PSYCH 222 - Chapter 6

What are traits?

A distinguishing quality or characteristic of an individual assumed to be relatively stable across time and situations.

• characterizes typical average behaviour across time and situations

• can be used to predict behaviour and important life outcomes

What traits are not:

Total determinants of behaviour.

What are the 4 ways researchers can study the relationship between personality and behaviour?

• single-trait approach

• many-trait approach

• essential-trait approach

• typological approach

Single-trait approach

Focusing on one particular trait and learning as much as possible about its behavioural correlates, developmental, antecedents, and life consequences.

• what do people with a certain personality trait do?

• examine correlations between one trait and many behaviours

Self-monitoring

The degree to which inner and outer selves and behaviours are the same or different across situations. (variability of outward self-presentation across situations)

Types of self-monitors

• high self-monitors - people who modify the way they present themselves in a social setting in response to many social cues

• low self-monitors - regulate themselves with respect to their internal beliefs and personality

Many-trait approach

Focuses on a particular behaviour and investigates its correlates with as many different personality traits as possible in order to explain the basis of the behaviour and illuminate the workings of personality.

• who does this behaviour or has this outcome?

• examine correlations between one behaviour and many traits

• seek to explain the pattern of correlations

California Q-set

• 100 personality descriptions

• sort into a forced-choice,

Essential-trait approach

Typological approach

Factor analysis

Lexical hypothesis

The Big Five

A researcher who tries to discover the most important or basic personality traits that exist is taking a(n) ________ approach.

essential-trait

When compared to high self-monitors, people who score low in self-monitoring tend to

be regarded as more honest.

The MOST important advantage of Q-sorting is that it

forces the judge to compare all the items directly against each other.

What are the essential traits according to Hans Eysenck?

neuroticism/extraversion/psychoticism

According to Jack Block, ego ________ gets people into trouble, but ego ________ gets people out of trouble.

undercontrol; resiliency

The Big Five are believed to be largely orthogonal factors of personality. What does orthogonal mean?

People’s scores on one of the factors do not predict their scores on any of the other factors.

People who adjust their behavior to best fit the situation are called ________, and people whose behavior is guided by their personality are called ________.

high self-monitors; low self-monitors

Given Snyder’s description of self-monitoring, you would expect someone who is low in self-monitoring to be ________ than someone high in self-monitoring.

easier to judge

Which trait is associated with positive first impressions but more negative impressions in longer-term relationships?

narcissism

Which approach to studying personality begins with the question “Who does that?” and then seeks to understand the traits associated with a specific behavior?

many-trait approach

A researcher using factor analysis to identify basic traits is likely to favor the ________ approach.

essential-trait

Pooja is a strong proponent of the lexical hypothesis. Where would she likely begin her search for the essential traits of personality?

the dictionary

Factor analyses have revealed a broader personality factor called plasticity. Which of the following Big Five factors are subfactors of this factor?

extraversion and openness

Factor analyses have revealed a broader personality factor called stability. Which of the following Big Five factors are subfactors of this factor?

neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness

The ________ approach to personality usually assumes that all people can be characterized by points on a continuous score of measurement; the ________ approach to personality suggests that people might differ in kind more than in degree.

trait; typological

What is the best summary of the current state of knowledge about personality types?

Although types add little for psychometric purposes of measurement and prediction, they still may have value as aids in education and theorizing.

Which of the following descriptions best characterizes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

It is a long questionnaire, often used by corporations to assess potential employees, that tests which of two opposing tendencies characterizes an individual.