mod 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

define personality traits

A

the relatively enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguish individuals from one another

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2
Q

two major ways we formulate what a trait is

A

Traits can be considered (1) causes of behaviour OR (2) descriptive of our behaviour.

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3
Q

what is the issue with viewing traits as causes of behavior

A

Theorists that consider traits to be causes of behaviour suggest that traits directly explain an individual’s behaviour.
The problem with viewing traits as causes of behaviour is that we can’t rule out other influences on people’s behaviour

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4
Q

what theory do most researchers adopt?

A

most researchers adopt the idea that personality traits are descriptive of our behaviour. That is, personality traits are descriptive summaries of a person. For example, Karen tends to be sociable, friendly, and hardworking. There are no assumptions about causality. Traits just describe people’s average tendencies.

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5
Q

how do researches examine personality as descriptive summaries

A

One way that researchers examine personality as descriptive summaries is by adopting the act frequency approach

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6
Q

describe the act theory approach

A

n the act frequency approach, personality traits are viewed as categories of specific acts or behaviours. That is, the act frequency approach categorizes a person’s behavioural acts in terms of the trait they represent.

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7
Q

how do researchers use the act theory approach

A

Researchers adopting this approach have to figure out which act belongs to which trait and decide how prototypical an act is of the trait (e.g., deciding what to watch on Netflix is less prototypical of dominance than being the leader of a group). Finally, researchers then have to record how often the acts occur in people’s daily lives.

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8
Q

what is the act theory approach useful for

A

This approach can be useful for understanding which behavioural acts are associated with each trait.

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9
Q

How do researchers conceptualize traits as internal causal properties?

A

These traits are presumed to be internal in the sense that individuals carry their desires,
needs, and wants from one situation to the next
these desires and needs are

presumed to be causal in the sense that they explain the behaviour of the individuals who possess them.

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10
Q

How do researchers conceptualize traits as descriptive summaries?

A

Proponents of this alternative formulation define traits simply as descriptive summaries of attributes of per-
sons; they make no assumptions about internality or causality
The important point is that those who view traits as
descriptive summaries do not prejudge the cause of someone’s behaviour. They merely use traits to describe,
in summary fashion, the trend in a person’s behaviour. Personality psychologists of this persuasion argue that we must first identify and describe the important indi-
vidual differences among people, then subsequently develop causal theories to explain them.

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11
Q

Explain how the act frequency approach illustrates traits as descriptive summaries.

A

A number of psychologists who endorse the descriptive summary formulation of traits have explored the im-
plications of this formulation in a program of research called the “act frequency approach”
The act frequency approach starts with the notion that traits are categories of acts.

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12
Q

What three key elements are involved in the act frequency research program?

A

involves three key elements: act nomination, prototypicality judgment,
and the recording of act performance.
act nom- a procedure designed to identify which acts belong in which trait categories.
prototypicality judgement- The second step involves identifying which acts are most central to, or prototypical of, each trait category.
recording - The third and final step in the research program consists of securing information on the actual performance
of individuals in their daily lives.

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13
Q

How would you examine trait conscientiousness using the act frequency research approach? Can you apply this approach to other personality traits?

A

COME BACK

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