Personality Psychology

What is the definition of personality according to Funder (2024)?

Individuals' characteristic patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior, along with the psychological mechanisms behind those patterns.

How does the Association for Research in Personality define personality?

Individual variability in people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Robins et al., 2025).

What is Allport's definition of personality?

The dynamic organization within the individual of psychophysical systems that determine unique adjustments to the environment.

What are personality traits?

Relatively stable patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

What does the psychological triad consist of?

Emotions, behaviors, and thoughts.

What was the focus of the Dunedin Study?

Self-control in children born in 1992-1993.

What is the primary focus of personality psychologists?

To understand the whole person in all contexts and across time.

What are the five basic approaches to personality theories?

Trait, Biological, Psychodynamic, Phenomenological, and Learning/Cognitive approaches.

What does the trait approach study?

Enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that influence a person's interactions with the environment.

What does the biological approach focus on?

Anatomy, physiology, genetics, and evolution.

What does the psychoanalytic approach study?

The unconscious mind, including dreams and implicit associations.

What is the phenomenological approach concerned with?

How conscious experiences relate to individual differences.

What does the learning approach include?

Behaviorism, social learning, and cognitive personality psychology.

What is Funder's First Law?

Greatest strengths are usually great weaknesses, and vice versa.

What are the advantages of accounting for the whole person in personality research?

It is inclusive, interesting, and important.

What is the disadvantage of basic approaches in personality psychology?

They may be poor at addressing certain topics or ignore them.

What is the significance of individual differences in personality psychology?

It leads to sensitivity and respect for individual differences.

What is the historical significance of astrology in personality assessment?

It was an early belief that personality is determined by birth month, but it is not a science.

What are the Four Humors and their associated personality traits?

Sanguine (optimistic), Choleric (angry/irritable), Melancholic (sad/anxious), Phlegmatic (calm/passive).

What was the purpose of Robert Woodworth's Personality Inventory during WWI?

To screen for psychiatric problems and identify individuals at risk for 'shell shock' (PTSD).

What is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)?

An empirical assessment developed to identify clinical problems.

What are projective tests in personality assessment?

Tests that involve interpretations of ambiguous stimuli, such as the Rorschach Ink Blot Test.

What is the Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire?

A personality assessment developed by Cattell and Stice that uses factor analysis.

What does the NEO-Personality Inventory measure?

Five factors of personality developed through factor analysis of the dictionary.

What is the role of empirical methods in test development today?

To ensure that test items are similar and relevant to the populations of interest.

What is the significance of the California Psychological Inventory?

It assesses four factors: poise, socialization, achievement potential, and intelligence.

What are the four types of data in personality research?

Self Report Data, Informant Report Data, Life Outcome Data, Behavioral Data

What is Self Report Data?

Data where individuals report their own experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

What are the pros of Self Report Data?

Provides lots of information about thoughts, feelings, intentions, and has definitional truth.

What are the cons of Self Report Data?

Subject to bias, error, and may not reflect true experiences.

What is Informant Report Data?

Judgments made by knowledgeable others about an individual.

What are the pros of Informant Report Data?

Offers a large amount of information and real-world context.

What are the cons of Informant Report Data?

Limited information on private experiences and potential bias.

What is Life Outcome Data?

Objective observable information from events and outcomes in a person's life.

What are the pros of Life Outcome Data?

Objective, verifiable, and psychologically relevant.

What are the cons of Life Outcome Data?

Multidetermination; many factors can influence outcomes.

What is Behavioral Data?

Observation of behavior in daily life or controlled laboratory settings.

What are the pros of Behavioral Data?

Offers a range of contexts and appears objective.

What are the cons of Behavioral Data?

Can be difficult and expensive to collect, with uncertain interpretations.

What is the difference between Idiographic and Nomothetic research?

Idiographic research focuses on individual cases, while Nomothetic research seeks to understand general laws across individuals.

What are the methods used in Idiographic research?

Case studies.

What are the methods used in Nomothetic research?

Correlational and experimental designs.

What is reliability in psychometrics?

The stability and replicability of assessment results.

What are the types of reliability?

Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability.

What is validity in psychometrics?

The degree to which a measurement accurately measures what it is supposed to.

What are the types of validity?

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

What does generalizability mean in research?

The extent to which findings can be applied to other tests, situations, or populations.

What is the Person vs. Situation debate?

A discussion on whether personality traits or situational factors are more influential in determining behavior.

Who is associated with the Person vs. Situation debate?

Walter Mischel.

What is the 'personality coefficient'?

A measure indicating the consistency of behavior across situations, often around r = .3 or .4.

What was the outcome of Zimbardo's prison study?

Demonstrated how situational factors can lead individuals to behave in abusive ways.

What is the Fundamental Attribution Error?

The tendency to overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational factors in explaining behavior.

What is meant by 'effect size'?

A measure of the magnitude of a result, indicating how much variance is explained by a variable.

What is the significance of a correlation of r = 0.21?

Indicates a small effect size, suggesting that traits and situations have similar average effects on behavior.

What ethical considerations are important in psychological research?

Ensuring no harm comes from research, honesty in reporting, and transparency in data sharing.

What is a moderator variable?

A variable that affects the relationship between two other variables.

Name four moderators of accuracy.

Good judge, good target, good trait, good information.

What characteristics define a good judge?

Intelligent, conscientious, high in communion, dispositional intelligence, positive demeanor.

What traits are associated with a good target?

Stable, well-organized, consistent behavior, psychologically well-adjusted, extraverted, agreeable.

What is judgability?

The extent to which personality is a good predictor of behavior.

How does the amount of information influence accuracy?

More time spent with a person and situation-specific information lead to better judgments.

What is the Realistic Accuracy Model (RAM)?

A model explaining how accurate judgment is possible through relevance, availability, detection, and utilization.

What does accurate self-knowledge indicate?

It indicates mental health.

What are the pros and cons of self-knowledge?

Pros: We know our emotional experiences better. Cons: Others know our behaviors better.

What is the person-situation debate?

A discussion on how traits and situations interact to influence behavior.

What is the trait approach in personality psychology?

The focus on stable dispositions that people have to different degrees.

What are the assumptions of the trait approach?

Traits are building blocks of personality, consistent across situations, and relatively stable over time.

What is the single-trait approach?

Studying a specific trait and its associated behaviors and life outcomes.

What is an example of a single trait studied?

Narcissism.

What are some pros of narcissism?

Charming, attractive, often selected as leaders.

What are some cons of narcissism?

Manipulative, entitled, poor long-term relationships, aggressive when image is threatened.

What is the many-trait approach?

Deriving a comprehensive set of traits to explain a specific behavior.

What is an example of a behavior studied in the many-trait approach?

Political beliefs.

What characterizes conservatives according to Block and Block (2006)?

Feeling guilty, anxious, favoring in-group loyalty, authority, and respect.

What characterizes liberals according to Block and Block (2006)?

Resourceful, independent, self-reliant, and confident.

What is the essential trait approach?

Identifying the most important traits that matter in personality.

What is a key outcome of the person-situation debate?

Understanding that behavior is a function of both traits and situations.

What is the significance of the trait continuum?

It emphasizes the differences among people in terms of traits.

How can we improve the accuracy of personality judgments?

Through training, attending to relevant cues, and creating the right interpersonal environment.

What is the impact of situations on traits?

Situations can affect the expression of traits.

What is the relationship between traits and life outcomes?

Traits can predict important life outcomes.

What is the lexical hypothesis in personality taxonomy?

The idea that important aspects of human life will be labeled and that if a personality aspect is significant, people will have a word for it across cultures.

Who conducted a dictionary study on personality traits?

Allport and Odbert in 1936, identifying 4,500 trait terms that distinguish human behavior.

What are the characteristics of individuals high in extraversion?

Active, outspoken, dominant, cheerful, ambitious, and sensitive to rewards.

What are some disadvantages of high extraversion?

Mate poaching, argumentative behavior, need for control, poor time management, and risk of becoming overweight.

What defines individuals high in neuroticism?

Ineffective problem solving, emotional instability, and strong negative reactions to stress.

How does neuroticism correlate with happiness and well-being?

Negatively correlated with happiness and well-being, and positively correlated with unhappiness and anxiety.

What traits are associated with high conscientiousness?

Being dutiful, careful, rule-abiding, and ambitious, leading to reliability in work and health behaviors.

What are the disadvantages of high conscientiousness?

Prone to guilt, decreased life satisfaction with unemployment, and may be less popular or creative.

What traits characterize individuals high in agreeableness?

Conformity, friendliness, warmth, compassion, and a tendency to rate others positively.

What are some life outcomes associated with high agreeableness?

Involvement in religious activities, good health, quick recovery from illness, and higher peer acceptance.

What defines individuals high in openness?

Creative, imaginative, politically liberal, and interested in exploring new ideas and experiences.

What are some potential negative aspects of high openness?

Prone to overclaiming, overactive imaginations, and more frequent drug abuse.

What evidence supports the existence of the Big Five personality traits?

Replicated across observers, cultures, species, and time, and corresponds to heritable trait categories.

Why is understanding the Big Five personality traits important?

They predict various life outcomes, help in career choices, and can lead to better relationships and health.

What are the assumptions of trait theory?

Traits are building blocks of personality, stable over time, influence behavior, and are biologically based.

What is temperament in the context of personality development?

The personality traits one is born with, largely genetically determined, including positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and effortful control.

What is rank-order stability in personality traits?

The consistency of an individual's relative standing in personality traits compared to peers over time.

What is the cumulative continuity principle?

Personality traits become more stable as a person matures, influenced by psychological maturity.

What is heterotypic continuity?

The concept that behaviors can change while underlying traits remain stable.