Lecture 1: Personality as a science

Question 1

What are psychological traits

Answer 1

• characteristics that describe ways in which people are different from each other
• traits describe the average tendencies of a person

Question 2

mechanisms of personality

Answer 2

• have an input or trigger
• a decision
• an output
• basically the provess of personality

Question 3

intrapsychic environment

Answer 3

• the things going on in your head, purely internal

Question 4

current domains of knowledge (6)

Answer 4

• dispositional domain (difference between each individual)
• biological perspective (genetics, psychophysiology and evolution)
• intrapsychic domain (mental mechanisms of personality aka outside the conscious awareness)
• cognitive/experiential perspective (subjective experiences of an individual)
• social and cultural domain (context of your cultural and social life)
• adjustment domain (coping and adaptation)

Question 5

idiographic

Answer 5

• every person is unique
• case study establishing someone’s traits

Question 6

nomothetic

Answer 6

• general laws that apply to most
• statistical comparisons of individuals or groups requiring samples of participants on which to conduct research

Question 7

five scientific standards for evaluating personality theories

Answer 7

• comprehensiveness (good at explaining)
• heuristic value (good and new information)
• testability (can it be tested)
• parsimony (few assumptions)
• compatibility and integration (doesn’t violate well established principles)