L7 - Personality Flashcards
What are Psychometrics?
The branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, and personality traits. Also called psychometry
What is the Definition of Personality?
There is no universally accepted definition
- Bratton (2010: 103) defines personality as “a relatively enduring pattern of thinking, feeling and acting that characterizes a person’s response to her or his environment”
Aspects of personality to discuss:
- Individuality;
- Routine habits;
- Consistency in response over time and situations;
- Social context;
- Changes during lifetime.
How is Reliability defined?
-when the research methods attempts are repeated and get almost the same results –> how consistent is the test
How is Validity defined?
- the research methods hit the aim of the study fairly closely –> how accurate is the test
What is the Nomothetic Approach to Personality?
- Tries to explain relationships between variables across many cases.
- Uses factor analysis
- Generalisation
- Universal principles
What is the Idiographic approach to Personality?
- Tries to explain relationships among variables within a particular case or event.
- Study of individual cases
What are some Nomothetic Approaches to Personality?
Using Traits:
- Allport
- Cattell
- Eysenck
- ‘Big Five’
Using Types:
- MBTI
What are some Idiographic Approaches to Personality?
Psychodynamic:
- Freud
Sociocultural:
- Phenomenological –>
- Maslow
- Rogers
- Social-cognitive/Social Learning –>
- Rotter
- Bandura
What is the difference between Type and Trait theories?
Type: distinct, discreet, discontinuous categories of personality
Trait: people differ in amounts on a single continuum
What are the Advantages to the Nomothetic approach to Personality?
- Generalisable findings
- Measures are relatively quick and easy to use
- Perceived to be ‘scientific’
What are the Disadvantages the Nomothetic approach to Personality?
- Predictions made on a single trait may not explain much of the variance in behaviour
- Reductionist - provides a superficial understanding of the person
What are the advantages the idiographic approach to Personality?
- Explains the whole person
What are the Disadvantages the idiographic approach to Personality?
- Non-Generalisable
- Analysis may be time consuming (£$£$)
- Perceived as unreliable and unscientific
How are Traits defined?
- “A dimension upon which people differ psychologically. Traits are stable over time.” (Arnold, 2010: 715)
- Approx. 18,000 words in the English dictionary that could be described as personal ‘traits’
- How to condense these into something more manageable?
- Factor analysis – a process that identifies the lowest number of factors that can reasonably cover all the relevant aspects of the topic being analysed (personality, intelligence, management competency…)
What is the 16 Personality Factor Traits test (Cattell, 1965)?
- The 16pf assessment gives a complete picture by measuring personality in both the professional and personal spheres. Its accurate predictions of behaviour and potential provide businesses with an enlightened confidence that steers staff selection and individual development. This unique depth and breadth of insight, along with more than 60 years of research and application, has earned the 16pf questionnaire international renown and respect.
What are some of the 16 personality Factors Traits?
- Emotional engagement –>
The desire to develop intimate relationships with others: outgoing versus reserved - Liveliness–>How free and spontaneous a person expresses themselves: spontaneous versus restrained
- Vigilance –> The extent to which someone is cautious with regard to the intentions and motivations of others: suspicious versus trusting
- Openness to change –>
The extent to which a person enjoys new situations and experiences: Flexible versus connected to the familiar - Perfectionism –>The need someone feels to trust in structure rather than leaving things to chance: controlled versus undisciplined
- Reasoning ability –>The extent to which a person is able to identify and solve numerical and verbal problems and connections: abstract versus concrete
- Dominance –> The tendency to have influence and control over others: powerful versus submissive
- Sensitivity–>The extent to which emotions and feelings of others affect a person: tender versus tough
- Abstractness –>The amount of attention that someone pays to abstract rather than concrete observations: imaginative versus practical
- Uncertainty –>A person’s tendency to self-criticism: self-critical versus self-assured
-Tension –>The extent to which a person may be frustrated by different situations: impatient versus relaxed
For simplicity’s sake, the characteristics can be reduced to five global factors: extraversion, anxiety, toughness, independence and self-control.
What are the advantages of 16 Personality Factor Traits test (Cattell, 1965)?
- Major contribution to personality research through use of factor analysis (a way of reducing the number of personality characteristics)
- Widely used in organisations
- Paved the way for the ‘Big Five’
What are the disadvantages of 16 Personality Factor Traits test (Cattell, 1965)?
- Never been entirely replicated
- Reliability of the self-report data has been questioned
What is the Big Five Model (Costa & McRae 1987)?
- Many contemporary personality psychologists believe that there are five basic dimensions of personality, often referred to as the “Big 5” personality traits. The five broad personality traits described by the theory are extroversion:
- Extroversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
What are the lower-order traits of Openness in the Big Five Model (Costa & McRae 1987)?
- Artistically
- sensitive,
- intellectual interests,
- reflective,
- insightful,
- curious
