WK 6 Personality 1 Flashcards
Personality definition
complex organisation of cognition, affects and behaviours that give direction and pattern
general theories about personality are about
- structure
- individual differences
Research approaches to personality
- clinical
- correlational
- experimental
Clinical approaches focus on
involvement of systematic, in-depth research of individuals
methods of clinical approaches are
-observation and self-report
Correlational approaches focus on
establishing association between sets of measures on which people have found to differ. Not studying person as whole, but relationships between elements. (currently dominant method)
methods of correlational approaches
measurement based on self-report
Experimental approaches focus on
the systematic manipulation of variables to establish causal relationships
methods of experimental approaches
experimental manipulation
Influential approaches to personality
- Genetic
- temperament
- heritability
- Trait
Genetic approach
-temperament variables
- inhibition to the unfamiliar
- impulsivity
- dopamine drives sensation seeking
- seratonin inhibits sensation seeking
Genetic approach
-heritability
wide range of personality traits are quite heritable, tested using twin studies
Trait approach
assumes that all people have enduring characteristics or traits which personality is described as a set of these
assumptions in trait models
- mapped on continuum from low to high
- normally distributed
- do not change much
how are traits acquired
- genetics (e.g. anxiety levels appear to be quite heritable)
- experience (e.g. trust levels appear to be learned)
