PBSI 330 Exam 1

Personality Perspectives

Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Trait, Cognitive, Learning

What is Personality?

The enduring configuration of characteristics and behavior that comprises an individual’s unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns.

ABC’s of personality

affect, behavior, and cognition

What is the person view?

Stable personality traits predict behavior

What is situation view?

Situational pressures are the most powerful predictor of human behavior

What are the 4 types of data?

S-data (self)

I-data (informant)

B-data (behavior)

L- data (life residue)

Projective Test

Respondent is unaware of inner processes

Ex: Inkblot test, draw-a-person test, thematic apperception test

Self-Report assessments

Requires personal insight

Reverse-coded questions

Reverses scoring scale to reduce bias in answers on self-report assessments.

Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

Measures self-bias and a statistical control

What are the types of research designs?

Case Studies

Correlational designs

Experimental designs

Case Study

In-depth study of individual

clinical settings

interviews, surveys, assessments, exams

Correlational Designs

Examines relationships between variables as they simultaneously occur, only able to establish patterns

Experimental designs

compare groups and the differences in response variable as the result of an independent varianle

control and comparison groups

ecological validity is a concern

Good Research Practices (4)

Ethics

Open Science and preregistration

generalizability

use quality measures

Ethical Research

Informed consent

Belmont Report (autonomy, beneficence, justice)

Institutional review boards

institutional animal care and use committee

open science and registration

transparency and honesty

accurate and complete data reporting

avoid plagiarism

share data

generalizability

ability to apply results of study to larger context

W.E.I.R.D.

Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democtatic

Multiple methods/Quality measures

replication of quality data leads to confidence

meta-analysis

synthesis of results across many studies on the same topic

Statistics Primer

Descriptive Statistics

statistical significance

effect sizes and power

correlation

descriptive statistics

properties of a dataset, similarities and differences

Central tendency

Mean

Median

Mode

Variability

Range

Standard Deviation

Statistical significance

results that occur by chance <5% of the time

Null-hypothesis significance testing

determines the chance of getting the same results with nothing happening

p-value

probability of obtaining a result with no difference in groups or no relationship between variables

Effect size

Practical significance, measures strength of relationship between variables

Power

probability of detecting a significant effect in your study 

correlations

depict magnitude of linear relationships between variables

psychometric properties

reliability (consistency)

validity (measures intended quality)

scale development

theory, collaboration, statistical analysis

Factor analysis

statistical technique that identifies groups with commonalities

Barnum effect

tendency to believe vague, positive statements about oneself

Traits

characterize what a person may do in a situation

Single-trait approach

examines effect of one trait on many behaviors

many-trait approach

examines traits associated with one behavior

Essential-trait approach

identifies which traits are most important

typological approach

focus on patterns of traits that characterize a person

California Q-sort

other raters express judgement of someone else’s personality by sorting items into 9 categories

Cattell

16 essential traits

Eysenck

3 traits (extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism)

Tellegen

3 traits (positive emotionality, negative emotionality, constraint

Fiske

Big Five (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

Stability (C+A+N)

Plasticity (O+E)

Conscientiousness

Dutiful, careful, rule-abiding, ambitious

Agreeableness

Conformity, friendly compliance, likeability, warmth, love

Neuroticism

ineffective problem solving (strong negative reactions to stress)

general tendency toward psychopathology and vulnerability (mental illness, stress, poor criticism response)

Extraversion

active, outspoken, dominant, forceful, adventurous, spunky, cheerful

influential

reward sensitive

argumentative, controlling

Openness

value of other cultures

creativity and perceptiveness

Typological Approaches

structure of traits across individuals ≠ structure of personality within a person

Neurotransmitters

chemicals that travel across the synapse between neurons where they cause excitatory or inhibitory effects

Hormones

biological substances that affect the body in different locations than where they were produced

longer effect times

Dopamine

allows the brain to control body movements, reward response

sociability, activity level, novelty-seeking

activates behavioral activation system (BAS)

Serotonin

controls behavioral impulses and reduces fear and anxiety

Epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine

flight or fight, reaction to stress

Testosterone

Men: aggression, avoidance, dominance, loneliness, behavioral control issues

Women: sociablility, impulsivity, lack of inhibition, lack of conformity