Personality Chapter 3 Traits and Taxonomies

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Questions and Answers

What are Trait-Descriptive Adjectives?

Words that describe attributes and characteristics of a person that may endure over time.

Which of the following are fundamental questions guiding the study of traits?

What are the historical origins of traits?

How can we develop a comprehensive taxonomy of traits? (correct)

How can we define 'trait'? (correct)

How can we identify which traits are least important?

What is a trait?

Traits can be seen as internal causal properties that influence behavior or as purely descriptive summaries of behavior.

What are traits as internal causal properties?

Traits are inherent characteristics that a person carries across different situations that explain their behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'internal causal properties' suggest about traits?

Traits can explain a person's behavior in various contexts. Signup and view all the answers

Descriptive summaries of traits assume internality and causality.

False Signup and view all the answers

What are the three key steps in the act frequency formulation of traits?

<ol> <li>Act nomination, 2) Prototypically judgement, 3) Recording of act performance.</li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

The act performance ratings are used to identify the 'frequency' of how often an individual performs a behavior in a given time __________.

period Signup and view all the answers

What is a criticism of the act frequency approach to studying personality?

It does not specify how much context should be included in the description of trait-relevant acts. Signup and view all the answers

What are the three approaches to identifying the most important traits?

Lexical approach, statistical approach, theoretical approach. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Lexical Hypothesis state?

All important individual differences are encoded in natural language over time. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is one of the criteria for identifying important traits in the lexical approach?

Synonym frequency Signup and view all the answers

What limitation does the lexical approach possess?

Many traits are ambiguous, metaphorical, or obscure. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the statistical approach in personality research?

To identify major dimensions of personality. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Trait-Descriptive Adjectives

Describe enduring characteristics and attributes of individuals.
Also known as dispositions, these adjectives help categorize personality traits.

Fundamental Questions in Trait Study

Definitions of traits: What constitutes a "trait"?
Importance of traits: Which traits are most significant?
Development of taxonomies: How to create comprehensive trait classifications?

Definitions of Traits

Internal causal properties: Traits are seen as the factors that drive behavior.
Descriptive summaries: Traits merely describe observable behaviors without implying internal motivations.

Internal Causal Properties of Traits

Traits are perceived as consistent internal properties influencing actions.
Examples include how a desire for monetary gain can influence various behaviors over time.

Dormant Traits

Traits may exist without overt expression; e.g., a latent desire to lead.
Viewing traits as causes helps eliminate alternative explanations for behavior.

Descriptive Trait Summaries

Traits provide a straightforward description of behaviors without inferring internal drives.
Evidence for a trait's existence comes from consistent behaviors aligned with that trait.

Act Frequency Formulation

Process includes three steps to define traits through behavior:
- Act nomination: Identify relevant behaviors linked to traits.
- Prototypically judgment: Determine central or typical behaviors for each trait.
- Recording act performance: Measure the frequency of trait-related behaviors.

Act Nomination

Identifies specific actions tied to generic traits, such as "impulsive."

Prototypically Judgment

Establishes which behaviors are most representative of a trait, like associating eye contact and smiles with flirting.

Recording Act Performance

Involves assessing the frequency of specific behaviors exhibited by individuals over time.

Criticisms of Act Frequency Approach

Lacks clarity on the contextual influences of traits, ignoring social or cultural settings.
Primarily focuses on observable actions, neglecting covert or non-direct behaviors.

Further Criticism of Act Frequency

May overlook complex traits that cannot be captured by simple behavior summaries.
Lacks theoretical guidance on the relevance of identified traits.

Approaches to Identify Important Traits

Lexical approach: Based on language and communication.
Statistical approach: Utilizes statistical analysis to structure traits.
Theoretical approach: Grounded in established psychological theories.

Lexical Approach

Based on the Lexical Hypothesis, suggesting all significant personality differences are encoded in language.
Identifies around 2,800 trait-descriptive adjectives essential for social communication.

Criteria for Identifying Important Traits (Lexical Approach)

Synonym frequency: More synonyms indicate higher importance of the trait.
Cross-cultural universality: Traits prevalent across many languages are likely to be significant.

Limitations of the Lexical Approach

Traits can be vague, metaphorical, or difficult to interpret.
Personality traits can also be expressed in forms other than adjectives, such as nouns and adverbs.

Summary of Lexical Approach

Useful as an initial method for identifying personality traits but should be complemented with additional methodologies.

Statistical Approach

Aims to discover major personality dimensions through data analysis.
Often paired with the lexical approach for refining personality trait categories.

Factor Analysis

A statistical method used to condense a large set of personality data into core dimensions.

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Description

Explore the key concepts of traits and taxonomies in Chapter 3 of Personality studies. This quiz covers trait-descriptive adjectives, fundamental questions about traits, and their importance in understanding human behavior. Test your knowledge on essential traits and their definitions.