LECTURE #2 - Flashcards
1
Q
Personality Assessment
A
- is a standardized procedure used to learn about an individual’s personality or measure personality differences among people in a population.
2
Q
L-data (Life-record data)
A
- Information obtained from a person’s life history or records, such as school or work performance, health records, or personal milestones.
3
Q
O-data (Observer data)
A
- Information provided by knowledgeable observers, like parents, friends, or teachers. These observers can either be trained to observe systematically or offer more general ratings of a person’s behavior, which can be
specific or broad in nature.
4
Q
T-data (Test data)
A
- Information obtained from experimental procedures or standardized tests. This data is typically more objective and comes from controlled environments.
5
Q
S-data (Self-report data)
A
- Information provided by the individual, usually through questionnaires or surveys.
6
Q
Combining Data Sources Results In….
A
- increases the reliability and validity of their findings. Using different types of data helps cross-validate conclusions and provides a more comprehensive understanding of personality.
7
Q
Implicit Individual-Differences Measures
A
- assess unconscious aspects of personality through indirect means, like reaction times or automatic responses.
8
Q
Diary Method
A
- Individuals self-record their daily experiences and emotions, offering rich, real-time data for understanding personality dynamics over time.
9
Q
Electroencephalography (EEG)
A
- EEG uses electrodes placed on the scalp to record the electrical activity of neurons.
10
Q
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
A
- fMRI captures brain activity during task performance by detecting variations in blood flow to different areas of the brain.
11
Q
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)
A
- DTI detects the brain’s “white matter” — the nerve fibers that transmit neural communication.
12
Q
Case Studies
A
- Case studies are in-depth analyses of individual cases, where psychologists examine the structures and processes that are most relevant to a person’s personality.
13
Q
Personality Tests and Questionnaires
A
- allow researchers to study individual differences, especially when it’s not feasible or desirable to conduct intensive studies on
individuals or perform controlled laboratory experiments.
14
Q
Correlational studies
A
- help examine how different personality traits or behaviors go together within large populations of people.
15
Q
Correlation Coefficient
A
- statistic used to measure the strength and
direction of the linear relationship between two variables.
16
Q
Positive Correlation
A
- When one variable increases, the other increases as well (e.g., height and weight).
17
Q
Negative Correlation
A
- When one variable increases, the other decreases (e.g., stress and happiness).
18
Q
Uncorrelated
A
- No systematic relationship between the two variables (e.g., shoe size and intelligence).
19
Q
Correlational Research
A
- Involves examining relationships among variables in large populations.
Importantly, no variables are manipulated by the researchers.
20
Q
Random Assignment
A
- Participants are randomly assigned to different experimental conditions, ensuring that the groups are comparable at the start of the experiment.
21
Q
Manipulation of Variables
A
- One or more variables are deliberately manipulated to observe how changes in these variables affect participants’ responses.
22
Q
Causal Inference
A
- If people in one condition respond differently than those in another, researchers can conclude that the manipulated variable causally influenced the responses.
23
Q
Average Behavior
A
Measures typical behavior over time, often using self-reports or informant ratings.
24
Q
Variability in Behavior
A
Examines how behavior changes in different situations, typically assessed through observation or experiments.
25
Conscious Thought
Focuses on what individuals are aware of, captured through self-reports or interviews.
26
Unconscious Mental Events
Assesses unconscious processes using techniques like projective tests or neuroimaging.
27
Reliability
Refers to the consistency and dependability of measurements. Reliable tests produce stable, replicable results.
28
Factors affecting reliability...
■ Psychological state of participants
■ Test characteristics
■ Scoring errors
■ Ambiguity in score interpretation
29
How reliability is measured...
Internal consistency
Test-retest reliability
30
Etic strategy
- Assumes psychological constructs are universal across cultures and can be measured the same way.
31
Emic strategy
- Recognizes cultural differences and adapts constructs and measures accordingly, sensitive to unique cultural contexts.
32
Between-person constructs
- Differences between individuals (e.g.,
personality traits).
33
Within-person constructs
- Features within individuals (e.g., mind or brain structures).
34
Fixed measures
- Standardized tests applied equally to all, commonly used in personality psychology (e.g., questionnaires). They are objective but may miss individual nuances.
35
Flexible measures
- Unstructured methods like open-ended questions or storytelling, allowing for a more personalized assessment.
36
Nomothetic
- Fixed measures describing populations.
37
Idiographic
- Flexible measures focused on individual uniqueness.
38
Explicit measures
- Clear to the test-taker (e.g., questionnaires).
39
Implicit measures
- The test-taker is unaware of what is being measured, or
unable to control the response (e.g., pupil dilation, T-data).
○ Implicit measures are useful for overcoming self-presentation biases.
40
Validity
- Ensures the test accurately measures what it is intended to measure.
41
Discriminant validity
- Ensures the test is distinct from other existing measures.
42
Causal conception of validity
A test is valid if:
■ The quality genuinely exists.
■ It causally influences the measurement process.
