Trait Theories Flashcards
list the different trait approaches
allport’s traits
cattell’s 16pf
eysenck’s 3 factor theory (PEN)
biological underpinnings
costa & Mccraes big five (OCEAN)
who is charles spearman
invented factor analysis
What is the nomothetic approach to personality?
attempts generalisation
uses objective knowledge
based on numerical data that can be categorised
experimental design
can mask individual effects
what is the idiographic approach to personality?
focuses on uniqueness
uses subjective experience
study of the individual
qualitative design
can be subject to experimenter bias
Who did trait psychology originate from
Aristotle
how is aristotle related to traits psychology
proposed dispositions
e.g., modesty, bravery, vanity
brought order and structure to observations to infer correlations between characteristics and behaviour
what are dispositions (proposed by aristotle)
predictors of behaviour
what 4 personality types did Galen propose
choleric - yellow bile
melancholic - black bile
phlegmatic - phlegm
sanguine - blood
What is a choleric person like
bad tempered
irritable
what is a melancholic person like
gloomy
pessimistic
what is a phlegmatic person like
sluggish
nonexcitable
what is a sanguine person like
cheerful
passionate
who developed trait dimensions
Wilhelm Wundt (1903)
What are the central features of trait theorists?
Emphasis on measurement
Objective and reliable measurement
what stats do trait theorists use
correlation
factor analysis
what is a trait
disposition to behave in a certain way
stable over time
stable across situations
Hirshberg (1978) - “broad, enduring, relatively stable characteristics used to assess and explain behaviour”
Hirshberg (1978)
“broad, enduring, relatively stable characteristics used to assess and explain behaviour”
How did Allport define a trait?
stated they are a generalised neuropsychic system that initiates and guides consistent behaviour
How did allport view traits
building blocks of personality
What is allports trait theory
Viewed traits as building blocks of personality
Traits produce coherence in behaviour
COmbination of traits make each person
Personality can change to allow us to grow and cope with new situations
acknowledged strengths and weaknesses
usefulness of both nomothetic and idiographic approaches
cant reliably predict behaviour by traits
WHat is allports lexical approach?
identified and counted descriptors of personality from dictionaries
meaningful personality descriptors became become part of language
investigated two engllish dictionaries
- extracted 18000 personality descriptors
- reduced to 4500 adjectives
How did allport decided meaningful personality descriptors?
measured by frequency of use
number of descriptors equates to importance of traits
What are the three types of traits?
Cardinal
Central
Secondary
What are cardinal traits?
Rare, dominant characteristics that define a person’s identity
So dominant that they influence a person’s behavior and life across situations
e.g. Ebenezer Scrooge’s greed
what are central traits?
Core personality traits that are present in most people
Serve as the “building blocks” of personality and tend to remain stable throughout life
e.g., honesty
what are secondary traits?
Traits that are less consistent and only appear in certain situation
Can influence behavior, but are dependent upon immediate context
Predict behaviour but not personality
e.g., leadership or impatience
How did cattell define personality
that which permits the prediction of what a man will do when placed in a given situation
How did cattell use trait psychology?
used allports adjective list as starting point but wanted to apply some scientific structure
removed synonyms
WHo invented FACTOR ANALYSIS
CHARLES SPEARMAN
What did cattell do to elaborate on allports work?
removed synonyms
used scientific methods to get raters to assess individuals
How many traits did Cattell find?
After removing synonyms - 171 trait names
After raters assessed individuals - 36 ‘surface traits’ - highly correlated clusters of overt behaviour e.g., honesty
10 emerged in later studies so 46 Surface traits altogether
16 ‘source traits’ - inferred via statistical methods (factor analysis)
What are surface traits?
collection of interrelated behaviours
directly observable by others
what are source traits?
underlying structure of personality
not always observable by others
identified by factor analysis
used to predict behaviour
how are source traits identified
FACTOR ANALYSIS
- life record data (l-data)
- self report questionnaire (q-data)
- objective test data (OT-data, or t-data)
What is life record data?
everyday behaviour
e.g., school performance
What is self-report questionnaire data?
self-ratings about behaviour, feelings, or thoughts
what is objective-test data?
objective data collected under standardised testing conditions
How many source traits did cattell find after factor analysis?
16
include behavioural opposites
(e.g., trusting vs suspicious)
What did cattell believe about the source traits he found?
they underpin surface behaviours = personality
How did Cattell group the 16 source traits.
Into 3 categories:
- ability traits
- dynamic traits
- temperament traits
what are ability traits?
allow a person to function effectively
e.g., intelligence
what are dynamic traits?
refer to more striving aspects of an individual
e.g., motivation
What are temperament traits?
emotional life and quality of behaviour
e.g., impulsivity
What measurement tool did Cattell create?
16PFQ - 16 personality factor questionnaire
what is cattell’s 16 personality factor questionnaire
Comprehensive measure of normal-range personality
155 items asking about daily behaviour, interests and opinion
5 point Likert type scale
Wide range of uses:
Organisational
Clinical
Educational
Sports sciences
Research
Evaluation of 16 PFQ
Some factors too similar to distinguish via Factor Analysis
For example, placid, apprehensive, relaxed, tense
All measure anxiety but are highly correlated with each other
Still shows good reliability and correlates well with other scales
Contemporary theorists suggest fewer dimensions could be used
Springboard for other work…
