung’s theory, which is not widely endorsed by researchers, and it uses a typological scoring system that can lead to unreliable classifications.
What is the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) and what does it measure?
The HPI measures aspects of the Big Five traits relevant to motives important in business settings, such as acceptance, status, and predictability.
What has research shown about the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)?
More than 500 validity studies support its reliability and ability to predict job-relevant criteria.
