Test #1 Prep Flashcards
Psychologist’s view of personality
Personality denotes the psychological dimensions on which people differ (eg. introversion, extraversion). These traits must be relatively consistent over different times and situations. They are usually distributed along a continuum.
Units of personality
Not just a single habit or behaviour, but sets of behaviours that cohere to produce a detectable, recognizable pattern. These units reflect a predisposition to respond to a set of stimuli in a functionally equivalent way.
Larsen and Buss’ definition of personality
Personality is the set of psychology traits and
mechanisms within the individual that are
organized and relatively enduring and that
influence his/her interactions with, and
adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical, and
social environments.
Mechanisms
Mechanisms have an input or trigger (cue, situation), a decision or process (an appraisal), and an output (behaviour or decision).
Goal of personality psychology
Idiographic and nomothetic descriptions of the “person” and people.
Idiographic approach
Every person is unique! (Case studies)
Nomothetic approach
General laws apply to most, if not all people (what makes people Narcissistic?)
McAdams’ 3 Levels of Personality
- Traits (shy, dominant, narcissistic)
- Personal concerns (motives, goals, coping styles)
- Identity (life story, meaning and purpose in one’s life)
Evocations
Reactions we produce in others
Manipulations
Reactions we intend and attempt to produce in others
Adaptations
Central feature of personality. Accomplishing goals, coping and adjusting.
Intraphysic environment
Within the mind
3 Levels of Analysis
General human nature, group differences, individual differences
Six Domains of Personality Psychology
Intraphysical, evolutionary, biological, cognitive-experiential, adjustment, social/cultural, dispositional
Four types of data
Self-report, observation, test, life outcome
Self-report questionnaires
Items should cover the full range of a trait (ie: measuring moodiness, sensitivity for neuroticism), diff. highs from lows (and switch it up) avoid biases like soc. desirability, yea-saying, etc
Validity
Extent to which a test/indicator measures what it’s supposed to measure
Reliability
Degree to which a test/indicator represents “true” level of trait being measured, ergo- repeatability
Face validity
Consensus that test measures what it’s meant to measure
Convergent validity
Correlation with test scores in other important concept.
Predictive validity
Accurate prediction of outcome
Discriminant validity
Degree to which data is distinct from other opposite concepts (from which they should be distinct)
Construct validity
How well does the task represent the concept?
Types of validity
Construct, convergent, discriminant, predictive, face