Lecture 1 - Understanding Personality and Individual Differences

These flashcards cover key concepts from the PSYU Advanced Topics in Personality and Individual Differences lecture, including definitions, assessment methods, domains of personality, and research design.

What is the definition of personality according to the APA?

Personality refers to the enduring characteristics and behaviour that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns.

What are individual differences?

Individual differences refer to traits or other characteristics by which individuals may be distinguished from one another.

Name a few perspectives within personality psychology.

Psychodynamic, humanistic, trait, social-cognitive perspectives.

What is the purpose of personality assessments?

To identify and measure the most important ways in which individuals differ from one another and how these differences are developed and maintained.

What are the six domains of personality discussed in the lecture?

Dispositional, Biological, Intrapsychic, Cognitive-experiential, Social and cultural, and Adjustment.

What is self-report data in personality assessment?

An individual discloses information about themselves – usually via questionnaire or interview.

What is observational data in personality assessment?

Recording events/behaviours as they happen naturally, providing impressions and interactions.

What does test data refer to in the context of personality assessment?

Standardized testing situations that can include mechanical devices, physiological data, and projective techniques.

What is life-outcome data?

Data that can predict personal information, such as marriage satisfaction or criminal behaviour, derived from publicly available sources.

What is meant by reliability in personality assessment?

How consistently the tool measures what it is designed to.

What are the different types of validity in personality assessment?

Face, predictive, construct, convergent, and discriminant validity.

What is generalizability in personality assessment?

The extent to which the findings can be valid across different contexts, cultures, populations, and times.

When is experimental design used in personality assessment?

To determine if one variable influences another through manipulation.

What does correlational design investigate?

Relationships between two or more variables without manipulation.

What is a case study in personality research?

An in-depth examination of an individual, which can inform further research and hypothesis generation.

What did Wrzus and Mehl (2015) study about personality processes?

They researched measuring personality processes and their social consequences.

What is the relevance of the textbook by Larsen and Buss in this course?

It serves as the primary textbook for the course, covering important topics in personality psychology.