Psych 290 Exam 1

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Textbook Definition of Personality

Back 1

“set of psychological traits and mechanisms w/i the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that influence his/her interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical, and social environments”

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Lecture Definition of Personality

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“consistencies in peoples’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior over time and across situations”

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Self-Report Data (S-Data)

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information provided directly from subject

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Pros of Self Report Data

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1. we are our own best experts
2. easy to administer
3. everyone completes same measure
4. can compare across people and samples

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Cons of Self Report Data

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1. people can lack accurate self knowledge
2. answers can be intentionally distorted

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Test Data (T-Data)

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Experimental tests

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Pros of Test Data

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1. control over context
2. can elicit behavior of interest
3. less potential for bias

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Cons of Test Data

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1. time consuming and costly
2. experimenter effects and demand characteristics

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Example of Test Data

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1. rorschach inkblots
2. delay of gratification task

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Example of Self-Report Data

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1. Social desirability scales

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Life-Outcome Data (L-Data)

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publicly available information

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Pros of Life-Outcome Data

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1. real-world information
2. more objective than other sources

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Cons of Life-Outcome Data

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1. difficult to collect
2. more accessible to some than others
3. information not contextualized

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Observer Report Data

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data provided by others

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Pros of Observer Report Data

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1. provides info subjects can't
2. can have several observers
3. discrepancies can be interesting

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Cons of Observer Report Data

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1. discrepancies
2. time-consuming and costly
3. potential for bias
4. observer has limited view
5. some traits more observable

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Factors that influence accuracy in personality judgment

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1. characteristics of the judge
2. characteristics of the target
3. characteristics of the trait

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Different ways to define accuracy in personality judgment

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1. convergence with peer ratings
2. similarity to self-ratings
3. correspondence with behavior

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Reliability

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consistent measures across situations

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validity

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assesses what it claims to assess

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Different kinds of reliability

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1. test-retest reliability-score should be consistent over time
2. internal consistency
3. inter-rater reliability

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different kinds of validity

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1. face validity
2. predictive validity- predicts criteria external to the test
3. convergent validity- correlates
4. discriminant validity- doesn't correlate
5. construct validity

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five kinds of research methods

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1. case study
2. experiment
3. correlational study
4. longitudinal study
5. meta-analysis

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case study pros

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1. lots of info
2. unusual subjects
3. hypothesis-generation

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case study cons

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1. not generalizable

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correlational pros

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1. can examine naturally occurring relationships
2. some variables cant be controlled

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correlational cons

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1. association could be due to 3rd variable
2. difficult to determine direction of causality

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experiment pros

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1. powerful test of causality

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experiment cons

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1. can be manipulating something you dont know
2. can create unnatural contexts
3. some variables cant be manipulated

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longitudinal study pros

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1. helpful in determining causality
2. one way to assess change in personality

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longitudinal study cons

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1. time-consuming and costly
2. difficult to retain participants

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meta-analysis pros

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1. large sample size
2. useful in controversial areas of research
3. helps determine reliability of a certain effect

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meta-analysis cons

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1. limited to existing studies
2. labor-intensive

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lexical approach

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most important traits will be found in natural language--more words more important, seek cross-cultural universals

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lexical approach con

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subjective judgment involved

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statistical approach

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search for commonalities among large numbers of traits, factor analysis used to statistically identify higher-order traits

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statistical approach con

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depends on the traits that are selected to analyze

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theoretical approach

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rely on theories to identify important traits

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neuroticism

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emotional stability

difficulty regulating emotions, mood swings, volatile, doesnt handle stress

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neuroticism predictor

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difficulties in work and relationships, divorce

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extraversion

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surgency

enjoy social interaction, lots of positive affect and happiness

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extraversion predictor

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satisfied in close relationships, often in high-status and leadership positions

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openness to experience

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intellect

creative, curious

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openness to experience predictor

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artistic interest, belief in ufo, liberal drug use

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conscientiousness

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organized, neat, reliable

academic

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conscientiousness predictor

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academic and occupational success, good health habits, longevity, satisfied relationships, religious beliefs, conservative views

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mean-level

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change of average level of a trait over time, population level change

does personality change after 30?

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rank-order stability

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change in relative position over time

personality change during college

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which traits are most likely to change during the lifespan

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conscientiousness, neuroticism for women, agreeableness

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situationism

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emphasis on the power of the situation to shape behavior

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critics of situationism

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-personality traits predict behavior over time
- broad traits predict broad behavior
- people are consistent relative to others
-personality traits are stable over time
-personality traits explain as much variance as situations

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interactionism and situational constraints

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both personality and situation are important predictors of behavior

more than the sum of their parts

in strong situations- situational characteristics better predictors, high level of constraint, less variation

in weak situations--personality traits better predictors, low constraint, more variation

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how are motives measured

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-thematic apperception test (TAT)
-multi-motive grid

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how are motives similar/different to traits

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1. traits are internal dispositions that are stable across time & situations
2. motives are like traits bc they differ across people and can be measured.
3. there is some consistency of motives over time
4. but, motives are less consistent and are more dependent on environmental factors

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major motives-

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1. power
2. achievement
3. intimacy

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power

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concern with impact & prestige

creative problem-solving, leadership, elected office, occupations that influence others' behavior

impulsivity, agressiveness, risk-taking, difficulty tolerating stress, frustration, instability in romance

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achievement

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desire to be successful, competent

moderately difficult tasks, immediate feedback, success in business, self-control

take credit for success, blame for failure, cheating, bending rules

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intimacy

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desire for close and fulfilling relationships

think about relationships, prefer intimate relationships, more self-disclosure

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motive-trait interactions

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mills college grads

introverts with low affiliation-happy
introverts with high affiliation-unhappy
etc.

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impulsivity

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low self-control, tendency to act without thinking, difficulty delaying gratification

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construct

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a word that summarizes a set of observations and conveys the meaning of those observations

ex-gravity, shy, smart, outgoing

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generalizability

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valid across contexts (ie, gender)

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random assignment

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assignment conducted randomly, if an experiment has manipulation between groups, random assignment of participants to experimental groups helps ensure that each group is equivalent

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counterbalancing

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manipulation within a single group

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statistically significant

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prob. of finding results of a research study by chance alone. generally accepted level is 5%, meaning that, if a study were repeated 100 times, the particular result reported would be found by chance only 5 times

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self-enhancement

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tendency to describe and present oneself using positive or socially valued attributes, such as kind, understanding. tend to be stable over time and are enduring features of personality

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trait

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characteristics of a person that are relatively stable over time and situations

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factor analysis

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statistical procedure for identifying underlying structure in personality ratings or items. identifies groups of items that covary with each other, but tend to not covary with other groups of items

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temperament

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characteristic style of expressing emotion, comes from genetics and prenatal environment

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cohort effects

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personality change over time as a reflection of the social times in which an individual lives

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personality coherence

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changes in the manifestations of personality variables over time, even as the underlying chracteristics remain stable. continuity in the underlying trait by change in the outward manifestation of that trait

child may throw tempers, adult may complain and worry

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press

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need relevant aspects of the environment. need for intimacy, won't affect that person's behavior without an appropriate environmental press (such as the presence of friendly people)

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self-actualization

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becoming closer to everything that one is capable of becoming

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positive self-regard

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people who have received positive regard from others develop a sense of positive self-regard. they accept themselves, even their own weaknesses and shortcomings. trust themselves, follow their own interests, and rely on their feelings to guide them

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flow

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subjective state people report when they are completely involved in an activity to the point of forgetting the time, fatigue, and everything else but the activity itself. balance between the person's skills and the challenges of the situation, there is a clear goal and immediate feedback on how one is doing