Eysenck, McCrae, and Costa's Trait and Factor Theories

Question 1

is a mathematical procedure for expressing the degree of correspondence
between two sets of scores

Answer 1

correlation coefficient

Question 2

what is factor analysis

Answer 2

it is a statistical technique that reduces a set of variables by extracting all their commonalities into a smaller number of factors

Question 3

what are factor loadings?

Answer 3

factor loadings are correlations of scores with factors

Question 4

what is the oblique method?

Answer 4

the oblique method which was advocated by Cattell, assumes some positive or negative correlation and refers to an angle of less than or more than 90 degrees.

Question 5

traits generated through factor analysis may be either _____ or ____

Answer 5

unipolar, bipolar

Question 6

what is a characteristic of a unipolar trait and give some examples

Answer 6

it is scaled from zero to some large amount

height, weight, and intellelectual ability

Question 7

what is a characteristic of a bipolar trait and give some examples

Answer 7

bipolar traits extend from one pole to an opposite pole, with zero as a midpoint.

introversion vs extraversion

liberalism vs conservatism

social ascendancy vs timidity

Question 8

is the state of being in a higher social status or position of power and influence over others

Answer 8

social ascendancy

Question 9

do Eysenck and other advocates of the Five Factor theory favor the orthogonal rotation or the oblique method?

Answer 9

the orthogonal rotation

Question 10

explain the orthogonal rotation

Answer 10

in the orthogonal method, orthogonally rotated axes are at right angle to each other.

this means that as scores on the x variable increase, scores on the y axis may have any value, that is they are completely unrelated to scores on the x axis

Question 11

what is the psychological difference between the orthogonal rotation and the oblique method?

Answer 11

the orthogonal rotation would result in only a few meaningful traits while the oblique method would ordinarily produce a large number

Question 12

in the four level hierarchy of behavior organization, what are the four levels from bottom to top

Answer 12

at the lowest level, it is the specific acts or cognitions

next is habitual acts or cognitions

third is a trait which is formed from several related habitual responses

last is superfactors or types which are made up of several interrelated traits

Question 13

what are the three personality dimensions of Eysenck?

Answer 13

Psychoticism
Extraversion
Neuroticism

Question 14

what are on the opposite poles of Eysenck’s personality dimensions?

Answer 14

Superego Function
Introversion
Emotional Stability

Question 15

what is the difference between Jung’s view of extraversion versus Eysenck’s?

Answer 15

Jung said that extroverts have an objective view of the world while Eysenck conceptualizes extraversion as sociability and impulsiveness among other traits

Question 16

what is the primary cause of differences between extraverts and introverts?

Answer 16

cortical arousal level

Question 17

what is the diathesis-stress model of psychiatric illness?

Answer 17

this model suggests that some people are vulnerable to illness because they have either a genetic or an acquired weakness that predisposes them to an illness.

Question 18

what is Eysenck’s hypothesis on people high on psychoticism

Answer 18

people high on psychoticism have a high predisposition to succumb to stress and develop a psychotic illness

Question 19

what are the four personality inventories Eysenck had?

Answer 19

MPI (only assessed E and N)
EPI (has a lie scale)
Junior EPI (for children 7-16 years old)
EPQ (included psychoticism scale)

Question 20

What are the two most strongest and most ubiquitous personality traits?

Answer 20

neuroticism and extraversion

Question 21

explain openness to experience

Answer 21

this distinguishes people who prefer variety from those
who have a need for closure and who gain comfort in their association with familiar people and things.

People who consistently seek out different and varied experiences
would score high on openness to experience.

Question 22

explain the agreeableness scale

Answer 22

this distinguishes soft-hearted people from ruthless ones.
People who score in the direction of agreeableness tend to be trusting, generous, yielding, acceptant, and good-natured.

Those who score in the other direction are generally suspicious, stingy, unfriendly, irritable, and critical of other people.

Question 23

this factor describes people who are ordered, controlled, organized, ambitious, achievement focused, and self-disciplined

Answer 23

conscientiousness

Question 24

in the personality theory of McCrae and Costa, what is behavior predicted by? a

Answer 24

it is predicted by the understanding of three central components and three peripheral ones

Question 25

in McCrae and Costa, what are the three central components that is to be understood to predict behavior

Answer 25

1. basic tendencies
2. characteristic adaptations
3. self-concept

Question 26

what are basic tendencies according to McCrae and Costa

Answer 26

basic tendencies are
one of the central components of personality

the universal raw material of personality capacities and dispositions that are
generally inferred rather than observed

Question 27

acquired personality structures that develop as people adapt to their environment (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 27

characteristic adaptations

Question 28

what are the four postulates in basic tendencies?

Answer 28

individuality,
origin,
development, and structure

Question 29

what is external influences all about? (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 29

how we respond to the opportunities and demands of the context

Question 30

what is the individuality postulate? (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 30

individuality postulate stipulates that adults have a unique set of traits and that each person exhibits a unique combination of trait patterns

is consistent with Allport’s idea that uniqueness is the essence of personality

Question 31

what is the origin postulate? (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 31

All personality traits are the result solely of endogenous (internal) forces, such as genetics, hormones, and brain structures

Question 32

what is the development postulate? (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 32

the development postulate assumes that traits develop and change through childhood, but in adolescence their development slows, and by early to mid-adulthood (roughly age 30), change in personality nearly stops altogether

Question 33

what is the structure postulate? (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 33

the structure postulate states that traits are organized hierarchically from narrow and specific to broad and general, just as Eysenck (1990) had suggested

Question 34

states that, over time, people
adapt to their environment “by acquiring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are consistent with their personality traits and earlier adaptations”

In other words, traits affect the way we adapt to the changes in our environment

Answer 34

the postulate concerning characteristic adaptations

Question 35

what does maladjustment (second characteristic adaptation postulate) suggest? (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 35

suggests that our responses are not always consistent with personal goals or cultural values.

Question 36

what does the plasticity postulate state? (McCrae and Costa)

Answer 36

states that basic traits may “change over time in response to biological maturation, changes in the environment,
or deliberate interventions”

Question 37

has been used to assess personality traits in cultures throughout the world

Answer 37

The Five-Factor Theory