Personality and personality tests

personality

an individual’s unique set of consistent behavioral traits

personality trait

durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations

The Big 5

model of personality that maintained most personality traits are derived from neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness

factor analysis

correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables.

personality trait perspective

Gordon Allport; 3 main traits: cardinal, central, and secondary

cardinal trait

identifies a person

central trait

predicts behavior

secondary trait

conveys a preference to things

self-report inventory

type of psychological test in which a person fills out a survey or questionnaire with/without the help of an investigator.

locus of control

what controls a person’s life; whether or not the consequence of an action are within our control

internal locus of control

believes reinforcements are contingent upon own behavior

external locus of control

believes reinforcements are NOT contingent upon own behavior

trait theorists

Attempt to measure personality through personality inventories, such as the MMPI.

Rorschach projective test

identify inner feelings through interpretation of a set of inkblots

Thematic apperception test

a person’s responses to ambiguous pictures reveal underlying motives, concerns, and the way they see the world.