Week 4 Lecture 6 - measuring personality

Question 1

What are self report scales/inventories typically?

Answer 1

• introspective
• subjective
• structured
• contain more than one item per construct

Question 2

What is a scale?

Answer 2

measures one dimension of personality

Question 3

What is an inventory?

Answer 3

several scales that, together, measure multiple dimensions of personality

Question 4

What is measurement error?

Answer 4

random error + systematic error

Question 5

What is a score on a scale made up on?

Answer 5

true score + random error + systematic error

Question 6

What is random error?

Answer 6

• non-systematic variation in the test score
• equally likely to score slightly higher vs. slightly lower than true score
• increasing the number of items helps

Question 7

What is systematic error?

Answer 7

• test score always slightly higher or lower than true score
• increasing the number of items does not help

common sources of systematic error in self-report scales include:
- response set bias
- socially-desirable responding
- faking

Question 8

What is straightlining?

Answer 8

a type of insufficient effort responding

Question 9

What is acquiescence bias?

Answer 9

tendency to agree

Question 10

What is nay saying?

Answer 10

tendency to disagree

Question 11

What is midpoint responding?

Answer 11

saying neither agree nor disagree

Question 12

How can we remove midpoint responding?

Answer 12

• remove midpoint option
• but not always appropriate

Question 13

How can we remove acquiesce and nay saying bias?

Answer 13

• include reverse-scored items
• but this can be confusing for ppt if not done well (disagree with a negative)

Question 14

What is socially-desirable response bias?

Answer 14

responding in a manner that would be deemed socially desirable

Question 15

What is faking?

Answer 15

• deceptive intent
• particular concern in occupational / forensic settings

Question 16

How can we control for socially-desirable response bias and faking?

Answer 16

• include lie detector items –> but maybe people give responses to these that account for the fact that everyone does this sometimes
• make all options socially undesirable

Question 17

What is the Mach V scale?

Answer 17

• answer which option is most and least like your views
• the response to the socially-desirable buffer option is ignored
• option not selected as Least is taken as being more like their actual views

Question 18

Steffans and Schulze König (2006): used behavioural measures as part of a broader validation study.

What did they argue and develop?

Answer 18

• Argued that self-reported personality and controlled, deliberate behaviour does not always represent who we truly are.
• Developed measures of trait-relevant ‘spontaneous behaviours’.

Question 19

Steffans and Schulze König (2006): used behavioural measures as part of a broader validation study.

What did they find?

Answer 19

• Low concurrent validity between behavioural measures and self-report measures
• Inadequacy of behavioural OR self-report measure?
• Maybe implicit measures are better than explicit (self-report) measures…

Question 20

Steffans and Schulze König (2006)
Modification of the Implicit Association Test (‘IAT’): used to measure people’s automatic associations to stimuli.

How did this IAT work?

Answer 20

Categorise words into:
- self vs others
- conscientious vs unconscientious

• half of trails pairs congruently with trait (self and conscientious)
• half of trails paired incongruently with trait (self and unconscientious)
• calculate RT for congruent and incongruent trails
• greater difference = more extreme value

Question 21

For each Big 5 trait, Steffans and Schulze König (2006) measured:
- Reaction time difference on IAT task.
- NEO-FFI scores (self-report)
- Behavioural measure(s)

What did they find?

Answer 21

• Some correlation between IAT scores and self-report scores.
• For some traits, IAT score correlated more strongly with behaviour than self-report scores did.
• But, still fairly low convergent validity – seem to measure different things.
• Some measures may be better suited to certain traits..?

Question 22

How did Steffans and Schulze König (2006) behaviourally measure agreeableness?

Answer 22

Participants turning up to take part in the study (for course credit) were (falsely) told that their name wasn’t on the list, and they might not be able to take part. Their responses were rated as an indicator of: AGREEABLENESS

Question 23

How did Steffans and Schulze König (2006) behaviourally measure neuroticism?

Answer 23

Participants did a ‘horrendously demanding’ working memory task. When they made mistakes, they received ‘scolding’ messages. Stress-related reactions that they made were rated as a measure of: NEUROTICISM

Question 24

How did Steffans and Schulze König (2006) behaviourally measure conscientiousness?

Answer 24

Participants were given an untimed computer task that required accuracy. Speed of completion was taken as a measure of: CONSCIENTIOUSNESS

Question 25

How did Steffans and Schulze König (2006) behaviourally measure extraversion?

Answer 25

Participants were asked about their experiences of the study by a researcher. The time spent with the researcher, answering the questions, was taken as a measure of: EXTRAVERSION

Question 26

What are other report?

Answer 26

Someone else rating your personality (or vice versa)

Question 27

What are other report dependent on?

Answer 27

• External manifestations of feelings, thoughts etc.
• The proportion of situations that observer has access to.

Question 28

Considering the item “they are the life and soul of the party,” what did Funder suggest must be considered before a judgement can be made in other report?

Answer 28

• relevance –> whether you produce trait-relevant behaviour
• availability –> whether this behaviour is available to the rater
• detection –> whether the rater detects that behaviour
• utilization –> whether the rater correctly interprets that behaviour

Question 29

What is the self-other knowledge asymmetry (SOKA) model?

Answer 29

Both Self and Other ratings can be valid predictors of behaviour, but:
- Asymmetries in validity of self vs other knowledge
- Others more accurate than self when rating traits high in evaluativeness e.g. intellect
- Self more accurate than others when rating low observability traits e.g. neuroticism
- Strongest effects for ‘others’ who are less close.

Question 30

What are projective tests of personality?

Answer 30

Describe/tell a story about e.g. ambiguous/ meaningless stimuli.

‘Projection’ of personality.

Scored according to e.g.
- Content
- Focus

Question 31

What are some advantages of projective tests of personality?

Answer 31

• less dependent on introspection
• less prone to bias and faking
• reveal aspects person may be unaware of

Question 32

What are some disadvantages of projective tests of personality?

Answer 32

• subjective (to reviewer), complex, unreliable scoring
• not based on mainstream personality theory

Question 33

What is the apperceptive personality test?

Answer 33

1. Make up a story about each picture
2. Complete a structured questionnaire

found:
Personality has some influence on interpretation of pictures