Personality

Traits

relatively enduring characteristics that influence our behavior across many situations.

Reliability

Scores are consistent across retakes.

Validity

If it measures what we think it should measure. Rule out other factors

Big 5 model of personality

According to this model, there are five fundamental underlying trait dimensions that are cross-culturally shared and predict behavior.

Ocean

Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Openness to experiences

A general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of experience.

Conscientiousness

A tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement.

Extraversion

Interests are “toward the outer world of people and things rather than the inner world of subjective experience.”

Agreeableness

A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic toward others; reflects individual differences in general concern for social harmony.

Neuroticism

The tendency to experience  negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression, less frequently.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

a widely used test for assessing personality and maladjustment.

Barnum effect

the observation that people tend to believe in personality descriptions that supposedly are specific to them, but that could, in fact, describe almost anyone.

Family study

Behavioral genetics

the study of familial or hereditary behavior patterns and of the genetic mechanisms of behavior traits

Family Study

starts with one person who has a trait of interest—for instance, a developmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder—and examines the individual’s family tree to determine the extent to which other members of the family also have the trait.

Twin Study

researchers study the personality characteristics of twins.

Adoption Study

compares biologically related people, including twins, who have been reared either separately or apart.

Molecular genetics

the study of genes at the molecular level.