M2. Lesson 5: McCrae & Costa's Five Factor Trait Theory Flashcards
What are trait and factor theories of personality based in?
Trait and factor theories of personality are based on factor analysis, a procedure that assumes that human traits can be measured by correlational studies.
What are extraverts and introverts?
Extraverts are characterized by sociability and impulsiveness; introverts, by passivity and thoughtfulness.
What is neuroticism? (McCrae and Costa)
High scores on the neuroticism scale may indicate anxiety, hysteria, obsessive-compulsive disorders, or criminality; low scores tend to predict emotional stability.
What did McCrae and Costa place equal emphasis on?
McCrae and Costa placed equal emphasis on biological and environmental influences on personality.
What is the five-factor theory?
The Five-Factor Theory has been used to assess personality traits in cultures throughout the world.
What is the NEO-PI-R?
The NEO-PI-R shows a high level of stability in personality factors as people advance from about 30 years old to old age.
What kind of approach have several individuals and researchers done in order to answer psychological questions such as “How can personality be measured”?
During the past 25 to 45 years, several individuals (Cattell, 1973, 1983; Eysenck, 1981, 1997a) and several teams of researchers (Costa & McCrae, 1992; McCrae & Costa, 2003; Tupes & Christal, 1961) have taken a factor analytic approach to answering these questions.
How many traits are there to which researchers agree in?
Presently, most researchers who study personality traits agree that five, and only five, and no fewer than five dominant traits continue to emerge from factor analytic techniques—mathematical procedures capable of sifting personality traits from mountains of test data.
Who were the other researchers and what did they think about the number of traits?
Whereas many contemporary theorists believe that five is the magic number, earlier theorists such as Raymond B. Cattell found many more personality traits, and Hans J. Eysenck insisted that only three major factors can be discerned by a factor analytic approach.
What was the basis of Cattell’s original work?
In addition, we have seen that Gordon Allport’s commonsense approach yielded 5 to 10 traits that are central to each person’s life. However, Allport’s major contribution to trait theory may have been his identification of nearly 18,000 trait names in an unabridged English language dictionary. These trait names were the basis for Cattell’s original work, and they continue to provide the foundation for recent factor analytic studies.
What does the Five-Factor Theory include?
The Five-Factor Theory (often called the Big Five) includes neuroticism and extraversion; but it adds openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. These terms differ slightly from research team to research team, but the underlying traits are quite similar.
