Introduction

Question 1

Define and elaborate on the study of psychology’s
position within the scope of other major academic
disciplines in the sciences. Identify where Personality
research fits within this organization

Answer 1

Psychology intersects with both natural and social sciences, incorporating biology, neuroscience, sociology, and anthropology. Personality research, a subset of psychology, studies individual differences in behavior and traits, drawing from various psychological perspectives and methodologies.

Question 2

Define personality and list its characteristics.

Answer 2

Personality refers to an individual’s unique pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that persist over time and across different situations. Characteristics include consistency, uniqueness, stability, and the influence of both biological and environmental factors.

Question 3

Identify the challenges inherent in personality research

Answer 3

Challenges in personality research include defining and measuring personality accurately, accounting for individual differences, addressing the role of genetics and environment, managing subjectivity in assessment, and ensuring reliability and validity of findings.

Question 4

List the major theoretical viewpoints

Answer 4

Psychoanalytical
Biological
Evolutionary
Behavioural
Social-Cognitive

Question 5

Know the three major research approaches, the basic principles of each, give examples, and give a pro and con.

Answer 5

Clinical: Investigates on a personal basis, longitudinal, time consuming (Case studies).

Correlational: Looks at two variables to examine if there is a relationship between them in any way using a scatterplot, easiest to do, does not establish causation.

Experimental: Systemic intervention, allows closer establishment to causation, expensive to conduct.

Question 6

Review descriptive and inferential statistics terms

Answer 6

Descriptive statistics summarize and describe data, including measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and variability (range, variance, standard deviation). Inferential statistics involve making inferences or predictions about a population based on sample data, using techniques like hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and analysis of variance.

Question 7

Describe the normal distribution and describe its
applications

Answer 7

The normal distribution, also known as the Gaussian distribution or bell curve, is a symmetrical probability distribution characterized by its bell-shaped curve. In a normal distribution, the mean, median, and mode are all equal, and the data is symmetrically distributed around the mean.

Modeling natural phenomena, inferences.

Question 8

When Michael Smith entered the hospital, he
immediately felt faint and weak at in the knees.
It seems Smith has a phobia of hospitals.
Identify the situation and behaviour(s), then
proceed to develop a theory using a major
theoretical viewpoint in personality psychology,
and explain Smith’s behaviours

Answer 8

Situation: Entering a hospital

Behaviour: Anxiety

Theory: Biological theory would say that Michael’s lineage did not do well in hospitals, such as getting infections, and developed a gene to avoid them.

Question 9

Independant vs Dependant variables

Answer 9

Independant: The manipulated variable

Dependant: The variable that changes because of the independant variable