LECTURE 5 - 2250A

Vocabulary flashcards covering the formulation of personality traits, approaches to trait identification, and major taxonomies of personality.

Traits - two basic formulations

Traits as internal causal properties vs. triats as purley descptive summaries.

traits as internal properties

{Traits CAUSE behaviour.} 

Traits are internal characteristics that help explain why we behave in certain ways.

• Internal causes: Traits exist within us and influence our actions.

• Consistent: Traits remain relatively stable, even when they aren't being expressed (dormant).

• Biological models: Genes, hormones, and brain structures (e.g., amygdala) influence behaviour.

• Needs and wants: Internal characteristics help explain our desires and actions.

Example: Someone might seek out social situations because they possess an internal trait of extraversion.

traits as purely descpetive summaries

 {Traits just DESCRIBE behaviour.} {100% behavioural}

Traits are labels used to summarize observable patterns of behaviour, rather than internal causes.

• 100% behavioural: Focus on what people actually do.

• No assumed internal cause: We don't assume a hidden personality trait makes someone behave a certain way.

• Learning and environment: Behaviour can be explained through experiences, upbringing, and reinforcement.

• Behavioural models: Focus on how people learn different behaviours based on the situations they experience, rather than assuming their behaviour is caused by internal personality traits.

Example: Someone who frequently talks to others is described as extraverted. The label summarizes their behaviour; it doesn't explain what caused it.

Act frequency formulation

{How OFTEN someone does a behaviour.} 

A method that describes an individual's personality based on how frequently they engage in specific behaviors compared to other people. {eg, Sarah helps people all the time → We call her helpful.} 

Act nominations

{WHICH behaviours belong to a personality trait.}

designed to identify which acts belong in which trait categories , eg, pushing a stranger's car out of a snowbank count as helpful. {Need to keep in mind cultural dffrences, and country diffrences., and persons diffrences capability of the act}

Prototypicality judgements

figuring out which behaviours are the BEST examples of a personality trait.

Eg, The trait is extraversion (being outgoing and social). Talking a lot → Strong example of extraversion. Having 1,000 Instagram friends → Weaker example of extraversion. 

problems with act frequencies

Remember: Act frequency looks at how frequently a person performs certain behaviours to describe their personality.

• 1. Acts do not include thoughts {Example: Someone might feel angry but never yell or show it, So, just looking at their actions might not tell us they're often angry.} 

• 2. May not capture complex traits { xample: Someone might be very kind to their friends but rude to strangers, So, we can't fully understand their personality from just a few actions.} 

important traits

• 1. Lexical approach - Look at the WORDS people use to describe personality (like kind, shy, outgoing). The idea is that important personality differences become represented in everyday language.

• 2. Statistical approach - Psychologists collect information about people's personalities and use statistics to find patterns. Use DATA and statistics to then group related ones together.

• 3. Theoretical approach - Use psychological THEORIES to decide which traits matter, Psychologists start with an existing psychological theory to decide which traits matter. For example, a psychologist might believe that people's motivations are central to personality, so they focus on traits related to motivation.

1 and 2 bleed into each other. Researchers often collect personality words using the lexical approach, then analyze them using statistics.

Lexical approach

Lexical hypothesis: Important personality differences have words to describe them.

For example, someone who avoids social situations may be described as shy, while someone who enjoys social situations may be described as outgoing.

The idea is that the more important a difference is to a culture, the more words that language may develop to describe it..

Allport & Odbert (1936): The researchers who conducted the first psycho-lexical study by searching dictionaries to compile words used to describe personality characteristics.

Lexical approach problems and imitations

• Confusing words: Some personality words can have different meanings, making it hard to know exactly what trait is being described. Words can be ambiguous (multiple meanings), metaphorical (not literal), or obscure (uncommon).

• Example: "Cold" could mean unfriendly, emotionally distant, or quiet, making it unclear which personality trait is being described.

• Not just adjectives: Personality can be described using adjectives (kind), nouns (leader), and adverbs (confidently). If researchers only focus on adjectives, they might miss important personality traits described using other types of words.

Statistical approach

statistical approach = Using DATA to group similar personality traits together,   Starts with a large variety of personality traits. Uses statistics to group similar traits into broader categories.

Goal: Identify the major dimensions of personality traits (dimensions).{The GOAL is to figure out the MAIN personality categories that describe people.} Than Factor analysis: Statistical method that groups related traits together.

• Example: Talkative + outgoing + social → Extraversion.

R.B Cattell

.R.B. Cattell was a prominent psychologist known for pioneering the use of factor analysis in personality research, which led to the identification of key traits and contributed significantly to the development of the Big Five personality model.

Theoretical approach

Psychologists start with an idea (theory) about personality, then study traits that support or test that idea.

Example: Imagine a psychologist believes shy people are more likely to feel anxious in social situations.

1. Theory: Shy people experience more social anxiety.

2. Study: The psychologist measures people's shyness and anxiety.

3. Goal: See if the theory is correct.

Taxomonies of personality 

Taxonomy = A system used to organize personality traits into different groups or categories. {Taxonomy = A way of ORGANIZING things into categories.} Psychologists have created different models to explain and organize personality traits.

• Major personality models include:

  • Eysenck: Hierarchical Model – organizes personality traits into levels.

  • Cattell: 16 Personality Factors – identifies 16 main personality traits.

  • Wiggins: Circumplex Model (1979) – organizes personality traits in a circular pattern.

  • Five-Factor Model: Groups personality into 5 major traits.

  • HEXACO: Groups personality into 6 major traits.

Eysenck's PEN model

• E – Extraversion: Outgoing vs. introverted. { main 2 } 1st thing he came up with 

• N – Neuroticism: Emotionally unstable (easily stressed) vs. emotionally stable.  Second thing he came up with 

• P – Psychoticism: Aggressive, impulsive, less empathetic. Third thing he came up with 

Esyencs model {PEN} Biological Underpinnings

Eysenck believed personality is partly influenced by genetics and biology (your genes and brain help shape your personality).

Heritability: All 3 personality traits (PEN) are partly inherited from your parents through genes.

• Physiological Substrate: Personality traits have a biological basis, meaning brain activity and body processes help influence personality.

• Limitation: Eysenck's model only focuses on 3 major personality traits, so it may leave out other important parts of personality.

Cattell’s 16 Personality Factors (16PF)

Cattell believed personality could be described using 16 primary personality factors. He used factor analysis (a statistical method that identifies patterns among related variables) to discover underlying personality traits.

• Goal: Identify the basic traits that make up personality.

• Three types of data:

  • L-data (Life records): Real-life behaviour (e.g., grades, attendance).

  • Q-data (Questionnaires): Self-reported personality (e.g., "I'm outgoing").

  • T-data (Tests): Behaviour measured through objective psychological tests.

• Criticism: Researchers struggled to replicate all 16 factors, suggesting fewer, broader traits (e.g., Big Five) may explain personality better.