Lecture 2 Trait theory Flashcards
Assumptions about personality traits
stable across time and contexts
Mischel’s definition of traits
a conditional probability of a category of behaviours in a category of contexts
Burger’s definition?
a dimension of personality used to categorise people according to the degree to which they manifest a particular characteristic
What are the core trait theories?
Sheldon’s Somatypes
Early Lexical approaches
Allport
Cattell
Eysenck
Five-Factor Model
What is Sheldon’s somatypes theory based on?
The early constitutional approach work of Krestchmer (Nazi) (Physique & Character, 1931)
Sheldon’s somatypes brief summary
He identified body types and linked them to particular characteristics
What did ectomorph mean?
Athletic slim-structured, focus on nervous system and brain -> Cerebrotonia
What did mesomorph mean?
Large, bony with well-defined muscles, focus on musculature and the circulatory system, -> somatotonia
What did endomorph mean?
Rounded body tending towards fatness, focus on digestive system, particularly the stomach, -> visceratonia
Common misconception about the theory? (Somatypes)
Evaluation that people lose or gain weight however Sheldon is looking at an individual’s body type and underlying shape
What does cerebrotonia mean?
A need for privacy, restrained, inhibited
What does somatotonia mean?
Physically assertive, competitive, keen on physical activity
What does visceratonia mean?
Associated with a love of relaxation, and comfort; like food and are sociable
What is the Lexical Hypothesis? (Galton; 1884)
Important individual differences between people become encoded as single terms
Frequency of descriptor denotes importance (Also, number of synonyms)
Evidence for the Lexical Hypothesis?
Honest has 31 synonyms, aberrant has 9 therefore honest must be more important as a descriptor -> adaptive behaviour: more important in predicting behaviour, someone trustworthy more useful to you?
Allport’s contribution: the early work
Lexical researchers limited to counting terms, identifying synonyms and producing lists
Allport and Odbert (1936) 18,000 words identified and 4,500 describing personality traits
Not entirely scientific, but an indirect measurement
Allport’s later work (1961)
Distinction between nomothetic and idiographic
Personality traits
Proprium
What are Allport’s 3 personality traits?
Cardinal traits: single dominating trait e.g. competitiveness
Central traits: 5-10 best descriptors
Secondary traits: preference rather than core constituent
What does proprium mean?
synonym for self, representing all parts comprising concept of self
An overview of Cattell’s contribution
Application of empirical methods to discover basic structure of personality
What was Cattell’s process?
Large samples of individuals asked to rate degree to which attributes apply to them
Factor analysis (identification of clusters - correlated items) Example: Achievement orientated -> determined, persistent, productive, goal-directed
Distinguishing Trait Types (Cattell, 1965)
Constitutional traits, environmental-mold traits, ability traits, dynamic traits, temperament traits, common traits, unique traits
Using Cattell’s Trait Distinctions
Surface traits: collections of trait descriptors that cluster together in many individuals and situations, observable
Source traits: responsible for the observed variation in surface traits, represent underlying structure of personality
Source trait: extraversion
Surface trait: sociable, carefree, hopeful, contended
Cattell and Kline’s work in (1977)
Reduced descriptors from Allport and Odbert down to 171, removing synonyms
Going into clinical literature identified a total of 46 surface traits deemed sufficient to describe individual differences in personality
Methodology for studying personality in a scientific way
L-data: life record data, e.g. exam qualifications
Q-data: questionnaire data (self report)
T-data: test completion under standardised conditions
Most reliable probably L-data
Factor analysis of the 46 surface traits
16 major source factors identified, ranked by factor importance in predicting behaviour
Cattell’s 16PF questionnaire
Factor ID on the left, popular name centre, technical name on the right
Intelligence is identified as a trait, lower down traits become more nuanced and rarefied
Hierarchical Model of Personality (Eysenck, 1967)
Blurs the line between behaviour and internalised construct
Combines theoretical, behavioural, and biological
Learning theory model
How does the Hierarchical model work? (Eysenck)
Response to event -> Repeat these responses -> build up a habit and specific response to specific event becomes a habitual response
These niche responses converge and coalesce behaviourally and will feed into a trait which is almost encoded psychologically, predicts how you behave in the future -> super traits (overarching traits)
Eysenck’s 3 factor model
based originally on 2 biologically-based continuum factors: Neuroticism - stability / Extraversion - introversion
Third dimension was added: psychoticism and socialisation (people indicated behaviours typical of emotionally unstable but without anxiety or agitation, no physiological arousal)
Lie scale included
Psychometrics and research base
Psychoticism traits
aggressive, cold, impulsive, unempathetic, egocentric, creative, tough-minded, impersonal, antisocial
Neuroticism traits
tense, anxious, depressed, irrational, guilt feelings, shy, moody, low self-esteem, emotional
Extraversion traits
sensation-seeking, sociable, lively, carefree, dominant, active, surgent, assertive, venturesome
Why might the model be too parsimonious?
Can personality really be reduced down to 3 factors? 16 to 3 is a big jump
Evidence for the 5 factor model
The lexical approach - Re-analysis of Cattell’s 16F solution have consistently elicited only 5 factors
Researchers for 5 factor model evidence
Fiske (1949)
Tupes & Christal (1961; 1992)
Norman (1963)
Digman & Takemoto-Chock (1981)
Goldberg (1981; 1990)
* Costa and McCrae - data-driven factor analysis evidence (2PQs)
Subordinate Traits of the Big Five
Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, Neuroticism
They have subtraits
There are different inventories but largely the same
