(in)stability of behavior

Question 1

3 main forms of personality stability

Answer 1

ranking stability: maintaining an individual position in a group - if everyone experiences the same change in magnitude traits, the order of traits within a group will remain the same

mean level stability: consistency of a level in a population - trait magnitude stays the same as the group ages

personality coherence: latent trait remains stable, but manifestation of trait changes over time

Question 2

situationism (Mischel)

Answer 2

• behaviors differ from situation to situation - situational differences play a role in behavior, not underlying personality traits

Question 3

interactionism

Answer 3

there are 2 explanations for why people behave the way they do in a given situation:
- behavior is a function of personality traits
- behavior is a function of situational forces

behavior is a function of the interaction between personality traits and situational forces

situational specificity may exists - certain situations may elicit behaviors that a person does not normally exhibit

Question 4

3 ways in which personality interacts with situations

Answer 4

situational selection: we chose the situation we are in; it is not random – the setting in which we find ourselves in reflects our personality

evocation: certain personality traits can provoke specific reactions from the env – people can create their own env by provoking certain reactions from others

manipulation: : the various ways in which people influence the behavior of others – the intentional use of tactics to direct, influence and change others. 3 different tactics: charm, silent treatment & coercion

Question 5

jackson et al - military training and personality

Answer 5

Data obtained from 2 cohorts of randomly selected students
Students were examined in their final year then again 2 years later
Control group were students who were doing community service, not military

Results:
Personality plays a role in the choice between military and community service
In both groups there was an increase in C and A and a decrease N
Military p’s showed less A than community service p’s
Military training is associated with changes in A after military service is completed

Question 6

Kilmstra et al. – personality changes

Answer 6

Aimed to describe various facets of changes and stability in personality development throughout adolescence

Hypotheses:
Adolescent personality maturation is characterized by: an increasing mean-level of the big 5 traits, more established interindividual differences & a more stable & organized personality profile
There will be gender differences

Found evidence for all 3 aspects of maturation – supports first hypothesis
Substantial gender differences were found for all 3 indicators – e.g. girls achieved higher levels of A