Chapters 6 & 7: Traits & Personality Change

Question 1

Single-Trait Approach

Answer 1

the research strategy of focusing on one particular trait of interest and learning as much as possible about it’s behavioral correlated, developmental antecedents and life consequences

Question 2

Many-Trait Approach

Answer 2

the research strategy that focuses on a particular and investigates its correlates with as many different personality traits as possible in order to explain the basis of the behavior and to illuminate the workings of personality

Question 3

Essential-Trait Approach

Answer 3

the research strategy that attempts to narrow the list of thousands of trait terms into a shorter list of ones that really matter

Question 4

Typological Approach

Answer 4

the research strategy that focuses on identifying types of individuals

each type is characterized by a particular pattern of traits

Question 5

California Q Set

Answer 5

a set of 100 descriptive terms (e.g. “is critical, skeptical, not easily impressed) that comprehensively covers the personality domain

Question 6

Lexical Hypothesis

Answer 6

the idea that, if people find something is important, they will develop a word for it, and therefore the major personality traits will have synonymous terms in many different languages

Question 7

Rank-Order Consistency

Answer 7

the maintenance of individual differences in behavior or personality over time or across situations

Question 8

Temperament

Answer 8

the term often used for the “personality” of very young, pre-verbal children

aspects of temperament include basic attributes such as activity level, emotional reactivity, and cheerfulness

Question 9

Heterotypic Continuity

Answer 9

the reflection of the consistently of fundamental differences in personality that changes with age

e.g. the emotionally fragile child will act differently than the emotionally fragile adult, but the underlying trait is the same

Question 10

Person-Environment Transactions

Answer 10

the processes by which people respond to, seek out, and create environments that are compatible with, and may magnify their personality traits

Question 11

Active Person-Environment Transactions

Answer 11

the process by which people seek out situations that are compatible with their personalities, or avoid situations that they perceive as incompatible

Question 12

Reactive Person-Environment Transactions

Answer 12

the process by which people with different personalities may react differently to the same situation

Question 13

Evocative Person-Environment Transactions

Answer 13

the process by which a person may change situations they encounter through behaviors that express their personality

Question 14

Cumulative Continuity Principle

Answer 14

the idea that personality becomes more stable and unchanging as a person gets older

Question 15

Personality Development

Answer 15

change in personality over time, including the development of adult personality from its origins in infancy and childhood, and changes in personality over the life span

Question 16

Cross-Sectional Study

Answer 16

a study of personality development in which people of different ages are assessed at the same time

Question 17

Cohort Effect

Answer 17

the tendency for a research finding to be limited to one group, or cohort, or people, such as people all living during a particular era or in a particular location

Question 18

Longitudinal Study

Answer 18

the study of personality development in which the same people are assessed repeatedly over extended periods of time, sometimes many years

Question 19

Maturity Principle

Answer 19

the idea that traits associated with effective functioning increase with age

Question 20

Social Clock

Answer 20

the traditional expectations of society for when a person is expected to have achieved certain goals such as starting a family or getting settled into a career

Question 21

Narrative Identity

Answer 21

the story one tells oneself about who one is

Question 22

What are the questions and goals of the single trait approach?

Answer 22

what do people like that do?

study 1 trait and find all the behaviors that differentiate people high vs. lox on that dimension

Question 23

What are the questions and goals of the many trait approach?

Answer 23

who does that?

study 1 behavior and find all of the traits that characterize the people who engage in it

Question 24

What are the questions and goals of the essential trait approach?

Answer 24

determine the most efficient way to describe personality, covering the most differences with the fewest traits

Question 25

What are the questions and goals of the typological approach?

Answer 25

categorize people into qualitatively different groups (rather than examining differences along dimensions)

Question 26

What are the Big Five personality traits?

Answer 26

the most common labels are neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness

Question 27

What is the lexical hypothesis?

Answer 27

important aspects of life will be labeled with words, and if something is truly important and universal, there will be many words for it in all languages

Question 28

What are the typological approaches to personality?

Answer 28

important differences between people may be qualitative

Caspi’s 3 types: well adjusted, maladjusted overcontrolling, maladjusted under-controlling

types do not predict behavior or life outcomes beyond what can be predicted with the trait that define the typology

categorization is problematic, and unreliable

Question 29

What is rank-order consistency?

Answer 29

rank-order consistency (i.e. one’s position within the group) is compatible with changes at the mean-level (i.e., the typical/average level of that trait for the group

consistency is established with correlation between measures over time, and between personality and behavior

Question 30

What is the process of active person-environment transaction?

Answer 30

person seek out compatible environments and avoids incompatible ones

examples: aggressive person goes to bar where fights are frequent; introvert avoids social gatherings

Question 31

What is the process of reactive person-environment transaction?

Answer 31

different people respond differently to the same situation

examples: extravert finds party enjoyable; introvert finds same party unbearable

Question 32

What is the process of evocative person-environment transaction?

Answer 32

aspects of an individual’s personality leads to behavior that changes the situations he or she experiences

example: conscientiousness person tells group “it’s time to get to work”; disagreeable person starts argument over minor matter

Question 33

What are cross-sectional studies?

Answer 33

surveys of people at different ages

plagued by cohort effects

Question 34

What are longitudinal studies?

Answer 34

follow the same people over time

plagued by history effects

Question 35

What are sequential studies?

Answer 35

combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal

Question 36

What is the maturity principle?

Answer 36

traits needed to effectively perform adult roles increase with age

Question 37

What are the causes of stability in personality?

Answer 37

temperament
physical and environmental factors
birth order (maybe)
early adverse and positive experiences
person-environment transactions
cumulative continuity principle

Question 38

What are the causes of change in personality?

Answer 38

physical development
increases in intelligence and linguistic abilities
hormone-level changes
changes in social roles and responsibilities
maturity principle