Exam 4 (CH 7, 8)

Question 1

**Outline (not simply list) the three assumptions universally shared by different trait theorists.

Answer 1

1. People posses broad dispositions called traits. People are born with consistent likely moods of behaviors.
2. There is a direct correspondence of performances of a trait to the processing of the trait, meaning if you respond with anxiety you have higher anxiety.
3. Traits are hiericahail, the lowest level builds up to become a trait. Specific response. Habitual response. Trait level.

Question 2

**What is meant by the notion of functional autonomy? Provide an original example

Answer 2

Functional autonomy is that people’s original extrinsic motivation can be changed into something else. For example, if the original desire to do well comes from parents it can translate to a desire to learn and a more intrinsic motivation.

Question 3

**Outline the contrast between Allport’s idiographic approach and nomothetic approaches to research. What is the limitation of idiographic approaches in personality research? [SAQ]

Answer 3

Alport used an emphasis on the individuals which he would do an in-depth study of individuals as a way to understand people overall. Compared to a nomothetic approach which uses large numbers of people are described in terms of common personality traits. The issues is the lack of empirical evidence. And you can’t have a study of one and assume for all people.

Question 4

**Briefly summarize the nature of the three super-factors in the Eysenck model?

Answer 4

Superfaactors PEN

Psychoticism: how agressive, lack of empathy; cold/anti-social. Measuring abnormalities

Extraversion: How social someone is

Neuroticism: How emotionally stable someone is.

Question 5

Describe (not simply list) three criticisms of Eysenck’s theory.

Answer 5

1. measures did not align with theory: his theory talked about the neural factors but not able to measure them.
2. Eyesnckian theory underestimated the complexity of the brian. His view of the brain was too simple compared to its complex nature.
3. Cognitive factors affect performance; his theories was inadequate for describing the differences between humans.

Question 6

Briefly outline Eysenck’s arousal model of extraversion and introversion?

Answer 6

Introverts are more arousable, they experience more cortical arousal, of the world. Therefore it is easier for introverts to be over-aroused from social stimulation. On the other hand extraves5ts experience less cortical arousal l. and seek out social arousal.

Question 7

What are ability, temperament, and dynamic traits?

Answer 7

In Cattell’s trait theory, these categories of traits capture the major aspects of personality.

Question 8

What are cardinal traits?

Answer 8

Allport’s concept for a disposition that is so pervasive and outstanding in a person’s life that virtually every act is traceable to its influence.

Question 9

What are central traits?

Answer 9

Allport’s concept for a disposition to behave in a particular way in a range of situations.

Question 10

What is factor analysis?

Answer 10

A statistical method for analyzing correlations among a set of personality tests or test items in order to determine those variables or test responses that increase or decrease together. Used in the development of personality tests and of some trait theories (e.g., Cattell, Eysenck).

Question 11

What is functional autonomy?

Answer 11

Allport’s concept that a motive may become independent of its origins; in particular, motives in adults may become independent of their earlier basis in tension reduction.

Question 12

What is OT data?

Answer 12

In Cattell’s theory, objective test data or information about personality obtained from observing behavior in miniature situations.

Question 13

What are secondary dispositions?

Answer 13

Allport’s concept for a disposition to behave in a particular way that is relevant to few situations.

Question 14

What are source traits?

Answer 14

In Cattell’s theory, behaviors that vary together to form an independent dimension of personality, which is discovered through the use of factor analy

Question 15

What is state?

Answer 15

Emotional and mood changes (e.g., anxiety, depression, fatigue) that Cattell suggested may influence the behavior of a person at a given time. The assessment of both traits and states is suggested to predict behavior.

Question 16

What are super factors?

Answer 16

A higher-order or secondary factor representing a higher level of organization of traits than the initial factors derived from factor analysis.

Question 17

What are surface traits?

Answer 17

In Cattell’s theory, behaviors that appear to be linked to one another but do not in fact increase and decrease together.

Question 18

**What is the fundamental lexical hypothesis? What does this hypothesis imply about the relative influence of culture versus evolution on human personality?

Answer 18

The idea that people interact and observe one another, and discuss differences and people developed in references to those differences. It implies that evolutionary bio speaks on many words and differences that are most prominent should be universal since human survival is universal. However, culture has differences due to the use of social-cultural words for example HG vs manhattan.

Question 19

**How does Eysenck’s superfactors relate to the Big Five?

Answer 19

His N and E is practically the exact same as Big Five and P is low conscientiousness and low agreeableness.

Question 20

**Describe patterns of changes that occur over the life span for the Big Five.

Answer 20

Usually, C and A go up with age and E, O, and N go down.

Question 21

**Describe the three key claims made by the authors of the Big 5 Theory, and an example for each of evidence that contradicts the claim.

Answer 21

1. Traits are uninfluenced by the environment and unchanging. Contradiction, historically speaking evidence shows how peroanlity changes over cultural change. E.g anixity goes up
2. Five factor model is universal. Contradiction, trait factors, and cotent of individual difference change across cultures.
3. People posses factors which are “raw material” anageolous with bodily organs. No supportive evidence the issue is the reliance of large stats methods, no stats grounds each member of pop contains in his/her structure of brain.

Question 22

**Contrast Eysenck’s “top down” approach to identifying the structure of personality with the bottom approach reflected in Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory.. [Discussed as well in lecture]

Answer 22

Top-down with eyesnck takes the analysis came first and the biological mechanisms and causes second. Whereas RST is biological fundamental properties and behavioral systems first and related variations in measuring personality second.

Question 23

**Briefly describe each of the three RST systems

Answer 23

1. Behavioral approach system (BAS): Biological system that responds to pleasure and stimuli and desired stimuli call appetitive. Classical conditioning. E.g., seeing eat sign when hungry.
2. Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS): Responded to aversive stimuli, whether the animal fights freezes of flees.
3. Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS): Combines the two which creates anxiety and being caution when getting food.

Question 24

**Describe three major advantages of trait theory in relation to the five goals of personality theory.

Answer 24

1. Rather than being subjective. Statistical analysis made it objective.
2. Larger number of people across ages, wealth, and ethnicities
3. Not just self-reports also observational reports.

Question 25

Describe three strengths and three weaknesses of trait theory (don’t simply list these from Table 8.3, describe in what sense each is a strength/weakness. Strengths

Answer 25

Strengths:

1. Active research method; research is still being done
2. Interesting hypothesis; interest cause more people to study meaning more evidence
3. Potential ties to biology; could create collab with biologist create more stuff to study.

Question 26

Describe three strengths and three weaknesses of trait theory (don’t simply list these from Table 8.3, describe in what sense each is a strength/weakness. Weaknesses

Answer 26

Weaknesses:

1. The method of factor analysis; all matha and stats wither considerations of culture to culture or person to person.
2. What does a trait include?; it doesn’t properly and objectively define a trait.
3. What is left out; not much empirical evidence and needs to consider more factors.

Question 27

What is the plasticity model?

Answer 27

Plasticity is growth traits (Extraversion and Openness)

Question 28

What is the Stability model?

Answer 28

Security of traits (Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism)

Question 29

What are the five steps of factor analysis?

Answer 29

1. Collect info from a large number of people on a wide range of items.
2. Generate a “colleration matrix” correlation of each with every other item.
3. Factor extraction: reduce the matrix into a smaller number of underlying dimensions
4. Examine “factor loading”
   -reflects degree to which reach item reflects the underlying dimensions
5. Label the factors

Question 30

Good M/C what five factors is subjective?

Answer 30

Label Factors (5)

Question 31

What are the Big five?

Answer 31

In trait factor theory, the five major trait categories including emotionality, activity, and sociability factors.

Question 32

What is the ecological niche hypothesis?

Answer 32

The hypothesis that physical and social environments with a larger number of ways to obtain personal resources (more niches) will be ones in which more individual-difference dimensions of personality are observed.

Question 33

What is the five-factor theory?

Answer 33

Costa and McCrae’s theory that the basic structure of personality consists of five biologically based traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness (NEOAC or CANOE)

Question 34

What is the fundamental lexicon hypothesis?

Answer 34

The hypothesis that over time the most important individual differences in human interaction have been encoded as single terms in language.

Question 35

What is the person-situation controversy?

Answer 35

A controversy between psychologists who emphasize the importance of personal (internal) variables in determining behavior and those who emphasize the importance of situational (external) influences.