Trait theories Flashcards
Define
Judging versus perceiving
Functions added to Jung’s types by Myers and Briggs; being planful versus more spontaneous
Define
Thinking versus feeling
The rational functions in Jungian theory
Define
Intuition versus sensation
The irrational functions in Jungian theory
Define
Extraversion versus intraversion
Getting energy from social situations versus being alone, in Jungian theory
Define
Facets
More specific components of the Big Five, subcaregories of Big Five traits
Define
Lexical hypothesis
That traits important for survival and reproduction became embedded in our language, with the most important traits represented by the largest number of words
Define
Hostile attribution bias
The tendency to see others as hostile and aggressive
Define
Openness to experience
Being interested in trying new activities and playing with new ideas, beliefs, and value systems; opposite: being conventional and less comfortable to change
Define
Neuroticism
Negative emotions such as worry and anger; opposite: calmness and emotional stability
Define
Agreeableness
Caring for others and getting along with other people; opposite: being argumentative, combative, and self-centered
Define
Traits
Relatively stable rendencies of individuals
Define
Big Five
Five comprehensive personality domains; extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience
Define
Conscientiousness
Organised, ambitious and self-controlled; opposite: being messy, unmotivated, and impulsive
Define
Extraversion
How outgoing, assertive, and talkative someone is
Define
Narcissism
The combination of excessive self-love and a lack of empathy toward others
Define
Factor analysis
Analysing correlations among items to see which form related clusters
Definition
Functions added to Jung’s types by Myers and Briggs; being planful versus more spontaneous
Judging versus perceiving
Definition
The rational functions in Jungian theory
Thinking versus feeling
Definition
The irrational functions in Jungian theory
Intuition versus sensation
Definition
Getting energy from social situations versus being alone, in Jungian theory
Extraversion versus intraversion
Definition
More specific components of the Big Five, subcaregories of Big Five traits
Facets
Definition
That traits important for survival and reproduction became embedded in our language, with the most important traits represented by the largest number of words
Lexical hypothesis
Definition
The tendency to see others as hostile and aggressive
Hostile attribution bias
Definition
Being interested in trying new activities and playing with new ideas, beliefs, and value systems; opposite: being conventional and less comfortable to change
Openness to experience
Definition
Negative emotions such as worry and anger; opposite: calmness and emotional stability
Neuroticism
Definition
Caring for others and getting along with other people; opposite: being argumentative, combative, and self-centered
Agreeableness
Definition
Relatively stable rendencies of individuals
Traits
Definition
Five comprehensive personality domains; extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience
Big Five
Definition
Organised, ambitious and self-controlled; opposite: being messy, unmotivated, and impulsive
Conscientiousness
Definition
How outgoing, assertive, and talkative someone is
Extraversion
Definition
The combination of excessive self-love and a lack of empathy toward others
Narcissism
Definition
Analysing correlations among items to see which form related clusters
Factor analysis
Who was the first to describe that people differ in fundamental ways?
Hippocrates (400BC)
Who described the four bodily humours?
Galen (150AD)
What were the four bodily humours described by Galen?
Black bile
Yellow bile
Phlegm
Blood
What is a trait?
- A trait is the primary unit of personality description
- A relatively enduring characteristic of a person
- Represent a pattern of behavior, thinking or feeling
- Traits are variable between individuals
- Traits are a disposition
- a probabilistic tendency to act a certain way in particular circumstances
What does the trait concept describe?
Personality traits refer to consistent patterns in the way individuals behave, feel, and think
What are the two connotations of the trait concept?
Consistency (trait describes a regularity in behavior)
Distinctiveness (trait theorists typically concerned with ways in which individuals differ from each other)
What Functions are Served By Trait Constructs?
- Summarise a person’s typical behavior and thus describe what a person typically is like
- Provide basic descriptive facts that need to be explained by any theory of personality
- Tries to establish an overall descriptive scheme within which any and all persons can be described
What did Gordon Allport (1897-1967) highlight about traits?
Highlighted healthy and organised aspects of human behavior
contrasted with the psychoanalytic emphasis on animalistic and neurotic aspects of behavior
What are the three kinds of traits according to Allport?
Cardinal
Central
Secondary disposition
What is a cardinal trait?
Cardinal traits express dispositions that are so pervasive that virtually every act is traceable to its influence
What is a central trait?
Central traits express dispositions that cover a more limited range of situations
What is a secondary disposition?
Secondary dispositions are traits that are the least conspicuous, generalized, and consistent
What did Allport believe about the heritability of traits?
Believed that many trait were hereditary, but did no research to substantiate this
True or False:
Allport created a detailed trait model
False
He created no model
How do we determine the fundamental personality traits that underlie human personality?
Factor analysis
How many personality traits were proposed by Raymond Cattell?
16
What is a surface trait?
Surface traits represent behavioural tendencies that exist on the surface and can be observed (manifestation of source traits)
What is a source trait?
Source traits are the internal psychological structures that are the underlying cause of observed behaviour
What are the three categories of traits according to Cattell?
Ability
Temperament
Dynamic
What are ability traits?
skills that allow the individual to function effectively (i.e. Intelligence)
What are temperament traits?
traits involved in emotional life (i.e. Calm vs emotional)
What are dynamic traits?
traits involved WHY a person responds how they do (i.e. Highly motivated)
Why did Cattell’s theory exert little impact in contemporary personality science?
- His methods were somewhat arbitrary
- He relied on subjective judgement
- There has been difficulty replicating his work
- 16 factors is too much for some
- Many of his factors seem to correlate, indicating even more basic dimensions that underpin personality
Who used secondary factor analysis to form their trait theory?
Eysenck
What is secondary factor analysis used for?
Secondary factor analysis is used to identify a simple set of factors that are independent (i.e., not correlated with each other)
What were the two traits of Eysenck’s original theory?
Introversion - extraversion
Neuroticism
What third dimension was added to Eysenck’s theory to create the three-factor theory?
Psychoticism
What are the three-traits of Eysenck’s Three-factor model?
Psychoticism
Extraversion
Neuroticism
Who proposed the lemon-drop test? What does it suggest?
Eysenck
Introverts and extraverts differ in the amount of saliva they produce in response
How do introverts and extroverts differ in the neurophysiological functioning of the brain’s cortex?
Introverts experience more cortical arousal from events than do extraverts; intense social stimuli make them overaroused and are therefore more socially inhibited
Extraverts experience less cortical arousal than introverts from a given stimulus; they seek out more intense social experiences
According to the PEN theory, what are the characteristics of majority of neurotic patients?
High N
Low E
According to the PEN theory, what are the characteristics of majority of criminals and antisocial persons?
High N
High E
High P
What are the 5 traits of the Five-factor model of personality?
Openess to experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
What did McCrae and Costa suggest about the biological basis for the five-factor model?
- Factors have a biological basis
- Differences linked to the Big Five are determined by genetic influences on neural structures and brain chemistry
- The five traits are not influenced by the environment; strongest “nature” position possible
Are The Big Five Dimensions Universal?
- Methodological issue with cross‐cultural research of the Big Five
- Languages may lack one‐to‐one translations; words that translate the same do not necessarily mean the same
- Could lead researchers to question whether they have found the same factor in two languages
- DeRaad and Peabody (2005) examined trait terms across 11 languages and concluded
- that “the Big Three – Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness – are cross‐lingually recurrent”
- “the full Big Five Model is questionable” (p. 464)
Which of the 5 factors of personality are less cross-culturally reliable?
Openness to experience
Neuroticism
What does Eysenck’s P correspond to in the 5 factor model?
Low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness
What is possibly the 6th factor of personality according to recent research?
Honesty/humility
What are the applications of the Big 5 model in the workplace?
Research suggest that the five‐factor model is useful in predicting job performance
Conscientiousness is related to performance across a variety of jobs and tasks
Yet some writers caution that personality traits beyond those in the big Give are important to predictions of workplace performance
Others find weak results
What are the applications of the Big 5 model in health?
- More conscientious persons may live longer
- Adults who were conscientious as children lived longer and were about 30% less likely to die in any given year, even when ruling out environmental variables
- What explains the relationship?
- Conscientious individuals took fewer risks and were less likely to smoke and drink heavily
What are the applications of the Big 5 model in clincial diagnosis and treatment?
- Compulsive personality might be seen as someone extremely high on C and N
- Antisocial personality might be seen as someone low on A and C
- Maybe the five‐factor framework can be a useful tool for clinical diagnosis
- According to Gordon W. Allport, which of the following represent the least conspicuous and generalised dispositions?
a) cardinal traits.
b) secondary traits.
c) primary dispositions.
d) central traits.
- According to Gordon W. Allport, which of the following represent the least conspicuous and generalised dispositions?
a) cardinal traits.
b) secondary traits.
c) primary dispositions.
d) central traits.
- Gordon W. Allport’s ordering of traits from most to least generalised and consistent is
a) cardinal, central, secondary.
b) secondary, central, cardinal.
c) central, secondary, cardinal.
d) central, cardinal, secondary.
- Gordon W. Allport’s ordering of traits from most to least generalised and consistent is
a) cardinal, central, secondary.
b) secondary, central, cardinal.
c) central, secondary, cardinal.
d) central, cardinal, secondary.
- According to Gordon W. Allport, a trait could be defined in terms of
a) frequency.
b) intensity.
c) range of situations.
d) all of the above.
- According to Gordon W. Allport, a trait could be defined in terms of
a) frequency.
b) intensity.
c) range of situations.
d) all of the above.
- According to Gordon W. Allport, a trait
a) expresses itself in all situations.
b) is discounted by evidence of inconsistency.
c) can be determined by factor analysis.
d) is expressed over a range of situations.
- According to Gordon W. Allport, a trait
a) expresses itself in all situations.
b) is discounted by evidence of inconsistency.
c) can be determined by factor analysis.
d) is expressed over a range of situations.
- According to Gordon W. Allport, to account for behaviour one has to consider
a) traits.
b) situation characteristics.
c) both (a) and (b).
d) neither (a) nor (b).
- According to Gordon W. Allport, to account for behaviour one has to consider
a) traits.
b) situation characteristics.
c) both (a) and (b).
d) neither (a) nor (b).
- Traits are similar to
a) states.
b) activities.
c) both (a) and (b).
d) neither (a) nor (b).
- Traits are similar to
a) states.
b) activities.
c) both (a) and (b).
d) neither (a) nor (b).
- Behaviours that appear to be similar but do not actually vary together are known as
a) surface traits.
b) source traits.
c) temperament traits.
d) factors.
- Behaviours that appear to be similar but do not actually vary together are known as
a) surface traits.
b) source traits.
c) temperament traits.
d) factors.
- According to factor analysis
a) traits and types exist.
b) single item responses form the best level of analysis.
c) things that vary together are related.
d) all of the above.
- According to factor analysis
a) traits and types exist.
b) single item responses form the best level of analysis.
c) things that vary together are related.
d) all of the above.
- For Hans J. Eysenck, the concept of superfactor
a) allows one to say that people are one type or another.
b) refers to basic dimensions.
c) allows one to avoid dealing with dimensions.
d) is the basis for using factor analysis.
- For Hans J. Eysenck, the concept of superfactor
a) allows one to say that people are one type or another.
b) refers to basic dimensions.
c) allows one to avoid dealing with dimensions.
d) is the basis for using factor analysis.
- Which is not a dimension of Hans J. Eysenck’s theory?
a) introversion-extraversion.
b) neuroticism.
c) narcissism.
d) psychoticism.
- Which is not a dimension of Hans J. Eysenck’s theory?
a) introversion-extraversion.
b) neuroticism.
c) narcissism.
d) psychoticism.
- According to Hans J. Eysenck, extraversion is defined by
a) sociability.
b) sensation-seeking.
c) both (a) and (b).
d) neither (a) nor (b).
- According to Hans J. Eysenck, extraversion is defined by
a) sociability.
b) sensation-seeking.
c) both (a) and (b).
d) neither (a) nor (b).
- According to Hans J. Eysenck
a) genetic factors play a major role in personality.
b) environmental factors play a major role in personality.
c) the basis for individual differences is unknown.
d) the future of psychology lies in clinical work.
- According to Hans J. Eysenck
a) genetic factors play a major role in personality.
b) environmental factors play a major role in personality.
c) the basis for individual differences is unknown.
d) the future of psychology lies in clinical work.
- Which of the following is not a characteristic of extraverts?
a) excitement enhances performance.
b) energetic.
c) carelessness.
d) sensitivity to pain.
- Which of the following is not a characteristic of extraverts?
a) excitement enhances performance.
b) energetic.
c) carelessness.
d) sensitivity to pain.
- Which of the following statements is false?
a) Extraverts are more sexually active than introverts.
b) Introverts do better in school than extraverts.
c) Introverts tend to be more suggestible than extraverts.
d) Extraverts enjoy aggressive humour more than introverts.
- Which of the following statements is false?
a) Extraverts are more sexually active than introverts.
b) Introverts do better in school than extraverts.
c) Introverts tend to be more suggestible than extraverts.
d) Extraverts enjoy aggressive humour more than introverts.
- Raymond B. Cattell’s theory asserts that ________ traits are the building blocks of personality.
a) surface
b) ability
c) source
d) dynamic
- Raymond B. Cattell’s theory asserts that ________ traits are the building blocks of personality.
a) surface
b) ability
c) source
d) dynamic
- People high on Hans J. Eysenck’s psychoticism factor tend to be
a) cold.
b) antisocial.
c) both a and b.
d) neither a nor b.
- People high on Hans J. Eysenck’s psychoticism factor tend to be
a) cold.
b) antisocial.
c) both a and b.
d) neither a nor b.
- Which of the following is not one of the Big 5?
a) conscientiousness.
b) honesty.
c) neuroticism.
d) agreeableness.
- Which of the following is not one of the Big 5?
a) conscientiousness.
b) honesty.
c) neuroticism.
d) agreeableness.
- Which of the following is not a pair?
a) Eysenck and EPI, EPQ.
b) Cattell and 16PF.
c) Five-factor model and NEO-PI.
d) All of the above are pairs.
- Which of the following is not a pair?
a) Eysenck and EPI, EPQ.
b) Cattell and 16PF.
c) Five-factor model and NEO-PI.
d) All of the above are pairs.
- The NEO-PI is a
a) projective test.
b) questionnaire.
c) disguised test.
d) instructional test.
- The NEO-PI is a
a) projective test.
b) questionnaire.
c) disguised test.
d) instructional test.
- A problem with cross-cultural research on the Big Five is
a) translations across languages.
b) nationalism.
c) obtaining subjects.
d) all of the above.
- A problem with cross-cultural research on the Big Five is
a) translations across languages.
b) nationalism.
c) obtaining subjects.
d) all of the above.
- According to the Five-Factor Model, personality disorders are best understood as
a) stereotypes.
b) distinct categories.
c) extremes of traits.
d) all of the above.
- According to the Five-Factor Model, personality disorders are best understood as
a) stereotypes.
b) distinct categories.
c) extremes of traits.
d) all of the above.
- Concerning the number of basic trait factors
a) five is just about right.
b) some theorists suggest more and some suggest fewer.
c) ultimately factor analysis will tell us exactly how many is best.
d) it all depends on the subject being studied.
- Concerning the number of basic trait factors
a) five is just about right.
b) some theorists suggest more and some suggest fewer.
c) ultimately factor analysis will tell us exactly how many is best.
d) it all depends on the subject being studied.
