Theoretical/Measurement Issues

Question 1

3 assumptions of all trait theories

Answer 1

• meaningful individual differences
• stability over time
• consistency across situations

Question 2

differential psychology

Answer 2

type of personality psychology looking at individual differences like traits, abilities, intelligence, etc.

Question 3

situationism

Answer 3

principle that if behaviour changes from situation to situation, it must be the situation (not personality traits) that lead to those changes

Question 4

person-situation interaction/interactionism

Answer 4

behaviour is a function of both personality and the situation

Question 5

density distribution of states

Answer 5

the idea that people high in a particular trait (ex. extraversion) will have state distributions that are more dense with state manifestations of the trait (ie. being more talkative, social, etc.) than those low in that particular trait

Question 6

measurement issues in trait research

Answer 6

• carelessness (ex. HSP participants rushing through studies and not trying) -> solution: embed an “infrequency scale” in questionnaire with q’s like: “choose A”, “I walk on my hands”, or duplicate questions
• Faking (ex. “faking good” to try to get a job you want) -> solution: can compare data to “fake good” and “fake bad” data, but risk false negative or false positive
• Barnum Statements (statements that apply to anyone, ex. “You have a need for people to like you”)

Question 7

personality psych in the workplace

Answer 7

• personality tests (ex. MMPI, CPI) used for:
• • Personnel selection (selecting people with personalities best suited for the job)
• Integrity testing (assessing honesty for people working in retail and finance)
• Concerns over negligent hiring (could be used in court as proof that employer did due diligence in trying to hire someone suitable if the employee does something bad)

Question 8

legal issues of personality testing in employment settings

Answer 8

• right to privacy: testing in job settings not subject to same ethics as research settings; conclusions may be drawn about mental health or other private issues
• discrimination: candidates may be discriminated against due to their personalities and perceived mental health
• disparate impact: when a personality test disadvantages people of a protected group (rare)
• race or gender norming: setting different thresholds on a test for people of different genders or races