Factor Analytic Trait Theories Flashcards
Definition of Factor Analytic Trait Theories
A set of mathematical statistical techniques whose soul purpose is to examine a set of intercorrelated measures (such that one kind of answer is related to the answers of another question)
Purpose of Factor Analytic Trait Theories:
Hypothesize a way to explain correlation by referring to a smaller number of underlying factors whose influence on these questions could explain the relation in these answers
Factor Analytic Trait Theory Produces:
set of equations describing the factor and indicating the extent to which it influences each of the intercorrelated items
What is factor loading
extent to which answer is influenced by the hypothesized factor
What traits do you look at? how do you decide which are correlated?
eliminated synonyms = down to 500
→ then gave this list to people and asked them to rate themselves on each trait
→ then looked at the intercorrelations
→ then look at the patterns of those that are .6 or above - identify clusters and hypothesizes that they are all influenced by an underlying factor
Does factor analysis find real things?
Does NOT find ‘real’ things – they are hypothetical constructs (Telling mathematical stories that make sense of observations)
The decision of what the hypothesized underlying factor is up to
the researcher who conducted the factor analysis and depends on the theoretical orientation of the researcher
WHat does the factor depend (other than researchers orientation)
→ Also depends what data you put in (in our case it was collections of traits).
- Results depend on parameters set up before the analysis:
→ I.e. whether you will constrain to only reveal Orthogonal vs non-orthogonal factors (Either related or unrelated factors)
What are orthoginal traits
how you score on one doesn’t influence the other
→ Extroversion, introversion, neuroticism etc. are orthogonal such that you score on one of the traits says nothing about your score on another
What Makes a Factor ‘Basic’
it must be:
• Reliable: Stable over time and across observers (makes the assumption that personality traits do not change)
• Used by both Theorists and laypersons (How everyday people talk about personality)
• Appear across cultures
• Must have a biological basis ( anything that is not biological will vay across time and culture)
The Big Five – costa and Mccray
what are teh factors?
- Demension 1: Extroversion – Introversion
- Demension 2: Agreeableness
- Dimension 3: Conscientiousness (dependable) – Will (unreliable)
- Dimension 4: Neuroticism – Emotional Stability
- Dimension 5: Intellect (openness)
Alternate names for Demension 1: Extroversion – Introversion
o Social Adaptability o Assertiveness o Sociability and Ambition o Positive Emotionality o Interpersonal o Involvement
Alternate names for Demension 2: Agreeableness
o Conformity o Friendliness-hostility o Likeability o Friendly Compliance o Sociability o Love o Level of Socialization
Alternate names for Dimension 3: Conscientiousness (dependable) – Will (unreliable)
o Will to Achieve o Dependability o Task Interest o Prudence o Impulsivity o Self-Control
Alternate names for Dimension 4: Neuroticism – Emotional Stability
o Emotional Control
o Emotionality
o Adjustment
o Emotional Stability
Alternate names for Dimension 5: Intellect (openness)
o Curiosity
o Interest in exploring
o Breadth of interest
What are the traits associated with dimension 1
Extraversion-Introversion • Warmth • Gregareousness • Assertiveness • Activity • Excitement • Positive Emotions
What are the traits associated with dimension 2
Agreeableness • Trust • Altruism • Modesty • Striaghtforwardness • Compliance • Tender mindedness
What are the traits associated with dimension 3
Conscientiousness – Will • Competence • Dutifullness • Self-Discipline • Order • Achievement striving • Deliberation
What are the traits associated with dimension 4
Neuroticism – Emotional Stability • Anxeity • Depression • Impulsiveness • Angry Hostlity • Self-consciousness • Vulnerability
What are the traits associated with dimension 5
Intellect (openness) • Fantasy • Aesthetics • Feelings • Actions • Ideas • Values
explain the Neuroticism, extroversion, openness Personality Inventory (NEOPI)
→ Personality test – the NEOPI revised includes the other two factors
→ One of the most common assessments
→ 200 statements that one agrees or disagrees with
what are the Changes in Big Five Factors with Age
- Social dominance (facet of extraversion) - Up especially between 20 and 40
- Conscientiousness - Up especially between 20 and 40
- Emotional Stability (neuroticism) - Up especially between 20 and 40
- Social Vitality (extraversion) - Up in adolescence; down in old age
- Openness - Up in adolescence; down in old age (tend to be more conservative – ex. Older voters are more conservative)
- Agreeableness - Up in old age – more friendly
what are the Cultural Differences in Big 5
European/American (compared to Asians and Africans)
• Extraversion is higher – explanation: people who settled in America were more risk taking/ adventurers
- WE also have a bias for rewarding extroversion
• Openness is Higher – new ideas/approaches
• Agreeableness is lower
explain Zuckerman & Kulman’s Alternate Five
• Sociability
(agreeableness and extroversion)
• Neuroticism / Anxiety
• Impulsive Sensation-Seeking (Conscientiousness, extroversion and openness)
• Aggression / Hostility
(agreeableness and willlfullness)
• Activity
(extroversion and openness)
→ Not numbered
→ Zuckerman interested in tying these factors to underlying physiological explainationshow did Zuckerman attempt to explain Underlying Physiology
→ attempt to tie together higher-level personality constructs (traits and factors) with low level cognitive/behavioral tendencies, emotions, and underlying physiochemical systems in the brain
→ Zuckerman focuses on the possible role of major neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine and norepinephrine).
how do Low Blood Platelet MAO levels explain the Alternate 5
→ High levels of MAO in blood platelets = low levels of Dopamine activity
→ Low levels of MAO in blood platelets = High levels of Dopamine activity
• He is saying low brain activity is associated with high sensation seekers (extroverts in eysenck’s model)
which of the alternative 5 are low levels of MAO associated with? (traits)
low level MAO = High levels of dopamine are associated with high levels of):
- Impulsive sensation-seeking
- Sociability
- Aggression-Hostility
what behaviours are correlated with having low levels of MAO?
- Chronic marijuana use (sensation seeking – they want additional sensations)
- Chronic schizophrenia (MAO is lower = dopamine higher)
- Adults with borderline, antisocial PD
- Children with ADHD, conduct disorder(childhood version)
Eyseneck’s view vs. Zuckerman’s view of the difference b/w introverts and extroverts
Eysenck
→ they each have the same optimal level of arousal
→ Extroverts are bellow this level (under aroused)
→ Introverts are above this level (over aroused)
* looking at cortical activity
Zuckerman
→ Extroverts have a much higher optimal dopamine level, and though they have more activity than introverts they are bellow their optimal and are thus under aroused
→ Introverts have a very low optimal arousal level and are above it (over aroused) even though they have less activity overall than extroverts
what is the Overlap Between triats in the 2 Models
→ Looking at essentially the same things with different names
→ The big 5 friendliness is negatively correlated with the Alt 5 aggression
→ The big five Conscientiousness is negatively correlated with Eysenck’s Psychoticism
→ All other factors are positively correlated
what is the Six factor Model - HEXACO (factors and their associated traits)
1. Honesty-humility • Sincere • Modest • Fair-minded 2. Emotionality • Anxiety • Vulnerability • Sentimentality 3. Extraversions • Sociability • Liveliness • activity 4. Agreeableness • gentleness • patience • Tolerance 5. Conscientiousness • Organization • Discipline 6. Openness • Creativity • Innovativeness • Unconventionality
Why was HEXACO developped
→ They showed that people in Italy, hungary and Greece don’t have openness in their lexicon
→ Extraversion and consciensciouness is the same in Filipino (tagalog)
→ 6 factors emerge in language lexicons: Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Korean, French, German and Italian
→ Reanalysis of English lexicon also extracts 6 factor dimensions
what was De Raad et al - New Publication in 2014?
→ Combined trait lexicons from 10 languages
→ Translated them to English, combined them and then looked for common trait descriptions (by looking at trait descriptions people had given of themselves)
→ Argued you only need 3 broad factors
1. Affiliation
- accounts for .57 correlation of honesty-humiliation
- .64 with agreeableness
2. Dynamism
- .88 with extraversion
3. Order
- .82 with conscientiousness
- .44 emotionality
* one thing they couldn’t account for was openness
→ Amount of variance accounted through this model was highest for German, lowest for Filipino with English right above
What were the critiques of trait theory?
• Little about personality development • Little clinical relevanc • Lots of overlap among factors • No mention of unconscious at all • Relation between traits, cognitions? • No better at predicting behavior than any other model - It is also post-dictive
What is 16 PF test and who developed it
- 1930 Cattell- earliest use of factor analysis
→ applied factor analysis to the traits of personality – not in natural language
→ Used test scores/ personality tests
→ Factors were allowed to be correlates
→ Cattell identified 16 factors in personality, and gave many of them unusual names - Affectia, Premsia, Surgency etc.
In an exploratory factor analysis _________, while in a confirmatory factor analysis _________
we begin with no assumptions about the factors involved …. we are looking for a predetermined set of factors
What should we keep in mind when using factor analysis?
- factor analysis doesn’t ‘name’ or identify the underlying factors that it reveals.
- we can describe the factors identified in a factor analysis as cognitive patterns, unconscious factors, etc., as well as traits.
- there is no single factor-analytic solution: the same set of data can be factor-analyzed in several different ways.
- factor analysis cannot be used to test for the existence of hypothetical constructs.
which of the Alternate 5 factors is LEAST strongly related to any of the Big 5
Activity?
The technique of factor analysis was originally developed by
charles spearman
If we compare factor analysis that extracts orthogonal factors with one set up to extract non-orthogonal factors we find:
- there will be more nonorthogonal factors than orthogonal ones.
- in an orthogonal analysis, none of the factors will be correlated with each other.
The technique of factor analysis
- reveals underlying patterns of relatedness in groups of dependent measures or scores.
