Measuring personality Flashcards
What defines a “subjective assessment” and give an example
A subjective assessment is dependent on the one making the assessment.
An example could be to determine someone’s personality by seeing how they reacts to a pirate.
The assessment here is colored by an interpretation of the action.
What defines a “Objective assessment” and give an example
An objective assessment is not dependent on the one making the assessment.
an example could be determining the result of a BIG 5 personality test.
here the test scores outline where the individual lies on the spectrums and no interpretations has to take place from the one making the assessment
What is reliability?
Test score consistency. The measurement of degree to which test scores are measuring something Real and in a way that is repeatable.
What is Error variance?
Chance fluctuations in test scores. like the humidity when stepping on a bathroom scale
What is internal consistency reliability?
The degree to which items in the test regarding the same concept align and actually measure the same thing.
What is Test-retest reliability?
How similar test results from the same test taker are to each other.
an example could be if I took a test today and another one in a few weeks. How similar would my test results be.
What is validity?
The extent to which a test measures what is suppose to measuring
What are some of the subtypes of validity and what do they measure?
Construct validity:
The exten to which a test truly measures a theoretical construct
Convergent Validation:
the exten to which an assessment is related to what it should be measuring
Discriminant validation:
the extent to which an assessment is not related to what it should not be related to
Content validity:
The extent to which a test is measuring the domain it is supposed to be measuring
(how much of the whole construct is being measured)
Name and explain three sources of bias in personality assessment
Acquiescence response set:
People are more likely to agree than disagree
Response set:
A bias unrelated to the characteristic being measured
Social Desirability:
people want to respond in a favorable light
Ethnic Bias:
a test fails to consider the cultural of the person tested
Describe the personality assessment method Self report tests and explain its advantages and limitations
The test taker self reports in different ways (usually questionnaire )
Advantages:
easy and cheep + Objective assessments
Limitations:
Validity must be carefully evaluated
Describe the personality assessment method Behavioral observation and explain its advantages and limitations
The tests is administrated by the assessor and can be an observation of any behavior.
Advantages:
Quick, easy and cheep
Limitations:
Subjective assessment
Describe the personality assessment method Projective tests and explain its advantages and limitations
Ask the test taker What is happening in a picture, not necessarily a picture but something where there is no clear answer and the test taker has to make some sort of assumptions?
The hope is that the test taker will project their own motivations onto the scenario to be assessed.
Advantages:
Open ended format that can answer questions we did not know to ask. access to the unconscious, reduced chance for social desirability bias
Limitations:
Subjective assumptions, based on Freud’s psychoanalytical pseudoscience
Describe the personality assessment method Ratings and judgments by others and explain its advantages and limitations
instead of self report we take reports from other people about the person being assessed.
Advantages:
Some traits, are easier to judge such as sociability and there is less chance for individual person bias.
Limitations:
Based on the assumption that others can make valid judgments of another person which might not be the case
