Personality in context Flashcards
Define
Subcultures
A culture within a culture, based on ethnicity, class, region, or some other variable
Define
Collective self-esteem
Self-esteem based on group membership
Define
Reference-group effect
When people compare themselves to other people they know when completing personality questionnaires
Define
Perception of national character
Asking people to describe the typical member of a culture
Define
Power distance
A cultural system emphasising formality and greater difference in power among people
Define
External attribution
An explanation for behaviour focusing on the surrounding situation
Define
Relational mobility
How easy it is to move in and out of relationship
Define
Uncertainty avoidance
A cultural system of rules that minimises ambiguity
Define
Internal attribution
An explanation for behaviour focusing on the individual and his or her choices and personality
Define
Socioeconomic status
Social class, usually measured by income leve, job prestige, and/or education level
Define
Birth cohort
Everyone born in one year
Define
Cross-cultural differences
Average variations based on country or world region
Define
Cultural products
The products of a culture such as song lyrics, TV shows, advertisements, and books useful for studying culture at a broad level
Define
Culture
The customs, values, and behaviours characteristic of a nation, an ethinic group, a class, or a time period
Define
Generation
Everyone born in a somewhat arbitrarily defined 20- to 30-year period
Define
Mutual constitutional model
The idea that cultures and selves each cause the other
Define
Attributions
Explanations for the reasons behind people’s behaviour
Define
Self-enhancement
The desire to maintain and increase the positivity of the self-concept
Define
Collectivism
A cultural system that values the needs of the group more than those of the individual self
Define
Individualism
A cultural system that values the needs of the individual self more than those of the group
Define
Social Norms
The implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviours, values, and beliefs or its members
Definition
A culture within a culture, based on ethnicity, class, region, or some other variable
Subcultures
Definition
Self-esteem based on group membership
Collective self-esteem
Definition
When people compare themselves to other people they know when completing personality questionnaires
Reference-group effect
Definition
Asking people to describe the typical member of a culture
Perception of national character
Definition
A cultural system emphasising formality and greater difference in power among people
Power distance
Definition
An explanation for behaviour focusing on the surrounding situation
External attribution
Definition
How easy it is to move in and out of relationship
Relational mobility
Definition
A cultural system of rules that minimises ambiguity
Uncertainty avoidance
Definition
An explanation for behaviour focusing on the individual and his or her choices and personality
Internal attribution
Definition
Social class, usually measured by income leve, job prestige, and/or education level
Socioeconomic status
Definition
Everyone born in one year
Birth cohort
Definition
Average variations based on country or world region
Cross-cultural differences
Definition
The products of a culture such as song lyrics, TV shows, advertisements, and books useful for studying culture at a broad level
Cultural products
Definition
The customs, values, and behaviours characteristic of a nation, an ethinic group, a class, or a time period
Culture
Definition
Everyone born in a somewhat arbitrarily defined 20- to 30-year period
Generation
Definition
The idea that cultures and selves each cause the other
Mutual constitutional model
Definition
Explanations for the reasons behind people’s behaviour
Attributions
Definition
The desire to maintain and increase the positivity of the self-concept
Self-enhancement
Definition
A cultural system that values the needs of the group more than those of the individual self
Collectivism
Definition
A cultural system that values the needs of the individual self more than those of the group
Individualism
Definition
The implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviours, values, and beliefs or its members
Social Norms
Whay are there cultural differences in personality?
Socialisation – how you are raised
Geography – impact of climate, terrain etc
What levels do cultural differences occur on?
Note that differences occur between and within the same nationality
Between social classes
Between generations
What are the limitations of using a particular model of personality on a different culture?
Fails to identify unique cultural traits
Side-lines the influence of culture
What is cultural psychology?
investigations of deep relationships between individuals and their culture and how these differ amongst different people groups
What is the Mutual Constitution Model?
A model that states that cultural values, institutions & products, daily life, and the self all shape each other
What is the Emic approach?
An approach that is culture specific focusing on a single culture at a time
What is the Etic approach?
An approach that is cross-cultural, searching for generalities across cultures
What is the most widely accepted and researched model of personality?
Big 5
How does the Big 5 translate to other cultures?
Overall good support for universality of these traits
BUT! OCEAN does not always come up in different cultures
Different cultures have more or less traits
Why are there inconsistent results for the NEO Big 5 across cultures?
Unfamiliarity with questionnaire style assessment
Western/English personality terms (lexical studies)
‘false universals’
What are lexical studies?
Studies exploring the use of different words within a specific culture
They can be combined into like factors
What are the four CPAI personality factors?
Dependability
Interpersonal relatedness*
Social potency
Individualism
How does the four traits of the CPAI (Dependability, Interpersonal relatedness, Social potency, Individualism) overlap with the Big 5?
Dependability: similar to neuroticism
Interpersonal relatedness: unique to Chinese culture
Social potency: similar to extraversion
Individualism: similar to agreeableness
What can we learn from the development of the CPAI?
Not all Big 5 traits are seen in other cultures
There are traits other than the Big 5 traits
Not all Western personality assessments are culturally relevant
Not all Western personality theories are culturally relevant
How many Big 5 studies have been conducted with Indigenous Australians?
None
What factors of an ‘Indigenous Psychology’ are emerging?
Connectedness (people and land)
Spiritual world view
Community engagement in Psychology services
How are there cultural differences in Self-enhancement?
East Asians motivated to esteem their group rather than their individual selves
East Asians enhance only in areas of high importance
East Asians only enhance privately
Motivation for high self esteem lower in East Asians
How do Westerners and East Asians differ in Self enhancement?
Westerners
- Motivated to engage in self enhancement
- Focus on strengths
East Asians
- Self as part of a collective
- Focus on roles and responsibilities
Why are there cultural differences in self enhancement?
Independent vs Interdependent view of self
Approach-Avoidance motivation
Internal vs External frame of reference
Dialetical reasoning about the self
Relational mobility
What is approach motivation?
Desire to seek positive outcomes
What is avoidance motivation?
Desire to avoid negative outcomes
How do East Asians and Westerners differ with avoidance and approach motivation
East Asians have higher levels of avoidance motivation
Westerners have higher levels of approach motivation
What does increased external evaluation lead to?
Heightened self awareness/self consciousness
More objective self evaluation
What is dialectical reasoning?
Tolerance for contradiction
Dialectical = holding opposing views of oneself
I am introverted and extroverted
I am good and bad
What does dialectical reasoning lead to?
Leads to more moderate view of oneself overall i.e. moderate positive view of oneself
What type of culture has higher levels of relational mobility?
Individualistic
What are the possible explanations for how priming one culture can influence personality ratings?
Cultural Frame Switching (CFS)
What is cultural frame switching?
switching of values and attributions by bicultural individuals in the presence of culture-relevant stimuli
What are the intergenerational difference in the Big 5 over time?
↑ Extraversion
↑↓ Agreeableness
↑↓ Conscientiousness
↑ Neuroticism
↓ Openness
Why are there intergenerational differences in personality?
Cohort effects
- Parenting?
- Culture?
Age effects
- Development?
- Life stage?
- Interpersonal factors?
- Which of the following does not apply to ‘strategy 1’ style of studying personality and culture?
a. Testing the generalisability of a theory across culture
b. The assumption that personality and culture ‘make each other up’
c. Investigating predominantly Western personality theory
d. It is limited by not taking into consideration personality traits that are unique to a non-Western culture
- Which of the following does not apply to ‘strategy 1’ style of studying personality and culture?
a. Testing the generalisability of a theory across culture
b. The assumption that personality and culture ‘make each other up’
c. Investigating predominantly Western personality theory
d. It is limited by not taking into consideration personality traits that are unique to a non-Western culture
- Kirsty researching the ‘Big 5’ traits in an isolated group of people in Central Asia. She translates a Big 5 questionnaire into the local language and uses it to measure those traits amongst that people group Kirsty is using:
a. Strategy 1
b. Strategy 2
c. A combination of strategy 1 and 2
d. Neither strategy 1 nor strategy 2
- Kirsty researching the ‘Big 5’ traits in an isolated group of people in Central Asia. She translates a Big 5 questionnaire into the local language and uses it to measure those traits amongst that people group Kirsty is using:
a. Strategy 1
b. Strategy 2
c. A combination of strategy 1 and 2
d. Neither strategy 1 nor strategy 2
- People in Western cultures tend to have an ___________ sense of self where individual __________ are emphasised.
a. Interdependent; rights
b. Independent; roles
c. Interdependent; roles
d. Independent; rights
- People in Western cultures tend to have an ___________ sense of self where individual __________ are emphasised.
a. Interdependent; rights
b. Independent; roles
c. Interdependent; roles
d. Independent; rights
- Due to an _______________ sense of self, people in Asian cultures are more likely to emphasise their _______________ family and society
a. Independent; obligations to
b. Interdependent; obligations to
c. Independent; rights within
d. Interdependent; rights within
- Due to an _______________ sense of self, people in Asian cultures are more likely to emphasise their _______________ family and society
a. Independent; obligations to
b. Interdependent; obligations to
c. Independent; rights within
d. Interdependent; rights within
- The ability of some bicultural individuals to interpret information based on either of the two cultures they have lived in is referred to as:
a. Bicultural flexibility
b. Multicultural frame of reference
c. Frame switching
d. Bicultural priming
- The ability of some bicultural individuals to interpret information based on either of the two cultures they have lived in is referred to as:
a. Bicultural flexibility
b. Multicultural frame of reference
c. Frame switching
d. Bicultural priming
- ________ generally have a ___________ degree of motivation for self-enhancement.
a. East Asians, high
b. Africans, high
c. Westerners; high
d. Africans; low
- ________ generally have a ___________ degree of motivation for self-enhancement.
a. East Asians, high
b. Africans, high
c. Westerners; high
d. Africans; low
- Which of the following is not listed as a factor in explaining cultural variations in selfenhancement motivation?
a. Approach-avoidance motivation
b. Internal versus external frame of reference
c. Independent vs interdependent sense of self
d. Universality vs uniqueness of personality traits
- Which of the following is not listed as a factor in explaining cultural variations in selfenhancement motivation?
a. Approach-avoidance motivation
b. Internal versus external frame of reference
c. Independent vs interdependent sense of self
d. Universality vs uniqueness of personality traits
- Julie performed poorly on her maths test. She believes this occurred because she is poor at maths. This is an example of an ___________ theory of ability.
a. Incremental
b. Entity
c. Interdependent
d. Independent
- Julie performed poorly on her maths test. She believes this occurred because she is poor at maths. This is an example of an ___________ theory of ability.
a. Incremental
b. Entity
c. Interdependent
d. Independent
- The study of personality traits in difference cultures has revealed that:
a. The Big 5 traits are universal
b. All of the Big 5 traits are present in other cultures together with other unique traits
c. Most of the big 5 traits are present in other cultures together with other unique traits
d. The Big 5 traits only emerge in Western cultures
- The study of personality traits in difference cultures has revealed that:
a. The Big 5 traits are universal
b. All of the Big 5 traits are present in other cultures together with other unique traits
c. Most of the big 5 traits are present in other cultures together with other unique traits
d. The Big 5 traits only emerge in Western cultures
- A helpful way of understanding how people of different cultures view their selfconcept is through the use of _____________ such as those used in the Twenty Statements Test.
a. Open-ended questions
b. Multiple choice questions
c. Structured interview questions
d. Self-generated questions
- A helpful way of understanding how people of different cultures view their selfconcept is through the use of _____________ such as those used in the Twenty Statements Test.
a. Open-ended questions
b. Multiple choice questions
c. Structured interview questions
d. Self-generated questions
- Angus asked a group of Americans and a group of Japanese people to complete a questionnaire about their self-concept during different situations throughout the day. He found that:
a. There was much more variability in ratings amongst the Japanese participants
b. There was much less variability in ratings amongst the Japanese participants
c. There was no difference in variability in ratings between the groups
d. There was no difference in self-concept between the groups
- Angus asked a group of Americans and a group of Japanese people to complete a questionnaire about their self-concept during different situations throughout the day. He found that:
a. There was much more variability in ratings amongst the Japanese participants
b. There was much less variability in ratings amongst the Japanese participants
c. There was no difference in variability in ratings between the groups
d. There was no difference in self-concept between the groups
- Which of the following is false when considering cultural differences in personality?
a. People from Western cultures are more likely to rely in personality traits when describing themselves
b. Over 90% of published research in this area is biased by a Western viewpoint
c. An interdependent sense of self causes people to view themselves in terms of their roles within their community
d. The Big 5 traits have not been useful in characterising personality in nonWestern cultures
- Which of the following is false when considering cultural differences in personality?
a. People from Western cultures are more likely to rely in personality traits when describing themselves
b. Over 90% of published research in this area is biased by a Western viewpoint
c. An interdependent sense of self causes people to view themselves in terms of their roles within their community
d. The Big 5 traits have not been useful in characterising personality in nonWestern cultures
