Week 12 Personality 1 Flashcards
What is personality?
a complex construct that integrates all domains of psychological study- characteristic way of feeling, thinking, perceiving and acting
description of an individual of what they normally and usually are
What are general process theories?
focus is on the general process through which personality develops- often involve stages.
little on measurement or differences between individuals
e.g. freud, bandura, maslow
What are structural/descriptive theories?
emphasis individual differences, trait theories e.g. Cattell, Eyseneck, Guilford, Five Factor Model
Discuss Cattell’s theory
there are 16 primary traits which are adequate for capturing how individuals differ from each other- complete descriptive theory, believes it can describe someone’s entire personality through these traits
What is a trait?
a predisposition to respond to situations in a consistent way
is unobservable
predicts behaviour
What is the nomothetic view?
-trait theories assume there is a set of dimensions of personality on which all people can be placed
-responses from the individual are understood in a group context
-
What is the idiographic view
- a single set of traits cannot be relevant to all individuals
- traits are ok but a different set may be required for each person
What are the components of standard measures?
- ask the person- self-report
- observe the person (projective techniques)- on the basis of the belief that personality is unconscious and cannot adequately self-report
Self-report inventories possess psychometric properties, this includes:
- they measure (assign a number)
- standardized norms
- reliability and validity of test scores is assessed
- manual provides this info
What are some other points to know about self-report questionaires
- includes items about individual’s thoughts, feelings, attitudes and/or behaviours
- items can be trait names, adjectives, questions, statements
- usually measure several variables but can also measure single variables
- used to assess both normal and abnormal personality
What are the two different types of response formats for self-report
- absolute
2. comparative/forced choice
What are examples of absolute format?
no-yes, false-true, disagree-agree
What are examples of comparative/forced choice format?
I become homicidal when people try to reason with me, the sight of blood no longer excites me
What are the advantages of self-report methods (over observational methods)
- easy to construct + to establish norms
- can be administered to groups + individuals
- require little training for administration + scoring
- time and cost effective
- can be used in a variety of applied settings
What are the main disadvantages of self-reports
-the person may not have an accurate perception of themselves
-the person may engage in self-deception to portray a good/bad image
(fakeability- easy to fake responses)
What is response tendency?
the way in which a test-taker answers items on the test, regardless of the content of the items
What is acquiescence and non-acquiescence re response tendency?
acquiescence- tendency to agree with what’s presented
non-acquiescence- tendency to not agree with what’s presented
What is socially desireable responding?
tendency to see oneself in a favourable light
What is an overcautious approach?
tendency to choose the middle options on response scales
What is extremes in responding?
endorse items in an unusual/uncommon way
What are other things that can effect peoples resports in self report qs?
cognitive factors- attention, concentration, comprehension
What do self-report Qs assume of the individual?
that they are of well and average intelligence & able to understand the Qs on the test