lecture 3 Flashcards
what do the five factor model and the big five have in common?
both made up of five domains
what are the five domains?
neuroticism
extraversion
openness
conscientiousness
agreeableness
how do we do factor analysis to obtain the five domains?
reduces the number of dimensions in data, by creating subscales for each trait measured on a questionnaire
what are the differences in the structure between the FFM and the Big 5?
FFM has a trait hierachy whereas the Big 5 doesn’t have a hierachy
what is a trait?
denotes the underlying, recurrent mechanisms which structure a behaviour, and account for the stability or variability of individual characteristics
what are the differences in measurements between FFM and the Big 5?
FFM measures via questionnaires- reflect a causal role in behaviour
Big 5- just described by adjectives, rate yourself according to these adjectives
what are the differences in Empirical Basis for FFM and the Big 5?
FFM= personality theory- questionnaires investigate behaviours
Big 5= lexical approach- natural language used to identify personality traits. use a dictionary to look at the language people use to describe themselves, come up with a subset of adjectives
what are the differences between the empirical basis for FFM and big 5?
FFM= traits cause behaviours
Big 5= just descriptive (doesn’t suggest causation)
what is the difference in origin between FFM and Big 5?
FFM= biological, looks at the role of genetics, have a genetic basis, are stable across time and cultures
Big 5= group of adjectives we use to describe our own and other’s behaviour- analysing this should provide a description of the main personality domains
what are the main claims for the five factor theory?
five factors/domains are present in both adjectives and questionnaire items
FFM has a biological basis
should be observed universally
should show temporal stability
what did we find about the five factors being present in both adjectives and questionnaire items?
found that adjectives consistently load onto 5 domains, which are neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness
what did McCrae, Robert, Terraciano, Antonio (2005) find out about five factors?
collected information from different countries to look at the stability of personality traits
produced a number between 0 and 1- closer to 1 suggests the factor fits onto the scale better
looked at to what extent the findings are different/similar between cultures
what did Bainbridge et al find out about the Five Factor Theory?
observed that lots of other traits also map onto the Five Factor Model
individual differences can be explained by the Five Factor Model
what happened in Costa and McCrae’s research into the Five Factor Model and PEN Model?
did a factor analysis of the FFM and Eysenck’s PEN
suggested Eysenck’s psychoticism is just a confliction of agreeableness and conscientiousness
questioned if openess is part of the FFM or is just part of the domain of intelligence
what are behavioural genetics?
using twin studies to estimate the degree of genetic and environmental influences on a trait
what was found about the impact of genetics/shared environment/non shared environment on personality?
found minimal effects for the shared environment
what are molecular genetics?
examining the whole genome, and looking for associations with genes
transcript the genome, go through the alleles, look at different mutations and see how these correspond to personality traits
require very large sample sizes
what is the neuroscience of personality?
looks at the genetic influences of environmental traits
what do structural MRIs show about the neuroscience of personality?
traits are associated with brain regions
associated with the behaviours linked to that trait
what do functional MRIs show about personality?
shows that brain activity on a task varies as a function of a trait
what is the associated behaviour for neuroticism?
sensitivity to punishment
what are the four claims about the five factor model?
five factors are present in both adjectives and questionnaire items
has a biological basis
should be observed universally
should show temporal stability
who investigated whether the five factor model should show temporal stability?
Srivastava et al, 2003
what did Srivastava et al (2003) show about temporal stability for the five factor model?
looked at systematic changes which occur to personality
changes with age
rank order stability- means that trait levels don’t differ within the person- if a person is the average for that trait- they stay average for that trait (just the average changes)
what does WEIRD stand for?
western
educated
industrialised
rich
democratic
who said there was a problem with using WEIRD samples to investigate the FFM?
Henrich et al 2010
all cross cultrual FFM use WEIRD standards
if it is actually universal- should see these behaviours in pre-literate, hunter-gatherer tribes
who researched the Tsimane?
Gurven et al, 2013
what did Gurven et al find out about the Tsimane?
looked at the FFM in the Tsimane
these people live in extended family cultrues in lowland Bolivia
no possible WEIRD influences
no evidence for the FFM
who researched temporal stability in the FFM?
Deary, 1996
what did Deary (1996) find out about temporal stability for the FFM?
reanalysed data from 1915 (before the big 5 so no selection bias)
observed if the traits were similar over time
4/5 factors seem to be similar over time- agreeableness seemed to separate out into two factors
who suggested there are issues with factor analysis for personality?
Block, 1995
why is there an issue with using factor analysis to determine personality?
adjectives are selected to fir the model
if you select adjectives to reflect 5 factors- you get these- ones that don’t fit the model are removed
if an item doesn’t directly map onto the factor we usually ignore it, and some do not map one to one
what is exploratory factor analysis?
used where researchers do not have a predefined model/theory
aims to identify the pattern of relationships observed amongst variables
what is confirmatory factor analysis?
used to test whether measures of a construct are consistent with a researcher’s understanding of the nature of that construct/factor
how did Eysenck criticise FFM?
suggested some factors are better seen as facets of neuroticism and psychoticism
how did Digman (1997) criticise FFM?
the Big 5 factors are highly correlated
instead, proposes two super factors- alpha (A, C, ES) and beta (E, O)
how did Allen et al (2022) criticise FFM?
suggested current neuroimaging studies are descriptive rather than mechanistic
doesn’t offer much insight into the casual mechanisms that give rise to personality traits
what is the associated behaviour for extraversion?
sensitivity to rewards
what is the associated behaviour for agreeableness?
altruism, cooperation
what is the associated behaviour for openness/intellect?
working memory
what is the associated behaviour for conscientousness?
impulse control
