Personality 3 Flashcards
trait theories
less concerned with explanation for personality development and changing personality
describing personality and predicting behavior based on the that description
attempt to describe personality in terms of a person’s trait
trait
consistent, enduring way of thinking, feeling, or behaving
allport
believe traits wired into nervous system to guide one’s bx across many different situations
each person’s constellation of traits unique
cattell
surface traits and source traits
factor analysis
16 personality factor questionnaire
identify 16 source traits, later say 23
surface traits
cattell
like all port’s
represent personality characteristics easily seen by other people
source traits
cattell
more basic traits that underlie surface traits
introversion
tendency to withdraw from excessive stimulation
factor analysis
statistical technique that looks for groupings and commonalities in numerical data
16pf
cattell’s test
16 source traits seen as trait dimensions/continuums
two opposite traits at each end with range of possible degrees for each trait measurable along dimension
five factor model/big five
mccrae and costa
five dimensions, core description of human personality
only dimensions necessary to understand human bx
OCEAN/CANOE
traits independent
five factor traits
openness conscientiousness extraversion agreeableness neuroticism
openness
person’s willingness to try new things and be open to new experiences
low = maintain status quo, don’t like to change things
conscientiousness
person’s organization and motivation
high = careful about being places on time, careful with belongings, organized
low = late, take bad care of things, lazy
extraversion
jung
extraverts: outgoing and sociable
introverts: solitary, dislike being center of attention
agreeableness
basic emotional style of person
high = easy-going, friendly, pleasant
low = grumpy, crabby, hard to get along with
neuroticism
emotional instability or stability
high = excessive worriers, overanxious, moody
low = even-tempered, calm
trait-situation interaction
mischel
particular circumstances of any given situation assumed to influence way in which trait is expressed
behavioral genetics
study of how much of an individual’s personality is due to inherited traits
twin studies
minnesota twin study show identical twins more similar than fraternal in intelligence, leadership, tendency to follow rules, tendency to uphold traditional cultural expectations, nurturance, empathy, assertiveness, aggressiveness
even if twins raised in separate environments
adoption studies
genetic influences account for great deal of personality development, regardless of shared or non shared environments
genetic basis suggested for shyness
heritability
how much some trait within a population can be attributed to genetic influences
extent individual genetic variation impacts differences in observed behavior
big five heritability
50% rate
variations in personality traits 25-50% inherited
hofstede
study of IBM (multinational) four basic dimensions of personality along which cultures differ: 1. individualism/collectivism 2. power distance 3. masculinity/femininity 4. uncertainty avoidance
individualism/collectivism hofstede
individualistic culture: loose ties between individuals, people look after selves and immediate families, autonomy, change, out, equality, security valued
collectivistic culture: people tied into strong in-groups, loyalty to family stressed, few groups, duty, order, tradition
power distance
degree to which less powerful members of culture accept and expect that power within culture is held in hands of select few rather than being more evenly distributed
masculinity/femininity
how culture distributes roles played by men and women, varies more for men than women
masculine culture = assertive, competitive
feminine culture = modest, caring
greater difference in sexes in masculine countries bc less assertive
uncertainty avoidance
culture’s tolerance of uncertainty
no tolerate = strict rules, security, one truth belief
more accepting culture = fewer rules, different beliefs, less anxious and emotional
eclectic view of personality
way of choosing parts of different theories that seem to best fit particular situation
rather than using only one theory to explain phenomenon
interview
ask questions and note down answers in survey process
can be unstructured and flow naturally from beginning dialogue between client and psychologist
clients report on inner feelings, urges, and concerns
can lie and distort truth
halo effect
tendency to form favorable or unfavorable impression of someone at the first meeting, so that all of person’s comments and behavior after first impression interpreted to agree with impression
negative impression = horn effect
projective tests
show client ambiguous visual stimuli and ask clients to tell what see, hope client will project unconscious concerns onto visual stimulus
used to explore client’s personality or diagnostic tool to uncover problems in personality
rorschach inkblot test
look at each inkblot and say what it looks like
score responses on key factors
describe personality, diagnose mental disorders, and predict bx
controversial, maybe not valid
TAT
thematic apperception test
black and white pictures, person tells story about person in picture (ambiguous situations)
story developed interpreted by psychoanalyst, looks for revealing statements and projection of client’s own problems onto people in pictures
subjective
projective tests are this
valid only within person’s own perception
not science
projective tests no standard grading scale so low reliability and validity
reliability v validity
reliability = tendency of test to give same score every time given to same person validity = ability of test to measure what intended to measure
direct observation
observe client engaging in ordinary, everyday behavior, preferably in natural setting
rating scale
numerical rating assigned, either by assessor or client, for specific behaviors
observer effect problem though
frequency count
assessor counts frequency of certain behaviors within specified time limit
observer effect problem though
personality inventory
questionnaire that has standard list of questions and only requires certain specific answers
standard nature of questions and lack of open ended answers make assessments more objective and reliable than projective tests`
myers briggs
sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, introversion/extraversion, perceiving/judging
sensing/intuition
sensing = prefer to rely on what experience through own physical senses intuition = look for patterns and trust hunches
thinking/feeling
thinking = logic, analysis, and experiences that can be verified as facts feeling = make decisions based on personal values and emotional reactions
introversion/extraversion
same as jung/big five
perceiving/judging
perceiving = willing to adapt and modify decisions, spontaneous, naturally curious, procrastinate until see all possibilities judging = action-oriented, decisive
mmpi-2
minnesota multiphase personality inventory
tests for abnormal bx and thinking patterns in personality
true false statements, has validity scales
patterns = mild (shyness etc) to serious (schizophrenia etc)
validity scales
built into any well designed psych inventory
indicate whether or not person taking inventory responding honestly
responses to certain items will indicate if people are trying to make selves look better or worse than are
problems with personality inventories
no observer/interpretation bias
valid and reliable
but validity scales not perfect
questions may be interpreted differently, cultural influence
phrenology
gall
certain areas of brain responsible for certain aspects of personality
skull bulge out according to which of traits were dominant
deyoung
evidence for biological seat of extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness
extraversion brain
higher volume in medial orbitofrontal cortex (underside of frontal lobe, directly above eyes)
associated with recognizing value of rewarding information
neuroticism
lower brain volume in several areas responding to threat, punishment, and negative emotions
reduced volumes in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and left posterior hippocampus
higher brain volume in middle cingulate cortex associated with error detection and response to pain
agreeableness
areas of brain associated with intentions of actions and mental states of others
more volume posterior cingulate cortex
lesser volume in left superior temporal sulcus
conscientiousness
left lateral prefrontal cortex
planning, working memory, and voluntary control of bx
