Topic 2b - Measuring Personality Flashcards
What are the aspects of self-report personality scales?
- Introspective
- Subjective
- Structured
- Contain more than one item per construct (for each trait and facet)
What is a scale?
Measures one dimension of personality - one scale (extravert scale)
What is an inventory measure?
Collection of scales that measure multiple dimensions of personality
What is random error? (measurement error)
Non-systematic variation (human error / slightly higher or lower than true score)
Answers can depend on mood at the time
Average can balance out - close to true score
What is systematic error? (measurement error)
Test score always slightly higher or lower than true - problem with the study
- response set bias, socially desirable bias
What is response set biases?
Refers to peoples tendencies to respond in specific way - habitual response rather than thinking properly. Straightlining- insufficient effort responding: all responses line up
What is acquiescence bias?
Tendency to agree
This can be resolved by reverse scored items - have to think about the Q differently (disagree)
What is nay saying?
Tendency to disagree
What is midpoint responding?
Neither agree nor disagree
This can be resolved by removing the mid point option
What is socially desirable response bias?
Individuals want to have a personality that is seen as desirable. Deceptive intent - presenting self in best light. To overcome = lie detector items (undesirable statements that are true for everyone)
What is the Mach V Scale?
2 socially undesirable answers, one shows high Machiavellianism
People high in Mach likely to be deceptive and manipulative - hard to measure
What are examples of behavioural measures of the big 5?
- Conscientiousness: PPTs given computer task, speed of completion was a measure of conscientiousness
- Agreeableness: PPTs were told their name wasn’t on the list - measure of agreeableness
- Correlations between extraversion and openness behaviour measures and the traditional self report scale for the big 5 but they weren’t even behavioural measures
- However there was low concurrent validity
What is a pro of self report measures?
Controlled - whereas behaviour doesn’t always represent us
What is the Implicit Personality Assessment?
Implicit Association Test (IAT)
Steffans and Schulze Konig (2006)
IAT - used to measure automatic associations to stimuli
Half of the trials made about self congruent show high levels of conscientiousness
Half trials paired incongruently with trait and self
Fastest in pairing words when the trait matches you
If conscientiousness - fastest at trials where responses of words to describe self are same as conscientious words
Measure of personality trait = which condition fastest in
Whats the correlations between the IAT and other measures?
- Some correlations between IAT and self reports / behavioural
