Personality Psych

Question 1

what are enduring characteristics of personality?

Answer 1

habits, attitudes, beliefs - ingrained

Question 1

what are nomothetic approaches to studying personality?

Answer 1

emphasises the generalisations and laws of behaviour

Question 2

what are idiographic approaches to studying personality?

Answer 2

studying the indivd’s uniqueness

Question 3

what is the topographic model for explaining personality? re: psychic determinism

Answer 3

causes lie in the structures + processes (dynamics) of personality
levels of awareness; conscious, preconscious, unconscious

Question 5

what is the structural model for explaining personality?
re: internal structure

Answer 5

id: irrational/emotional
ego: rational/decision making
superego: moral

Question 6

what is psychic conflict?

Answer 6

to find the middle course between the 3 internal structures

Question 7

what are the 2 fundamental drives of personality PROCESSES?

Answer 7

libido: lust for life
thanatos: lust for disorder, destruction, death

Question 8

outline the 5 main stages of freud’s genetic model re: psychosexual stages of development

Answer 8

oral fixations
anal “
phallic “
latency “
genital “

Question 9

criticisms of initial personality theory

Answer 9

• poor testability/empirical evidence
  poor external validity
  sexism
  functions more like philosophy than science

Question 10

what was the issue w freud’s selection bias?

Answer 10

most of his patients were middle class women

Question 11

2 main approaches to personality

Answer 11

clinical approach and theoretical approach (armchair)

Question 12

what are the main features of radical behaviourism?

Answer 12

environ contingencies can shape anyone into anything/one

Question 13

what are the 2 main types of learning?

Answer 13

habituation and classical conditioning

Question 14

what did the 1963 bobo study conclude?

Answer 14

children in the conditions that didn’t watch aggression/no model were less aggressive

Question 15

criticisms of behaviourism to explain personality?

Answer 15

• deterministic
• animal research
• no personality structure proposed

Question 16

what are the main features of humanism?

Answer 16

focus on indvd experience + growth, self-actualisation, subjectivity, empowerment
rejects coercive approach of +/- reinforcement

Question 17

what are the 5 main concepts of humanism?

Answer 17

personal growth, personal experience, now + here, personal responsibility, inherent goodness of ppl

Question 18

what does existentialism consider that humanism does not?

Answer 18

our existence, discrepancies in the “goodness” of everyone- some are just born bad

Question 19

what is maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 19

• self-actualisation at the top= only attained if the ones at the bottom are too.
• esteem needs
• belonging/love needs
• safety needs
• physiological needs

Question 20

do socio-cognitive behavioural approaches believe in personality?

Answer 20

no, they only believe in measuring what we observe as opposed to measuring the internal processes of personality

Question 21

what are the key assumptions of the trait approach 1?

Answer 21

personality exists, is dynamic, q

Question 22

what are the key assumptions of the trait approach 2?

Answer 22

personality dev through the interplay <=>
- cognition
- temperament
- physiology
- environ

Question 23

what is behavioural genetics

Answer 23

• studies how personality is attributed
• genetic predispositions
• personality isn’t 100% inheritable

Question 24

what is behavioural genetics

Answer 24

• studies how personality is attributed
• genetic predispositions
• personality isn’t 100% inheritable

Question 25

what are the key assumptions of the trait approach 3?

Answer 25

• traits as building blox of personality
• probabilistic; non-determinist influence on behaviour
• variation in trait intensity
• HEIRARCHY / DIMENSION OF PERSONALITY

Question 26

what is the heirarchy/dimension of personality?

Answer 26

1. from least stable teller of personality: situational response
2. habitual response
3. temperament
4. traits
5. personality dimensions

Question 27

what is a statistical model to measure personality dimensions?

Answer 27

factor analysis

Question 28

what are the 2 main typologies for traits?

Answer 28

lexical taxonomy, psycho-biological theory

Question 29

the big 5?

Answer 29

lexical taxonomy
1. neuroticism
2. extraversion
3. agreeableness
4. conscientiousness
5. openness

Question 30

what is the big 3/ pen model?

Answer 30

psycho-biological theory
1. neuroticism
2. extraversion
3. psychoticism

Question 31

criticisms of trait approaches

Answer 31

dependent on self-report, statisics, high cost + impractical medical methods

Question 32

what do general personality assessment tests do? e.g. RPM

Answer 32

measures abstract fluid reasoning

Question 33

what are some e.g. of personality assessments of behaviour observations?

Answer 33

interviews, ethnography- participant - observation

Question 34

what are some e.g. of personality assessments of behaviour observations?

Answer 34

interviews, ethnography- participant - observation

Question 35

issues with self-reports?

Answer 35

potential for liars, social desirability scale, biases

Question 36

e.g. of psychophysiological assessment of personality?

Answer 36

MRI scan, issues w reductionism

Question 37

how are scores of behavioural samples quantified? give 2 categories

Answer 37

objective scoring- standardised, clinical Qs
subjective- psych’ judgement

Question 38

what is psychometric?

Answer 38

measure of the soul ..

Question 39

define validity

Answer 39

degree to which a claim is t/f

Question 40

define reliability

Answer 40

degree to which the measurements are accurate, e.g. how well does a measurement assess what claim it assesses? how accurate is an indivd’s report of their condition?