Individual Differences

Question 1

What are the big 5 personality traits?

Answer 1

Openness– appreciation for art, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination
Conscientiousness– tendency to show self-discipline, planned rather than spontaneous
Extraversion– energy, positive emotions, and tendency to seek stimulation and company of others
Agreeableness– tendency to be compassionate and cooperate
Neuroticism– tendency to experience negative emotions

Question 2

How do the 5 personality traits affect health?

Answer 2

Conscientiousness– Positive impact on health; engage in better health behaviour; higher medical engagement and adherence

Neuroticism– Increased reporting of symptoms like pain; high rates of mental health disorders; high rate of healthcare usage and less adherence to healthy behaviour and higher rates of harmful behaviour

Neuroticism with high conscientiousness can be protective when analysed for better health behaviours - bc the worry from neuroticism (symptom reporting and high healthcare use) with the organisation and improved adherence from conscientiousness will have a double effect to improve someone’s health

Question 3

Define IQ – how is it calculated?

Answer 3

Intelligence quotient

IQ = (mental age/chronological age) x 100 An IQ of 100 is average

Question 4

What are the limitations of IQ?

Answer 4

It averages all the domains of intelligence and doesn’t consider them individually

Question 5

What are the two different types of intelligence?

Answer 5

Crystallised Intelligence – the ability to apply previously acquired knowledge to current problems
Fluid Intelligence – the ability to deal with novel problem-solving situations for which personal experience doesn’t provide a solution

Question 6

How do these types of intelligence change with age?

Answer 6

Crystallised – increases with age

Fluid – shows a pattern of decline

Question 7

Describe the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to IQ.

Answer 7

Genetic factors – ½ to 2/3 of variation in IQ

Environmental factors – 1/3 to ½ of variation in IQ

Question 8

Describe Baron Cohen’s empathising/systematising model.

Answer 8

Empathising – ability to infer the thoughts and feelings of others and have an appropriate reaction
Systematising – the drive to analyse and construct any kind of system
i.e. identifying the rules that govern the system in order to predict howthe system will behave

Question 9

What are the differences between males and females with regards to Baron Cohen’s model?

Answer 9

Females – more empathising, less systematising

Males – more systematising, less empathising

Question 10

What type of brain are people with Autism/Aspergus thought to have?

Answer 10

They are thought to have an extreme male brain

Lots of systematising and significantly less empathising