PSYC OF PERSONALITY EXAM 1

idiographic approach

the goal of this approach is to understand the personality of a single individual with all of their quirks or characteristics that make them unique

nomothetic approach

the goal of this approach is to discover universals— concepts that can apply to everyone by identifying traits that can describe all people or that can be applied to any person

Who proposed that both idiographic and nomothetic approaches could be reconciled and developed a theory of personality from there?

Hans Eysneck

construct validity

successfully measures the theoretical concept it was designed to measure

face validity

when it appears to measure the construct of interest

criterion validity

determines how good a test is by comparing the results of the test to an external standard like hypothesized differences between kinds of people or some behavioral outcome

convergent validity

checks to see if a test is similar to other tests of the same construct or to tests of related constructs

discriminant validity

looks to be sure that our test taps a different concept entirely/to see if it is different from tests of constructs that we theorize to be unrelated to the one we are interested in

What 3 traits did Allport come up with?

Cardinal, central and secondary

central traits

traits of major importance in understanding the person

central traits

5 or 10 words you would mention describe you

secondary traits

traits of lesser importance, less consistently displayed or seldom displayed or only slightly revealed so that only a very close friend might notice them

cardinal traits

a person may have one and only one trait that describes him or her so that they completely dominate a personality

theoretical approach

this approach starts with a theory or even common wisdom about human personality

lexical approach

this approach explores a particular language and identifies the number of synonyms that describe personality

measurement approach

this approach works to discover important personality aspects and measurement techniques

How did the three major trait theories develop from each other?

Allport had the most, then cantell took his and narrowed it down to 16 traits, and then the big 5 was made from many researchers observations

self identity

socially defined, includes definitions and standards that are imposed upon us by others including interpersonal aspects, potentialities, and values

factor analysis

using mathematical and statistical techniques to see if the various trait terms cluster together in some way

correlational methods are used for what?

to tell us whether two variables are related and how strongly they vary together

differences in variables

a correlation looks at differences in two or more variables and asks whether those differences are related

correlational studies

researchers generally don’t manipulate variables but instead measure two variables to see how they are related

factor loadings

estimate how strongly each question fits into a given factor; interprets like correlation

how may a researcher influence the outcome of factor analysis?

limited statistical method, only as good as the researcher behind it, choices that influence results are made at every step

who built on cattell’s 16 factors to create the big five factors?

fiske and norman and others

what kind of analysis if the big five?

lexical

what kind of analysis is the five factor model?

measurement

which model is the best for universal traits?

the big five

what is the difference in strong and weak trait models?

strong: has clear rules, strict norms, and obcious expectations for how one should behave; weak: has few rules, and high freedom with minimal structure

respect for persons

allowing people to choose for themselves whether they wish to participate or not

informed consent

participants give their consent after they have been informed about the procedures and possible risks of the study

beneficence

states that researches should do no harm to their participants, this includes using the best research methods and materials, having trained personnel interact with participants, and minimizing possible harm and maximizing possible benefits of research participation

justice

suggests that the benefits and burdens on research participants must be shared equitably amond potential research population and that they should recieve some benefit or value for being in the study

what are the 3 principles of ethics?

respect for persons, beneficence, and justice

a good personality test must be…

valid, reliable, bias free, theoretically sound and research backed to conform relationships to certain outcomes, clear in specifications about conditions, populations, and cultures to which it applies

what are some widely used assessment methods?

self report scales and questionnaires, judgements of self and others, behavioral observation, informant reports, behavioral responses

temporal consistency reliability

to have respondents take the test a second time to see if their scores are similar

internal consistency reliability

to see if different items of the test give similar results

interrater reliability

what type of consistency is test retest reliability

temporal consistency

what type of consistency is parallel forms of reliability

internal consistency

what type of consistency is split-half reliability

internal

what type of consistency is chronbachs alpha

internal

what type of consistency is interrater reliability

rater consistency

parallel forms reliability

developers make up two versions of a test that were comparable and check to see if the scores on the two versions are similar

split-half reliability

split a test in half to see if test takers score on one half correlated with scores to the other hald

chronbachs alpha

calculating the average correlation of all possible halves of the test (reliable if they have an alpha of 0.70 to 0.80)

Is the NEO-PI-R a good test?

yes, but not for teenagers

what are ways to minimize response sets?

reverse item scoring, infrequency scale (lie scale) item use limitation (q-sort) anonymity assurance, social desireability scale

covariates

a secondary independent variable that is measured or controlled because it can also affect the dependent variable even though it may not be the primary focus of the study

what are the two types of personality tests

self report (objective) and performance based (subjective)

examples of performance based tests

inkblot, TAT, draw a person

examples of self report tests

dichotomous two choice scale, likert-type rating scales, checklists, which word best describes…, visual analog scales

what techniques are used in performance based tests

association, construction, completion, arrangement, expression

personality consistency over time

personality becomes consistent around age of three years, peaks around age 50, is relatively enduring across lifespan

when does personality change most in lifetime

young adulthood (20-40 years) and majority of traits become more positive

where does adult personality come from?

childhood temperament predicts adult personalityt

T/F traits are relatively consistent across time, especially as we get older

true

normative development

refers to the average patters of growth and expected milestones shared by a populationi

individual development

focuses on the unique traits, variations, and personal life paths of each person

why is the NEO-PI-R test a good test?

good theory operationalization behind test retest, criterion, and convergent validity, high internal alphas, acceptable cronbachs alpha, valid for use in many populations, clinical settings and some cultures