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
Low repeatability means
Too much error of measurement (random)
Generalizability
Extent to which a test remains valid in different cultural contexts
Self-monitors
Social chameleons
Five factor model
Organizational functioning, OCEAN, often criticized in favour of HEXACO
TIPI
Test for FF model
Common criticisms of MBTI
This or that, dimensions don’t contain opposites, no predictive validity
Machiavellianism
Based on the Prince by NM, flattery, deceit, cunning
Causes of personality change
Changing roles, increase in C and O, age
Post-traumatic growth
Intentional change
H in Hexaco
Honesty
Psychopathy
A disorder OR psychological trait- low empathy, thrill seeking, fearless, superficially charming
Act frequency approach
Traits are categories of acts
Lexical approach
All important individual differences have become encoded within the natural language
Statistical approach
Use of factor analysis
Factor analysis
Groups of traits that covary (cohabitate) but not with other traits
Theoretical analysis
Theory guides analysis
Three assumptions of trait psychology
-Stability over time
-Consistency
-Meaningful individual differences
Aggregations
Adding up observations
Barnum statements
Statements that could apply to anyone
Trait psychology
Study of traits, heavy reliance on self-report
