Measuring Personality, 2B

Question 1

What are self-report scales and inventories?

Answer 1

Typically introspective, subjective, structured -more than one item per construct.

Question 2

What is a scale?

Answer 2

Measures one dimension of personality

Question 3

What is an inventory?

Answer 3

Measures several scales that measure multiple dimensions of personality

Question 4

What is random error?

Answer 4

Non-systematic variation in the test score - equally likely to score slightly higher vs. lower score than true score –> increase the number of items

Question 5

What is systematic error?

Answer 5

Where the test score is always slightly higher or lower than true score -> increasing the number of items does not help.

Question 6

What is ‘straightlining’?

Answer 6

A type of ‘insufficient effort responding’

Question 7

What is acquiescence bias?

Answer 7

Tendency to agree

Question 8

What is ‘nay saying’?

Answer 8

A tendency to disagree

Question 9

What is midpoint responding?

Answer 9

Tendency to neither agree nor disagree.

Question 10

What is socially-desirable response bias?

Answer 10

People will respond in a way that makes them look socially desirable. Deceptive intent. Particular concern in occupational/forensic settings.

Question 11

According to Steffans and Schulze Konig (2006), what are behavioural measures of personality?

Answer 11

Self-reported personality - deliberate behaviour does not always represent who we truly are. Developed measures of trait-relevant ‘spontaneous behaviours’

Question 12

How was agreeableness determined in Steffans and Schulze Konig (2006)?

Answer 12

Ppts turning up to take part in a study were (falsley) told their name wasn’t on the list, and they might not be able to take part. Responses were rated as an indicator of agreeableness.

Question 13

How was conscientousness determined in Steffans and Schulze Konig study?

Answer 13

Ppts were given an untimed computer that required accuracy. Speed of completion was taken as a measure of conscientousness.

Question 14

How was neuroticism determined in Steffans and Schulze Konig study?

Answer 14

Ppts did a ‘horrendously demanding’ working memory task. When they made mistakes, they recieved ‘scolding’ messages. Stress-related reactions that they made were rated as a measure of neuroticism.

Question 15

How was extraversion determined in Steffans and Schulze Konig study?

Answer 15

Ppts were asked about their experiences of the study by a researcher. The time they spent with said researcher, answering the questions, was taken as a measure of extraversion.

Question 16

What are the limitations of the Steffans and Schulze Konig study?

Answer 16

• Low concurrent validity
• Inadequacy of behavioural OR self-report measure
• Maybe implicit measures are better than explicit measures

Question 17

What is the Implicit Personality Assessment?

Answer 17

Steffans and Schulze Konig - Modification of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) - used to measure people’s automatic associations to stimuli.

Question 18

What is ‘other report’ dependent on?

Answer 18

• External manifestation of feelings, thoughts etc.
• The proportion of situations that observer has access to.

Question 19

What is self-other knowledge asymmetry? (Vazire, 2010)

Answer 19

Both self and other ratings can be valid predictors of behaviour, but asymmetries in validity of self vs. other knowledge. Others are more accurate than self when rating traits high in evaluativeness. Self is more accurate than others when rating low observability traits. Strongest effects for ‘others’ who are less close.

Question 20

What is involved in a projective test of personality?

Answer 20

Describe/tell a story about e.g., ambiguous/meaningless stimuli. ‘Projection’ of personality. Scored according to content or focus.

Question 21

What are the advantages and disadvantages of projective tests of personality?

Answer 21

Advantages:
- Less dependent on introspection
- Less prone to bias and faking

Limitations:
- Subjective
- Complex
- Unreliable scoring
- Not based on mainstream personality theory.

Question 22

What is involved in apperceptive tests of personality?

Answer 22

Make up a story about each picture. Complete structured questionnaire.