Personality Research Methods Pt. 1 Flashcards
What is validity in the context of psychological testing?
The extent to which a test measures what it is designed to measure
What is construct validity
The extent to which a test captue=res a specific theoretical construct, like how well a trait happiness scale measures happy personality
What are the two types of construct validity?
Convergent Validity and Divergent Validity (also called Discriminant Validity)
What is convergent Validity?
The extent to which a measure correlates with other measures that are theoretically related to it.
Give an example of convergent validity.
A measure of trait happiness should correlate with measures of laughter, optimism, and smiles
What is divergent (discriminant) validity?`
The extent to which a measure does not correlate or weakly correlates with measures that are theoretically unrelated to it.
Give an example of divergent validity
A measure of trait happiness should not correlate with shoe size or birth date
What is content validity?
The extent to which the items of a measure provide an adequate representation of the conceptual domain it is designed to cover.
Provide an example of poor content validity
A final exam that only represents 30% of what the professor converted in class
What is criterion-related validity?
The extent to which a measure correlates with an established or theoretically important standard, such as predicting a significant outcome.
What are the two types of criterion-related validity?
Concurrent Validity and Predictive Validity
What is concurrent validity?
The measure and criterion are evaluated at around the same time
Give an example of concurrent validity
Measuring trait aggression scale scores and the number of hostile behaviors during an interview session
What is predictive validity?
The measure is used to predict a criterion at a later point in time
Give an example of predictive validity
Trait aggression scale scores measure in 8th grade predicting the number of flights in 10th grade
What is faking in self-report assessments?
When individuals want to look better (fake good) or worse (fake bad) then they actually are
How is faking detected in assessments?
Some scales are created specifically to detect these actions
What is carelessness and sabotage in assessments?
When participants get careless, bored, or intentionally provide incorrect information to sabotage a project.
How can carelessness and sabotage in assessments be managed?
By stressing the importance of testing and careful observatin
What is social desirability in self-report assessments?
When people unintentionally present themselves in a favorable way
How is social desirability detected in assessments?
Social desirability scales were created to detect it
what is acquiescence bias?
When people tend to agree with test items regardless of content
How is acquiescence bias managed in assessments?
By wording half the items in an apposite manner
What are two basic approaches to understanding personality?
Personality Research and Personality Analysis
What is the purpose of personality research?
To understand people in general, offering a broad view of personality
What is the purpose of personality analysis?
To understand a specific person, offering a specific view of personality
What methods are used in personality research?
Case Studies, Experimental Studies, and Correlational Studies
What tools are used in personality analysis?
Observations, Interviews, Personality Tests, and Life Data
What is the goal of personality research?
To identify facts and figures about personality and shape personality theories
What is the goal of personality analysis?
To understand how a person is similar and different from others and create a personality profile
