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psych of personality
test 1
49
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
01/23/2011

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Term
Personality
Definition
set of psychological traits/mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that influence interactions with and adaptions to the intrapsychic, physical, and social environments.
Term
traits
Definition
characteristics that describe ways in which people are different from each other. describe average tendencies.
Term
3 levels of personality analysis
-human nature
Definition
personality components possessed by nearly everyone.
ie: the need for romantic attachment
Term
3 levels of personality analysis
-individual and group differences
Definition
individual-ways in which each person is similar to or different from others
ie: being high or low in sensation seeking.
group-how people differ across groups
ie: modesty among different cultures
Term
3 levels of personality analysis
-inidividual uniqueness
Definition
way in which someone is different from all other people. everyone has unique qualities and combos of qualities.
Term
Domains of Knowledge
-dispositional
Definition
how people differ from one another. focuses on identifying and measuring individual differences
Term
Domains of Knowledge
-biological
Definition
focuses on the biological basis of behavior, thought and emotion
Term
Domains of Knowledge
-intrapsychic
Definition
mental mechanisms of personality. often unconscious.
Term
Domains of Knowledge
-cognitive-experimental
Definition
focuses on cognition and subjective experiences such as conscious thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and desires about oneself and others.
Term
Domains of Knowledge
-social and cultural
Definition
personality affects and is affected by cultural and social contexts
Term
Domains of Knowledge
-adjustment
Definition
how we adjust to stress
Term
5 theories of evaluation for personality
Definition
1.is theory comprehensive?
2.does it have heuristic(problem solving) value?
3.is it testable?
4.is it parsimonious(simple)?
5.is it compatible with other information?
Term
Self-report data
Definition
*asking people about themselves
*Unstructured and structured-open ended vs. closed
*pros-easy, people are good judges of own personalities.
*cons-people lie especially when trait is undesirable--called social desirability. also people dont have comoplete insight into themselves.
Term
observer-report data
Definition
*information provided by observer
*pros-assume there no lying, sometimes others have better insight
*cons-not good for internalized traits
*potential cons-people are part of social environment ie: multiple social personalities. judgements from observers can be biased.
Term
test data
Definition
*standardized test of behavior
*situational tests-designed to elicit behaviors associated with personality ie: egotism draw "E" on forehead
*mechanical recording devices in T-data-pedometer, eye tracker
*physiological tests-FMRI, heart rate etc
*pros-very objective, can target specific behaviors.
*cons-participants might guess the test, limited in what you can test
*potential cons-data is only as good as your measure (construct validity)
Term
VALIDITY
Definition
1.construct validity-does the measure accurately respresent our concept?
2.convergent validity-is our assessment tool related to things it should be related to.
3.discriminant validity-is it unrelated(or weakly related) to stuff it shouldnt be related to?
Term
RELIABILITY
Definition
*degree to which a test consistently measures whatever its supposed to be measuring.
*test-retest reliability-does same thing happen each time you test?
*internal consistency-do people respond similarly to similar items.
*inter-rater reliability-how much different observers agree.
Term
GENERALIZABILITY
Definition
*degree to which test is valid and reliable across different contexts.
*groups or conditions can change but test must still work.
*more generalizability isnt always better.
Term
internal causal property
Definition
inherent, cause behavior, sometimes dormant.
Term
descriptive summaries
Definition
describe current state, always apparent, no assumptions about causality (if someone is fighting you may say they are acting aggressively)
Term
lexical approach
Definition
if an individual difference is important, there will be a word for it. if its important, then there should be lots of synonyms. if term is important for human nature then word/trait will be in lots of languages.
*quantity=quality
*subtle differences between syns
Term
statistical approach
Definition
uses math to find important traits. uses factor analysis to determine overlying traits--identifies groups of similar items/words.
*factor loading-how much variation in an item is "explained" by a factor pg.66
*pros-completely unbiased; reduces large sets of traits to a few key concepts/traits
*cons-garbage in, garbage out. finding 10 random terms wont work well--only as good as what words you put into it.
Term
theoretical approach
Definition
starts with an existing theory.
ex: get 1 woman pregnant and take care of kid or get a million women pregnant and have more chances for survival in numbers. quantity vs. quality
Term
classification system for taxonomies
Definition
goal=identify and name groups within a subject.
Term
eyesenck's hierarchical model
psychotiscism(P), extraversion(E),neuroticism(N)
Definition
*psychoticism-high level is lack of empathy, aggressiveness, antisocial, impulsivity, creativity.
*extraversion-high level is many friends, active/lively, recquire the presence of others.
*neuroticism-high level is worries/anxious, emotional reactions that are particularly negative, shy.
Term
eysenck's hierarchical model structure
Definition
super-traits are at the top, then traits, then habits, then acts
ex: neuroticism, then social anxiety, then avoiding social gatherings, then refusing invitation to go out to sing kareoki
Term
eysenck's biological underpinnings
Definition
P,E,N have moderate degree of heritability.
*identifiable physiological substrate-known properties of nervous system can account for traits ex: neuroticism & changeability
Term
eysenck's limitations
Definition
he may have left out important traits. is 3 really enough.
Term
Cattell's taxonomy
-major criticisms
Definition
16 factor system--one of the largest set of traits.
failure to replicate; too many factors
Term
Wiggins Circumplex
Definition
Term
The Big Five
Definition
mix of lexical and statistical.
17,953 trait terms, 4,500 stable traits, 35 trait clusters, 5 factors
Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, Extraversion.
Most widely used and supported. Somewhat hierarchical bc traits have facets. Some debate over openness.
Term
The Big Five
Definition
1.Extraversion or surgency-extravert or introvert
2.Agreeableness-agreeable or aggressive
3.Conscientiousness(dependability)-high is disciplined and organized, low is impulsive and disorganized.
4.Neuroticism(emotional stability)-stable or unstable which is insecure or anxious.
5.Openness-open which is curious, or closed which is traditional and critical.
Term
personality differs across situations and time
Definition
In people there is low cross-situation consistency in honesty, helpfulness, and self-control.
Term
Walter Mischel and situationism
Definition
If behavior differs from situation to situation then it must be situational differences, rather than underlying personality traits that determine behavior. Ex- a young woman may be outgoing with friends and reserved with people she doesnt yet know.
*situations dictate behaviors.
Term
person by situation interaction
Definition
personality, environment and behavior all shape each other.
*strong situation: situations in which most people react similarly
*weak/ambiguous situation: personality has more influence
Term
personality makes situations
Definition
*selection-people select certain situations ex:clubs you join
*evocation-certain traits may passively evoke specific responses from others ex: Dr. House
*manipulation-people actively influence the behavior of others ex: being nice in order to get something
Term
aggregation
Definition
averaging multiple observations. longer tests are more reliable; better measures of traits
Term
response sets
(online surveys)
Definition
*acquiescence-agreeing, regardless of content. solution=reverse-key some items.
*carelessness-rushes through without paying attention. solution=detect using an infrequency scale ex: i havent seen a car in 6 wks.
*fatigue-survey is too long. solution=keep survey brief--give P's a break.
*faking-social desirability--P's respond in ways that make them appear socially attractive/likeable. solution=ensure anonymity, encourage honesty, fill out a test as best person possible then fill out as you.
Term
personality types
Definition
categorical representations of sets of personality traits
Term
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Definition
Widely used in business settings. Categories people fall into. Not often use scientifically--based on theory. Types are sloppy-not bimodal because it says you are either A or B and not a little of both. unreliable. all positive types, non negative.
Term
Barnum Statement
Definition
General statement that can apply to anyone. Common in astrology.
Term
Ethics & Testing
Definition
*personality testing is used to screen out individuals from groups of applicants--avoid hiring psychopaths.
*Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-screens for mental illness.'
*Integrity tests-designed to assess general honesty or dishonesty.
*fake pipeline-fake lie detector test to make people think they will have to tell the truth. only works if participant believes in it.
*polygraph-actual lie detector--only measure signs of physical anxiety.
Term
Studying Development
Definition
*longitudinal study-follow cohort over time--this is best for study of personality.
*cross sectioinal study-compare different cohorts to each other.
Term
types of stability
Definition
*mean level stability-traits stay at same level over time; consistency of level in population.
*rank order stability-maintenance of an individuals position within a group. if you are in the bottom of a trait even when everyone in cohort increases you are still at bottom although you increase.
*personality coherence-maintaining rank order relative to others but charging in the maifestations of trait ex: at 20 extrovert parties and at 70 its going to bingo night.
Term
stability in children
Definition
personality in children is temperament--individual differences involved in excitability or arousability. quite heritable. emerge early in life.
Term
assessing temperament
Definition
Measure with 0-data, T-data (actometer) which measures kids movement. Stability coefficients are correlations within cohorts at different times. Stability decreases as time increases.
Term
3 ways to analyze personality change
-population level
Definition
population level-development of humans. ie:sex drive changes from childhood to puberty. grand theories focus on this level of change. curvilinear change-not a straight line. replicate findings to avoid cohort effects.
Term
3 ways to analyze personality change
-group changes
Definition
group changes-development of specific groups. ie:self esteem between men and women, and suicide rates between the sexes.
Term
3 ways to analyze personality change
-inidividual changes
Definition
individual changes-development of an individual. using idividual differences to predict personality development of life outcomes. ie: if you score high on SAT & low impulsivity you have high gpa
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