Theories of Personality Exam 2: Raymond Cattell

Raymond Cattell (1905-1998)

-identified 35 dominant/recessive trait patterns of personality categorized into 16 factors

-created the basis of the modern personality test through statistical factor analysis

Catell VS. Allport

-believed in grouping traits into manageable number of groups

-catell's theory is based in psychoanalytic theory [bio needs]

-psychology needed to be more objective and mathematical

-traits are erg driven, not autonomous

-traits can be accurately predicted

Personality (Cattell)

that which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a specific situation

Cattell's Twofold Contribution

1. the theoretical basis

-traits rooted in biological needs, psychoanalytic basis

-not particularly influential

2. the methodology

-factor analytic approach to personality measurement

-massively influential

Charles Spearman (1863-1945)

developed factor analysis and applied it to intelligence testing and cognition

Step 1: compute the correlation coefficient between each pair of variables

Step 2: factor analysis renders the data more orderly by organizing the variables studied into factors

Why factor analysis?

to mini,ize number of variables while maximizing info in each variable

-4500 traits -> not manageable, but 16 or even 5 broad dimensions is

-factor analysis can test hypothesis about personality types and dimensions

Why should we not factor analysis?

Allport argued it is too nomothetic and does not account for uniqueness. He says test scores are not a real measure of actual traits. It is subjective

Cattell's Trait Theory consists of these parts

personality, dynamic traits, sentiments, ability traits, temperament traits, attitudes, and erg

Dynamic Traits (Cattell)

characteristics that embrace people's motives and interests

sentiments

a learned dynamic trait

Ability Traits (Cattell)

how well we do things

temperament traits (Cattell)

our style of action

attitudes

an overt or covert interest in responding to a particular situation

erg

hereditary motives

ergic goals

well substantiated ergic goals common emotion.

-food -> hunger

-mating -> sex

-gregariousness -> lonely

-parental protectiveness -> pity

-security -> fear

-self assertion -> pride

-narcissistic sex -> sensuousness

-pugnacity -> anger

-acquisitiveness -> greed

More tentative ergic goals

-rest

-constructiveness -> creativity

-self abasement -> disgust

-laughter

-everything tied to biological need

16 PF security seeking questions

- i want my country to get more protection against the terror of the atom bomb

- i want to see any formidable militaristic power that actively threatens us attacked and destroyed

- i want to see the danger of death by accident and disease reduced

- i want to take out more insurance against illness

16 PF Sex Questions

- i want to fall in love with a beautiful women

- i want to satisfy my sexual needs

- i like sexual attractiveness in a woman

- i like to enjoy smoking and drinking

- i want to listen to music

16 PF Questionnaire

Multiple-choice personality questionnaire developed by Cattell to measure 16 normal adult personality dimensions.

the specific equation

how a person will behave in a specific situation

performance = importance of trait in situation(trait) + importance of trait in situation(trait)