Trait Perspective, Needs & Motives

Question 1

What is the trait approach?

Answer 1

Based on EMPIRICAL research that mostly uses CORRELATIONAL designs

Focuses on INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

ORDINAL not ratio scales

Q: how well can traits predict behaviour?

Question 2

Are situations important determinants of behaviour?

Answer 2

Yes, people are inconsistent due to situations

Ex) shy w/ strangers, outgoing w/ family

Question 3

True or false. Older people seem to be more consistent in their personalities than younger people

Answer 3

True

If situation is so important, what role does personality play?

= answer may depend on your age and where you are in life

Question 4

What was Walter Mitchel’s stance in the person-situation debate?

Answer 4

“Marshmallow guy”

Traits are POOR predictors of behaviours

Situations are BETTER predictors

Personality assessment & intuitions about personality = FLAWED

There’s an UPPER LIMIT to how well we can predict behavior

Question 5

Situational variables are relevant to how people will act under “_______ ____________”

Answer 5

Specific circumstances

Question 6

Personality traits are better for understanding how people act “__ ________”

Answer 6

In general

Question 7

What is reliability?

Answer 7

Tendency of an instrument to provide the SAME comparative info on REPEATED OCCASIONS

“Repeatilbility”

Question 8

What is measurement error?

Answer 8

VARIATION of a number around its true mean due to UNCONTROLLED random influences

AKA

Error variance

Considered extraneous (depends on measuring what)

Question 9

What is validity?

Answer 9

The degree to which a measurement ACTUALLY REFLECTS what it is INTENDED to measure

Question 10

What is the relationship b/w validity and reliability?

Answer 10

Reliability is a NECESSARY, but NOT SUFFICIENT condition for validity

*Validity HAS to be RELIABLE

*reliable measure is NOT necessarily VALID
——————————————————————-
Ultimate truth + measurement = VALID

Question 11

When something has reliability and validity it has “_____________”

What is this?

Answer 11

Generalizability

The degree to which a measurement can be found under DIVERSE circumstances

Ex) time, context, partic. pop. Etccc

Question 12

True or false. Personality assessment can only be used by professionals

Answer 12

False

In fact everyday we are always assessing each other and ourselves

Question 13

In terms of personality assessment…

“_______” is used more in professional settings
“_______” is used more in casual settings

Leads to agreement and prediction

Answer 13

Validity = professional

Accuracy = casual

Question 14

What are the 3 popular types of personality assessments?

Answer 14

1. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) → “I prefer a shower to a bath”
2. California Psychological Inventory (CPI)
3. NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI)

Question 15

Many personality tests are “omnibus” what does this mean?

Answer 15

Measure a WIDE RANGE of traits

Others measure just one trait

Question 16

Performance-based assessments AKA projective tests provide what kind of data?

Answer 16

B data

Question 17

Objective tests measure what kind of data?

Answer 17

S data

Question 18

Describe projective tests and give examples

Answer 18

Presents participant w/ AMBIGUOUS stimuli asked to describe what they see

Answers reveal = INNER psychological states

Ex) Rorschach, TAT and draw-a-person tasks

Question 19

True or false. Projective tests have string validity

Answer 19

False

Surprisingly they do not have great validity

But still a measure used today despite this

Question 20

Describe objective tests and give examples

Answer 20

List of questions to be answered by participant

Can be true/false, yes/no, or along a numerical scale

Uses LARGE # of items (which is good)

Question 21

True or false. Objective tests aren’t completely “objective”

Answer 21

True

AMBIGUITY may be necessary for responses to imply anything about personality

Ex) Commonality scale of CPR
- questions that are commonly answered the same by ppl (95%)
- weed out those who aren’t accurately answering

Question 22

What is convergent validation?

Answer 22

The process of assembling DIVERSE pieces of info that CONVERGE on a COMMON CONCLUSION

Ex) “duck test”
- “if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably IS a duck”

Question 23

What are the 2 primary converging criteria needed to make an accurate personality judgement?

Answer 23

1. Inter-judge agreement (degree of which 2 ppl making JUDGEMENTS about the SAME person provide the SAME DESCRIPTION of that persons personality)
2. Behavioural prediction (degree of which a JUDGEMENT/MEASURE can PREDICT the BEHAVIOUR of the person)

Question 24

Difference b/w traits and types?

Answer 24

Trait theories assume that ppl occupy diff points on CONTINUOUSLY varying dimensions

Types are seen as DISTINCT and DISCONTINUOUS categories

Question 25

Traits are considered “______________” and “_____________”

Answer 25

DIMENSIONAL and QUANTITATIVE

Question 26

Difference b/w idiographic and nomothetic view?

Answer 26

Idiographic
- emphasizes persons uniqueness

Nomothetic
- belief that traits exist in the SAME WAY in every person