Chp 2 - Personality Assessment, Measurement and Research Flashcards
Reliability
the consistency of scores that are expected to be the same
Internal consistency reliability
Degree of consistency measured by seeing whether subparts or equivalent parts of a test yield the same results (e.g. split-half)
Repeated Measurements
- Test-retest, consistent across time
Temporal stability
when you retest, it is the same over time, consistent
Construct Validity
Measures what it claims to measure
What 3 validity (in slide) are included in construct validity?
- Predictive validity
- Convergent validity
- Discriminant validity
Predictive (Criterion) Validity
Do the test results predict behaviours related to the construct?
Eg. Measure conscientiousness:
Related to honesty, does your measure of conscientiousness predict how truthful someone is?
Convergent validity
Does the test include testing for related behaviours
e.g. if theory suggest extraversion included being talkative, does test of extraversion include being talkative?
Try to capture a range of behaviours
Discriminant Validity
The test does NOT measure unrelated characteristics
e.g someone high in introversion shouldn’t necessarily score high in unrelated characteristics, such as fearfulness
Face validity
does the test make sense?
What are the three major sources of bias in personality assessment
gender, ethnic, response sets
Gender Bias
Expectations based on sex can influence test construction and interpretation
e.g. certain traits may seem more feminine…
Response Set
Tendency to respond based on factors other than what is being measured
3 types of common response sets
- acquiescence
- extreme responding
- social desirability
Response set (acquiescence)
tendency to agree with statements
(Use reverse score to combat)
Response set (extreme responding)
tendency to give end-point or extreme answer
Response set (social desirability)
desire to please the researcher or to show oneself in a positive light
(counter with lie scale)
Self Report Data
- Unstructured: open-ended questions, e.g. 20 statements test (I am____)
- Structured: possible and provided, item checklist/ TF/ Likert e.g MBTI
Pros and Cons of Self Report
Pros:
- easy to administer
- common
- objective scoring
- large samples possible
Cons
- Honesty, bias and reliability
- accuracy
Q-Sort Test
- Cards of list of words or phrases
- Sort characteristics into piles or groups
- Sorting rule can change e.g. self, other, ideal self
Ratings, judgments by others
- report on someone else’s behav
- self report tool
- observation by someone who knows the indiv
- inter-rater reliability
- objectively rate behave
inter-rater reliability
degree of agreement among independent observers who rate, code, or assess the same phenomenon.
behavioural observations
- Typically setting in which behaviour normally occurs
- Specific a priori coding schemes
- usually time sampling (behv recorded for specific time at specific intervals)
- but subject to the Hawthorne Effect
Hawthorne Effect
If an individual is aware that they are being observed/ measured, they may behave differently as usual
Biological Measures
- Behave corresponds to brain activity (e.g. fMRi)
- influence of behaviour genetics
- measures of autonomic nervous systems activity
Interviews
Unstructured:
- open-ended, tell me about…
- keep focus, follow up, follow themes
Structured
- specific questions
- standardised (question, tone, pace)
emphasis on:
- what said
- how it said
- expressive behv
document and biographical studies
info about the person’s life (e.g. diaries, photos)
Name 2 projective tests
1) Rorschach
2) Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Rorschach (Ink blot) Test
Uncertain validity, but useful for insights
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Look at picture and interpret the situation
Online internet analysis of social media and big data
e.g. counting FB likes, analyzing tweets, search history
Most appropriate assessment is determined by the _______ _______.
research question
Name 3 Research Design
- Case studies
- Correlational Studies
- Experiments
Case Studies
Detailed observation of one or the few individuals
Pros and Cons of case studies
Pros:
1) Special individuals/ groups can be studied particularly, eg. Genie
Data that we cannot create any other way
2) Collect a range of detailed data
3) Clinical applications
Cons:
1)Hard to generalise to other people due to case studies being too special
2) Time consuming/costly
3) Causation to the individual studied
Correlational studies
Examines the extent to which 2 or more variables are related
Pros and Cons of correlational studies
Pros:
1) Prediction can be easier, extrapolation
2) Direction and strength of the relationship
3) Multiple measures
4) Aspects that cannot be studied in the lab
Cons:
- Correlation doesn’t equal causation
Experiments
Research method used to identify and test effect(s) of the independent vars
independent var:
- factor of interest
- manipulated
dependent var:
- measured
