Traits: Cross-Situational Consistency

Question 1

Trait-State Theory: One important feature of the factorial approach to taxonomy is that it includes the notion of ……….

Answer 1

Aggregation

Question 2

A level one act is a temporary…… - conduct that is heavily influenced by ……. ………

Answer 2

State
Situational factors

Question 3

Trait-State Theory: the higher up the hierarchy you go the lower the impact of situational factors - the better you …. … ….. ……. ……

Answer 3

tap into stable dispositional tendencies

Question 4

Any attempt to classify personality differences rests on at least two fundamental assumptions which are?

Answer 4

1. Human conduct shows some degree of consistency over different situations - i.e., cross-situational consistency
2. Human conduct shows some degree of consistency over time - i.e., temporal consistency

Question 5

Walter Mischel (1968) was the most vocal advocate of the situationalist doctrine, arguing the ways people behave in a particular social situation are determined by the social norms and conventions appropriate to that particular situation. Behaviour will therefore ….. from situation to situation, therefore there is no such thing as ……….. in behaviour …… different ……,,

Answer 5

differ
Consistency
across
situations

Question 6

Situationalism has its roots in ………..

Answer 6

behaviourism

Question 7

Situationalist Critique: Psychodynamic theory has emphasised the role of the ‘superego’ as an internalising moral agency that has a critical role in the regulation of all forms of conduct and in the control of impulses. It has been assumed that as a result of this process the child adopts parental standards and controls as his own. Give an example of what behaviour would be required to prove this assumption as true.

Answer 7

If the child has internalised the moral code of their parents then for example, a strong superego, then the child should behave in an upright moral way regardless of the situation.

Question 8

Situationalist Critique: According to Mischel the correlation between behaviour in one situation and behaviour in another situation (or between personality measures and behaviour) is small and seldom exceeds what?

Answer 8

.40

Question 9

Situationalist Critique: Mischel ((1968) stated that the initial assumptions of trait-state theory were logical, inherently plausible…. - [but] they simply have not been supported adequately. In a similar vein Ross & Nisbett (1991) observed that people who believe personally is important are committing the what?

Answer 9

Fundamental attribution error

Question 10

Objections to Situationalism: There are two general lines of rebuttal to the situationalist critique of trait-state theory, empirical objections and theoretical objections. What are the two empirical objections?

Answer 10

1. A correlation of .40 is not small
2. A correlation of .40 is almost certainly an underestimate

Question 11

Objections to Situationalism: There are two general lines of rebuttal to the situationalist critique of trait-state theory, empirical objections and theoretical objections. What are the two theoretical objections?

Answer 11

1. Different people show different reactions to the same situation
2. People can choose or create the situations they find themselves in

Question 12

In an example provided by the lecturer - a social psychology experiment which looked at forced compliance with the explanation for results put down to cognitive dissonance, later determined that the actual correlation was between.36 and .42 (thus actual correlation resulting from the social situation) about the same size as the personality coefficients that had been criticised so sharply. Why were the correlations not calculated in the first place?

Answer 12

Mischel and other situationalist s never bothered to use their t-test / f values to then calculate the actual effect size in any of these pro dominant experiments. They simply assumed that situational factors must be more important than personality factors.

Question 13

There are two general lines of rebuttal to the situationalist critique of trait-state theory: Empirical and Theoretical objections. What are the 2 empirical objections?

Answer 13

1. A correlation of .40 is not small
2. A correlation of .40 almost certainly an underestimate.

Question 14

There are two general lines of rebuttal to the situationalist critique of trait-state theory: Empirical and Theoretical objections. What are the 2 theoretical objections?

Answer 14

1. Different people show different reactions to the same situation.
2. People can choose or create the situation they find themselves in.

Question 15

A correlation of .40 is almost certainly an underestimate of the true predictive power of personality measures. Single observations are rarely a good measure of anything!

Traits are …….. tendencies which on their own are only useful for predicting……… behaviours not …….. behaviours.

Answer 15

Averaged
General
Specific

Question 16

A correlation of .40 is almost certainly an understatement of the true predictive power of personality measures.

Many behaviours are likely to be influenced …. ….. …. … ……… ……

Answer 16

any more than one personality trait.

Question 17

Situationalists wrongly assume that any ……… in behaviour not explained by a particular personality trait must be explained by……… …..

Answer 17

Variance
situational factors

Question 18

An important theoretical objection levelled at the situationalist critique of trait-state theory is that - different people can show different reactions to the same situation. It fails to account for the very basis of trait-state theory, namely .. …… .. ….. …… ……… …. … ……..

Answer 18

Individual differences in behaviour within situations that are identical.

Question 19

Trait-state theory gives considerable weight to the power of situations but it does so from ….. … …….. .. . …….-……. …….

Answer 19

within the framework of a person-situation interaction.

Question 20

In regards to the theoretical objection - people can choose or create the situations in which they find themselves, where does this then place the focus of the situation in such cases?

Answer 20

The situation is not primary, it is secondary.

Question 21

Mischel eventually backed away from his hardline situationalist position. However, the situationalist argument is still enthusiastically embraced by some ……..-……….. …………

Answer 21

Cross-cultural psychologists

Question 22

Markus & Kityama (1998) argue that human conduct is “constituted” & mediated entirely by the cultural environment - i.e., by the situation. Thus, when we are .. …… we …… ……, when we are .. …… we ….. …….

Answer 22

In church
Behave church
In school
Behave school

Question 23

According to Markus and Kityama (1998) the very concept of personality reflects a Western cultural bias to see a person as an independent, autonomous entity defined by a distinctive set of internal attributes, dispositions or traits. What is the term they are referring to here?

Answer 23

The fundamental attribution error.

Question 24

Markus & Kityama (1998) argue collectivistic cultures adopt a more interdependent view that incorporates what 3 ideas?

Answer 24

1. A person is an interdependent entity who is part of an encompassing social relationship.
2. Behaviour is a consequence of being responsive to the others with whom one is interdependent.
3. The precise nature of a given social context often varies so an individual’s behaviour will be variable from one situation to another and from one time to another.

Question 25

If cross-cultural psychologists such as Markus &Kityama are right, then the personality dimensions identified through factor analysis in Western countries …. …. …. … …..-…….

Answer 25

Will not hold up cross-culturally

Question 26

What are the 2 general research strategies for examining the cross-cultural universality of personality dimensions?

Answer 26

Eric research
Eric research

Question 27

What is the imported or etic approach?

Answer 27

Involves administering translated personality inventories in new cultural contexts. Responses and then factor analysed to try and replicate Western personality dimensions.

Question 28

The largest etic study to date was conducted as part of the International Sexuality Description Project. Researchers used the Big Five Inventory, translated into 29 languages to participants from 56 different countries. What was the main finding?

Answer 28

Results indicated that the five dimensional structure was highly robust across major regions of the world.

In general, etic studies provide strong support for both the FFM and three factor model

Question 29

What is the Indigenous or emic approach?

Answer 29

Is a lexically based approach in which researchers use trait descriptors from within the language of the relevant culture.
Emic responses are then factor analysed to try and replicate Western personality dimensions.

Question 30

What is one of the most interesting findings to come out of emic research?

Answer 30

The possibility of a sixth factor being honesty-humility, identified across at least 12 languages.