Final- Cumulative Essay Section Guidance Flashcards
Define Openness of the Big Five model
A cluster of characteristics that describe the breadth, depth, originality and complexity of an individuals mental and experie
Define Conscientiousness of the Big Five model
Aware of their surroundings, in social and physical aspects. Strong impulse control that facilitates task and goal directed behaviour. Control is key
Define extraversion of the Big Five model
Implies an energetic approach toward the social and material world, includes traits such as socialbility, activity, assertiveness and positive emotionality, but can still be a bit of an introvert
Define agreeablness of the Big Five model
contrasts a prosocial and communal orientation toward others with antagonism and includes traits such as altruism, tender mindedness, trust and modesty
Define Neuroticism of the Big Five model
The tendency to experience negative emotions more than others. The core focus is themselves.
Define honesty-humility of the HEXACO model
avoid manipulation of others for personal gain, uninterested in prestige and wealth, and little temptation to break rules.
Describe what factor analysis is designed to do
Factor analysis is used to measure something that is invisible. In personality psychology these are often phenomena such as intelligence, personality, or motivation. These constructs cannot be measured without developing items-specific questions or statements on a multi-question questionnaire. These constructs must be measured on a response scale, which can be done in many ways- by simple yes/no answers (dichotomous scale) , by numbers (likert or bipolar scales), and more. The results of these scales identify clusters of variables which is very beneficial for researchers.
How should a reader interpret factor loadings from a factor analysis?
Factor loadings are on a scale from -1 to 1 and can be thought of as how representative an item is of the latent variable. In psychology, if an item scores between +/-0.8- +/-0.99 it is basically the same as the latent variable. If an item scores between +/-0.5 - +/-0.79 the effect is large. If an item scores +/-0.3 the effect size is medium. If the item scores between -0.1 and +0.1 the effect size is insignificant.
What is meant by a “possible self” (making sure to describe the three types of possible selves discussed in class)and what does self-discrepancy theory predict regarding self-discrepancies and negative emotions?
The three types of possible selves are the feared self (the future self you hope to never be like). The Ideal self, the person you wish you were. The ought self, the kind of person others expect you to be. Self Discrepancy theory believes that when there is a difference between the ideal self and the actual self, negative emotions, related to sadness, disappointment and shame are felt by the individual. Self discrepancy theory also states that when there is a gap between the actual and the ought self the individual feels emotions related to agitation; such as fear, anxiety and guilt.
Compare and contrast psychodynamic theories of motivation with humanistic / positive psychology theories of motivation. In your answer make sure to clearly describe (a) Freud’s Theory of personality and (b) the three basic needs of self-determination theory as exemplars of the two approaches, respectively.
Psychodynamic theories believe sexuality, aggression and pleasure seeking motivate human behavior. S. Freud believed that these motivations came from the unconscious (ID). In complete contrast, the super-ego tries to convince the mind to be perfect in the eyes of others. These motivations are balanced by the ego, which uses secondary process thinking to make decisions considering the individual’s surroundings. Whereas the approach of Self-determination theory differs from psychodynamic theory because it states that humans are motivated by extrinsic motivators (such as a popsicle after a run on a hot day) and intrinsic motivators, driven by autonomy (doing what we would like without extrinsic pressures), Competence (setting challenging goals and experiencing a feeling of accomplishment when reaching them), RELATEDNESS (caring for another, feeling involved with others in the social world). All of these intrinsic needs offer humans a eudaimonic well-being, having purpose in life.
When considering stability over time in personality traits, what is the difference between absolute continuity and differential continuity? Provide one hypothetical example of each type of continuity indicating the kind of statistic you might use.
ABSOLUTE CONTINUITY
Consistency in the amount of an attribute over time
Usually studied as the difference in average (mean) and standard deviation
Ex. Being the chatty friend in elementary school and in the office. → not much change over time
DIFFERENTIAL CONTINUITY
Consistency of individual differences within a sample of individuals relative placement in a group
Usually studied with correlation coefficients
As a child you ranked highly in extraversion compared to classmates, now you land in the middle of an extraversion scale as an adult compared to others in your workplace .
How is personology different from personality?
Personology is complex. Not simple
Personology is influenced by multiple forces→ such as behavior
Personology is complex, lifelong and never ending. As a result, a person cannot be reduced to a single moment as it disregards the dynamic nature of personality
Personology is generalist. Not specialist
Examines the mental life
Both conscious and unconscious
Especially interested in creativity
Requires multiple approaches and unique strategies
Should depend on multiple data measurements rather than simple measurements such as self-report, quantitative, qualitative
Personology embraces all accounts of human lives
Includes living, historical, fictional and mythological figures as well as unique human emotions (COMPLEXES)
How is personology different from personality?
Personology is complex. Not simple
Personology is influenced by multiple forces→ such as behavior
Personology is complex, lifelong and never ending. As a result, a person cannot be reduced to a single moment as it disregards the dynamic nature of personality
Personology is generalist. Not specialist
Examines the mental life
Both conscious and unconscious
Especially interested in creativity
Requires multiple approaches and unique strategies
Should depend on multiple data measurements rather than simple measurements such as self-report, quantitative, qualitative
Personology embraces all accounts of human lives
Includes living, historical, fictional and mythological figures as well as unique human emotions (COMPLEXES)
