Personality midterm 1

Personality

The set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are organized and enduring, influencing interactions with the environment.

Psychological traits

Characteristics that describe ways in which people are different or similar from each other.

Traits

Descriptions of the average tendencies of a person, such as a talkative person being more likely to start conversations.

Personality trait research questions

How many traits exist, how are traits organized, what are the origins of traits, and what are the correlates and consequences of traits?

Utility of traits

Help in describing people, understanding dimensions within people, explaining behavior, and predicting future behavior.

Psychological mechanisms

The processes of personality that involve inputs, decision rules, and outputs.

Inputs in psychological mechanisms

Make people sensitive to certain kinds of information from the environment.

Decision rules

Make individuals more likely to think about specific options.

Outputs in psychological mechanisms

Guide behavior toward certain categories of action.

Activation of traits

Not all traits and psychological mechanisms are active at all times; only a few are activated in a given situation.

Individual personality

Personality is something a person carries with themselves over time across different situations.

Organization of personality

Psychological traits and mechanisms are linked and not merely random collections of events.

Situational influences on traits

Some situations can overpower and suppress expression of psychological traits.

Consistency in personality

Most psychologists argue there is enough consistency despite evidence suggesting otherwise.

Influential forces of personality

Personality traits affect how individuals perceive the same event differently.

Selection in personality

The manner in which individuals choose situations, like friendships.

Evocations

The reactions we produce in others, often unintentionally.

Manipulations

Intentional ways we attempt to influence others' behavior.

Adaptation in personality

The central feature of personality that involves adjusting to deal with challenges.

Three levels of personality analysis

Human nature, individual and group differences, and individual uniqueness.

Nomothetic research

Statistical comparisons of individuals or groups.

Idiographic research

Research focusing on a single subject.

Cultural influences on personality

Eastern cultures are often more collectivist, while Western cultures are more individualistic.

Personality domains

Dispositional, biological, intrapsychic, cognitive-experiential, social-cultural, and adjustment domains.

Dispositional domain

Concerns ways individuals differ, including habitual emotions and concept of self.

Biological domain

Assumes humans are collections of biological systems influencing behavior and thought.

Intrapsychic domain

Focuses on mental mechanisms, many of which are outside conscious awareness.

Cognitive-experiential domain

Involves cognition and subjective experiences like emotions and beliefs.

Social and cultural domain

Personality is influenced by social context and culture.

Adjustment domain

Describes how personality is linked to adaptation and coping mechanisms.

Criteria for good personality theory

Comprehensive, heuristic value, testability, parsimony, and compatibility across domains.

Self-report questionnaire

A method involving trait descriptive adjectives and participant responses.

Participant limitations

Issues with self-report data include lack of honesty and self-knowledge.

Observer report data

Information gathered from external sources like friends or teachers.

Henry Murray's bridge building test

An assessment evaluating a participant's tolerance of frustration and performance under stress.

Actometer

A device used to measure personality differences in activity levels.

fMRI

Used to identify brain activity in response to various stimuli.

Projective techniques

Assess personality through interpretation of ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots.

Life outcome data

Information derived from publicly available events in a person's life.

Reliability in personality measures

Consistency of a measure over time, including internal and inter-rater reliability.

Social desirability bias

The tendency to respond in a manner perceived as socially acceptable.

Validity in personality tests

The extent to which a test accurately measures what it claims to measure.

Factor analysis

A statistical method used to identify major personality traits or factors.

Personality traits

Five fundamental traits include extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.

Eysenck's personality model

A hierarchical model of personality traits founded on heritability.

Wiggins interpersonal circumplex

A model that focuses on interpersonal traits and social exchanges.

Big Five personality model

A taxonomy of personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness.

Rank order stability

The maintenance of individual positions within a group over time.

Mean level change

Changes in overall personality levels across groups or populations.

Temperament

Individual differences in emotionality that emerge early in life and are likely heritable.

Genetics in personality

Exploration of genetic influences on human behavior and personality development.

Heritability

The proportion of observed variance in a trait that can be attributed to genetic variance.

Gene-environment interaction

Differential responses to the same environment based on genetic differences.

Behavioral genetics

Study of genetic influences on behavior, often controversial.

Epigenetics

Study of how experiences can affect gene expression.