Dispositional trait personality theory: Core trait theories of personality

Question 1

Galton
Known for his early work on?
Also, interested in the relationship between?
- what did he provide? (First documented source of) words eliciting?
- What did he suggest?
- what did this become known as? what does this hypothesis suggest?

Answer 1

Englishman known for his early work on genetic influences on intelligence.

-Also interested in the relationships between language and personality

-He suggested that the most meaningful personality descriptors would become encoded in the English language as single terms

• In 1884, he provided the first documented source of a dictionary and/or thesaurus to elicit words to describe personality

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Lexical hypothesis: individual differences between people that are important become encoded as single terms

Question 2

Who were the lexical researchers?
- What two sources did they use?
- To try to? (Count what)

• what did they identify and produce?

Answer 2

Researchers who used dictionaries or Rogets thesaurus to identify and count the number of words describing personality traits

identified synonyms describing personality traits and produced lists

Question 3

Allport 1897- 1967
Occupation? Why is he significant?
Allport and Odbert: How many words did they identify?

Answer 3

one of the first psychologists to produce a lexical list
Allport & Odbert 1936: identified 18.000 words in which 4,500 described personality traits

Question 4

Although Allport promoted the concept of personality traits what did he state in 1961 about personality traits? (They can not?)
Why were there limitations to trait theory? (What is a main feature of traits. But what can it also have)

Answer 4

Limitations of trait theory
Impossible for personality traits to predict behaviour in a specific situation. Although there is a constancy in behaviour, there is also variability.

Question 5

What kind of approach did Allport take on personality?
A combination of? creates? result?
What did Allport believe personality was capable of? why? (change is a part of?) allows us to?

Answer 5

Allport had a unified approach to personality.
He believed that the combination of traits creates uniqueness and that this combination made the personality. Alpport also believed that the personality was capable of constant change as it was a component part of the personality system, allowing us to adapt and cope to new situations

Question 6

Allport distinguished between the nomothetic approach and the ideographic approach

What are they known as?
Nomothetic approach: concerned with? what does it study? to establish? identify? a person could be described as?

Answer 6

The nomothetic approach and ideographic approach = approaches to study the personality

Nomothetic: concerned with similarities between individuals
Studies large groups on a particular trait to establish group averages which can be used ti identify norms: an individual could be described as being above or below average

Question 7

Allport distinguished between the ideographic and nomothetic approach

Approaches to studying?
Ideographic approach?
Produce what kind of personality structure for each individual?
Emphasises?

Answer 7

Approaches to studying personality
Ideographic
concerned with personality traits within a single person
each person has a unique personality structure
Produce a unique understanding of a person’s personality

Method: a case study/

Question 8

What approach did Allport prefer?
What was the nomothetic approach useful for? (Classifications)
What did Allport argue? (Comparisons between xxx is not a useful way to)
What did the ideographic approach allow? (PD) definition? an effective approach to?

Answer 8

Nomothetic approach = identify common traits which classifies people into categories or groups

arguerd that comparisons of common traits was not a useful way of studying personality

Instead he believed more in the Ideographic approach as it allowed identification of personal dispositions (unique charcateristics) was a more effective approach to studying personality

Question 9

Allport
Distinctions of personality traits
Definitions?

Answer 9

distinctions of personality traits
Cardinal traits: single traits that dominate the personality and influence behaviour

Central traits: 5 to 10 traits that Allport deemed as being the best descriptors of a persons personality

Secondary traits: refer to preferences, not core to personality. May only become apparent in certain situations

Question 10

What did Allport emphsise as being important for every theory of personality
Why? What does it help?

Answer 10

Allport emphasized that for every personality theory, the concept of the self is important as it aids the development of Identity and individuality. (help distinctions of personality ie central traits)

Question 11

Allport
What was still not produced at this time? Why? To assess?

Answer 11

Allports list of 4500 words of traits was not a practical method to assess personality
No standardised measures of personality produced

Question 12

Cattell
Who invented factor analysis? What did this allow in the investigations of trait theory?
What method did Cattell use? What did he do? What did he notice? What did these smaller number of traits become known as?

Answer 12

Invention of factor analysis by Dpearman led to advancements in the approaches investigating trait theory

Cattell used factor analysis to reduce lists of personality traits to a smaller number of traits as by evaluating the different lists of traits, it was apparent that they shared similar traits

Smaller number of traits became the basic components of personality

Question 13

Cartels definition of personality
Comprised of? This allows? In what type of situations?

Answer 13

Personality is comprised of a number of traits which allow prediction of behaviour in specific situations

Question 14

Cattell
What did he do? (Lists, components) What did this mark the beginning of?

Answer 14

Reducing the lists of traits into a smaller list of traits to identify basic components of personality by Cattell marked the beginning of using factor analysis to investigate personality.

Question 15

Cattell
Steps of factor analysis

What are factors?

Answer 15

Identify common traits from the lists of traits to reduce them down to one list of personality traits

Large samples rate the degree to which a trait applies to them (choose traits from the list)

Data set is factor analyses to find what attributes cluster together

Clusters (items that correlate together) = factors

Ie if a person is productive, goal oriented and organised these traits may be clustered as achievement orientated

These factors/clusters provides a measurement of ability ie participants rate to the extent they have each trait which can then be grouped with other similar traits to produce a measurement of that factor of personality

Question 16

Cattells definition of personality
What does the personality comprise of? Allows?

Answer 16

Personality comprises of traits that allow predictions of behaviour in specific situations

Question 17

Cattell
Interested in the interaction between?
What two traits did he distinguish between? Definition?
What argument does this represent? Question?

Answer 17

Interested in how the environment and personality interacted to impact behaviour

Distinguished between constitutional traits (genetically induced traits) and environmental mold traits (traits induced by the environment)

This characterises the nature nurture debate in psychology: what is the cause of individual differences: inherited aspects of our personality or environmental experiences

Question 18

Cattell
What did statistical procedure did Cattell develop? (MAVA) What year?To find out? (What interaction was he interested in)

Answer 18

To find out how much of the personality was impacted by genetics and the environment, Cattell developed a statistical procedure
The multiple abstract variance analysis in 1982

Question 19

Cattell
What did Cattell distinguish between after the multiple abstract variance analysis? (ATD)
How many traits what do they mean?
Which trait did he believe to motivate behaviour? What 3 things is this trait broken down into?

Answer 19

After the multiple abstract variance analysis (1982), Cattell distinguished between three types of traits
Ability traits- aspects of intelligence to achieve a goal
Temperament traits- personality when pursuing goals
Dynamic traits - made up of attitudes, sentiments and ergs

He believed that dynamic traits motivate behaviour- 1965

Question 20

Cattell
Whilst traits did he believe motivated behaviour?
Define each type

What do attitudes signify?
What do sentiments refer to? What does it determine about a situation?
What are ergs? What does it cause us to to?

Answer 20

Believed that dynamic traits (attitudes, sentiments and ergs) motivated behaviour
Attitudes- signify our interests that help predict how we will behave in a specific situation
1950- sentiments are complex attitudes like our opinions and interests that help determine how we feel about people and situations
1979- ergs are innate motivators. Enable us to recognise and attend to stimuli to readily to satisfy drives

Question 21

Cattell

What traits did Cattell further distinguish? Define?

How can common traits be unique? What does this lead to?
Which trait motivates us- unique or common

Answer 21

Cattell further distinguished common traits and unique traits

Common traits: shared by many ie intelligence and socialibily

Common traits can also be unique in how the come together within a person- different mixtures of common traits leading to unique personalities

Unique traits- specific to individuals specialised interests that motivate individuals to pursue certain activities

Question 22

Cattell
Source traits and surface traits

What are surface traits? (Descriptors, found in) High score on one trait usually means that the participant will score xxx on a similar trait

What does factor analysis suggest? What is this responsible for?
Example to source trait and it’s surface traits
What kind of behaviour is a surface trait?

What do source traits represent the structure of? Better predictions in?

Why are a smaller number of source traits better ? What can psychologists develop? That only measures what two things?

Answer 22

Surfacetraits- trait descriptors that cluster together in many people and situations. High scores in one trait can correlate with another similar trait as they are in a cluster ie high score in sociability means high score on the aspect of being carefree.

Factor analysis suggests that there is an underlying trait that is responsible for observed variance in surface traits = source traits ie extraversion is a source trait and the surface traits are socialbiliy

Surface traits relate to overt behaviour
Source trait is responsible for the differences observed in a trait

Source traits represent the underlying structure of personality
Better understanding of the structure of personality = better predictions in behaviour
Factor analysis can identify source traits ie Cattell reduced the lists of personality traits into smaller traits as they were all similar

Smaller number of source traits = psychologists can develop personality tests that include only measures of surface traits that relate to source traits- better measures of individual differences in personality

Question 23

Why did Cattell feel it was important to have a board range of personality descriptors? (Discover)

Answer 23

Cattell believes it was important to have a board range of personality descriptors do that the appropriate source traits could be discovered

Individual differences in personality

Question 24

Cattell
Carried out investigations on?
Using procedures such?
What is his best known measure of personality?
What kind of traits are these factors? What are they shown to be? (Structure)

What can traits be seen as a structure of?
What aspects do they have?
How are they ranked?

Answer 24

Carried out many studies investigating individual differences in personality through a range of techniques like factor analysis

His best known measure of personality is the 16 personality factor questionnaire (Cattel et al 1970)

16 source traits shown to be the basic structure of personality

Traits = continuum
Source traits had positive and negative aspects on the continuum
Traits were ranked in how important they were in predicting pehaviour
(Examples on exam paper)

Question 25

Cattell
What kind of evidence did he produce?
What factors of personality did he investigate? (4)

Answer 25

Produced empirical based theories of personality - range of factors explaining personality such as
-genetic and environmental factors
-Ability, temperament, dynamic (attitudes sentiments and ergs)
-Source/surface traits
-Common unique traits

Question 26

What did Cattel argue that a good personality theory should be able to do?

Answer 26

Every good personality theory should be able to predict behaviour

Question 27

What was the 16 personality factor questionnaire by Cattell established as?

Answer 27

The 16 personality factor questionnaire was seen as the standardised measure of personality

Question 28

Eysncks structure of personality

Two approaches in study personality
What approach is most effective?
What did experimental psychologists not have an interest in?

Answer 28

Noticed that there were two approaches when studying personality

1 - personality theorists: main focus on the development of theories/ little interest in developing theories with empirical evidence
2 - experimental psychologists with little interest individual differences

These two approaches need to be integrated to study personality

Question 29

Eysnck 1947
Aimed to identify? (Dimensions)Develop what kind of measures? For?
What statistical procedure did he use? Who else used this method? In order to?
What theory did he belief in? Claimed what type of determinant was in personality?

Answer 29

Identify main dimensions of personality and development experimental and quantifiable methods to study them
Used factor analysis (Cattell) to identify main dimensions of personality

Believed in genetic inheritance and claimed that there was a biological determinant in personality

Question 30

Eysnck
What approaches of personality did he examine?
Whose work?
What was evident to Eysnck? (Existence of different? Undying structure to? (Organised) PICTN

Eysncks definition of personality (5 concepts included)

Answer 30

Examined historical approaches to personality: galens and Hippocrates approaches to personality

Evident that there was and underlying structure to personality and different personality types

Eysncks definition of personality: how am individuals characteristics, temperaments, intelligence, physique and nervous system are organised

Question 31

What are traits?

Answer 31

Traits are stable long lasting characteristics of an individual

Question 32

Through factor analysis how many basic personality dimensions did Eysnck establish
What kind of traits are these surface or supertraits?

Answer 32

Through collecting data from large samples and factor analysis, Eysncks establish three basic dimensions of personality

3 supertraits make the basic structure of personality

Question 33

Eysncks structure of personality
What is important to understand before evaluating Eysncks 3 dimensions of personality?
Through observation what can we identify? What can this be referred to as? Definition?
What is a collection of habitual responses termed as? Example?

Answer 33

To understand Eysncks 3 dimensions of personality it is important to understand his structure of personality

observation we can identify specific responses that an individual sows in certain situations. These specific responses are known as habitual responses, typical behaviour of an individual.

Habitual responses = trait
For example in social situations if a person usually seeks out interaction they can be seen to have a sociable trait
Individuals are likely to possess similar degrees amongst similar traits

Question 34

Eysnck
Collection of habitual responses are known as?
A collection of traits are referred to as?
What do supertraits represent? (Structure in which individuals can be ? Depending on?

Answer 34

Habitual responses = trait

A collection of traits are known as supertraits or personality type

Supertraits represent a continuum in which people can be placed depending on how much of the trait they possess

Question 35

Eysnck
What model of personality structure did he produce?
How we’re these factors produced? (Procedure)

Answer 35

PEN model

Psycoticism (high levels of neuroticism), extraversion, neuroticism (high- phobias, unreasonable fears)

Produced by factor analysis of traits

Question 36

Eysnck
To measure the three supertraits what was produced? (EPQ)

Answer 36

To measure the three supertraits he developed - The Eysnck Personality Questionnaire ( Eysnck&Eysnck 1975)

Question 37

eysncks theoretical perspective on personality
What perspective does he take?
What can the environment influence?
What does biology limit?

What theories/perspective is Eysnck more involved in?

Answer 37

eysncks theoretical perspective on personality is heavily biological.
Although he acknowledges that the environment can influence how traits are expressed, he argues that biology limits how much the personality can change

Eysnck is more involved in the biological theories of personality

Question 38

Research evidence for Eysncks personality types
What predictions have been made from Eysncks theory of personality?

If Eysncks theory of three factors being the basis of the personality structure what should be evident?
What does this mean (what kind of basis does the structure have)

Answer 38

Predictions have been made from his theories
- Eysnck 1965 - extroverts prefer socialising more than introverts
Attributes that are evident in extroverts - prefer loud music, bright colours

• Amirkham et al 1995
  Extroverts are more likely to approach and maintain a network of friends and ask for help from others when in crisis

If Eysncks theory of three factors being the basic structure of personality it should be evident across cultures- to do this the EPQ (Eysnck personality questionnaires) were translated
Primary factors were found in 24 nations male and female including Asians, Africans, North Americans and European cultures

This means that the three factors structure has a genetic basis and does represent the basic structure of personality

Question 39

What approach does Eysnck have?

Answer 39

Behaviourist approach mainly

Question 40

How was Eysnck different from all the other trait theorists? ( what do trait theorists mainly focus on doing)
Through what kind of studies and theories? (What perspective is he associated with?)

Answer 40

Unlike trait theorists, Eysnck provided descriptions of personality and explanations for what caused differences in personality with his genetic studies and biological theories

Question 41

How is Eysncks work criticised?

Answer 41

Ali though his work initiated other research one criticism is the question of if three factors are adequate in representing the basic structures of personality

How many factors are needed

Question 42

Trait theorists definition of trait

Answer 42

Trait is relatively stable and long lasting.

Cattell - personality theories should predict
Allport- constancy be variability