Psychology Chapter: Defining Personality

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Questions and Answers

Define personality.

The set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual.

Identify the three levels of personality analysis.

Individual uniqueness (correct)
Individual differences and group differences (correct)
Human nature (correct)

What does 'human nature' refer to in the context of personality analysis?

Traits and mechanisms of personality that are typical of our species and possessed by nearly everyone.

What does 'individual differences and group differences' refer to in the context of personality analysis?

How we are 'like some others'. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'individual uniqueness' refer to in the context of personality analysis?

How we are "like no others". Signup and view all the answers

Describe the "fissure" that exists in the field of personality, according to the text.

The gap between grand theories of personality (human nature) and contemporary research in personality (individual and group difference). Signup and view all the answers

Identify the six domains of knowledge about human nature.

Biological (A), Cognitive-experiential (B), Social and cultural (C), Adjustment (D), Dispositional (E), Intrapsychic (F) Signup and view all the answers

What is the core assumption of the biological domain of personality?

Humans are collections of biological systems. Signup and view all the answers

What does the intrapsychic domain of personality focus on?

Deals with mental mechanisms of personality. Signup and view all the answers

What does the cognitive-experiential domain of personality focus on?

Focuses on cognition (thinking) and subjective experience. Signup and view all the answers

What does the social and cultural domain of personality focus on?

Assumption that personality impact and is impacted by social and cultural contexts. Signup and view all the answers

What does the adjustment domain of personality focus on?

How does this relate to our wellbeing? Signup and view all the answers

Identify the three purposes of personality theory.

Provides a guide for researchers (A), Organizes known findings (B), Makes predictions (C) Signup and view all the answers

Identify the standards for evaluating personality theories.

Comprehensiveness (A), Testability (B), Parsimony (C), Heuristic value (D), Compatibility and integration across domains and levels (E) Signup and view all the answers

The field of personality psychology currently lacks a grand theory.

True (A) Signup and view all the answers

Identify the sources of personality data.

Test-Data (T-Data) (A), Observer-Report Data (O-Data) (B), Life-Outcome Data (L-Data) (C), Self-Report Data (S-Data) (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is Self-Report Data (S-Data)?

Information people provide about themselves, through surveys or interviews. Signup and view all the answers

What is Observer-Report Data (O-Data)?

Info about a person's personality gathered from others. Signup and view all the answers

What is Test-Data (T-Data)?

Participants are placed in a standardized testing situation to see if different people react differently to identical situations. Signup and view all the answers

What is Life-Outcome Data (L-Data)?

Personality can be studied through life events, activities, and outcomes. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the two basic formulations of a trait.

Trait as internal causal properties (A), Trait as purely descriptive summaries (B) Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Trait as internal causal properties' formulation.

Traits are internal; people carry their desires, needs, and wants with them across different situations. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Trait as purely descriptive summaries' formulation.

Traits describe a person's characteristics without assuming they come from internal causes. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the act frequency formulation of traits.

A trait is a descriptive [summary] of the general trend in a person's behaviour relative to other people. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the three fundamental approaches to identifying the most important traits.

Lexical (A), Statistical (B), Theoretical (C) Signup and view all the answers

Explain the Lexical approach to identifying important traits.

Lexical hypothesis: all important individual differences have become encoded within the natural language. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the Statistical approach to identifying important traits.

Identify major dimensions of personality. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the Theoretical approach to identifying important traits.

Starts with a theory, which then determines which variables are important. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the leading taxonomies of personality.

HEXACO Model (A), Five-Factor Model (B), Eysenck's Hierarchical Model of Personality (C), The Wiggins Circumplex (D) Signup and view all the answers

Describe Eysenck's Hierarchical Model of Personality.

Believed traits were highly heritable with a psychophysiological foundation. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the Wiggins Circumplex model of personality.

Defined 'interpersonal' as interactions between people involving exchanges. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the Five-Factor Model of personality.

Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness to experience. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the HEXACO Model of personality

Identify a sixth factor: honesty-humility. Signup and view all the answers

According to trait psychologists, what is every personality a product of?

Few basic and of primary traits. Signup and view all the answers

What does consistency over time refer to in the context of personality traits?

Broad traits are consistent over time. Signup and view all the answers

Identify key findings from the longitudinal study of personality traits over time.

Early personality traits predict long-term life outcomes (A), Personality traits in childhood tend to persist into adulthood (B), Life events and social roles can shape or modify these traits (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is 'situationism'?

If behavior varies across situations, then situational differences and not personality traits determine behavior. Signup and view all the answers

Identify common measurement issues in trait psychology.

Faking on questionnaires (A), Carelessness (B), Barnum statement (C) Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'carelessness' as a measurement issue in trait psychology.

Items that most people answer in a particular way; if the individual answers differently this suggests carelessness. Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'faking on questionnaires' as a measurement issue in trait psychology.

Attempt to appear better or worse. Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'Barnum statement' as a measurement issue in trait psychology.

Generalities that could apply to anyone. Signup and view all the answers

How can personality traits be used in employment settings?

Personality traits can be used to predict who is likely to do well in particular job. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the legal issues regarding the use of personality testing in employment settings.

Discrimination (A), Race or Gender Norming (B), Right to Privacy (C), Disparate Impact (D) Signup and view all the answers

Identify the key conceptual issues in personality development.

Stability (A), Change (B), Coherence (C) Signup and view all the answers

What does personality development refer to?

Consistencies, stabilities in people over time and the way in which people change over time. Signup and view all the answers

What does rank-order stability refer to?

Maintenance of individual position within a group. Signup and view all the answers

What does mean level stability refer to?

Constancy of level. Signup and view all the answers

What does personality coherence refer to?

Maintaining rank order relative to others but changing in the manifestations of trait. Signup and view all the answers

At what three levels can personality stability and change be studied?

Individual differences (A), Population (B), Group differences (C) Signup and view all the answers

Define heritability.

Heritability [is] a statistic that refers to the proportion of observed variance in a group of individuals that can be accounted for by genetic variance. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the primary goals of behavioral genetics.

Determine ways in which genes and environment interact and correlate with each other to produce individual differences (A), Determine where in the 'environment' environmental effects exist (B), Determine percentage of individual differences in a trait that can be attributed to genetics differences and to environmental differences (C) Signup and view all the answers

Identify the research methods used in behavioral genetics.

Adoption studies (A), Family studies (B), Twin studies (C), Selective breeding (D) Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'selective breeding' as a research method in behavioral genetics.

Occur if desired trait is heritable. Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'family studies' as a research method in behavioral genetics.

The more genetically related family members are, the more similar their personality traits should be. Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'adoption studies' as a research method in behavioral genetics.

Traits between adopted children and adoptive parents provide environmental influence; traits between adopted children and genetic parents provide genetic influence. Signup and view all the answers

What are the most studied personality traits in behavioral genetics research?

Extraversion and neuroticism. Signup and view all the answers

Describe generally the heritability estimates for major personality traits.

Heritability estimates for major personality traits of about 50%. Signup and view all the answers

What is the major difference between the 'shared' and 'nonshared' environmental influences, according to the text?

In family environment, features that are shared by siblings; in family environment, features that differ across siblings. Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of molecular genetics in personality research?

Designed to identify specific genes associated with personality traits. Signup and view all the answers

Provide an example of a gene that has been associated with personality traits in molecular genetics research.

D4DR gene. Signup and view all the answers

How do genetic and environmental factors interact in personality development?

People with different genotypes respond differently to the same environment. Signup and view all the answers

Provide an example of how genetic and environmental factors interact in personality development.

Ex: task performance of introverts versus extraverts in loud versus noisy conditions. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the factors that contribute to personality development.

Genetic factors (A), Environmental factors (B) Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'genetic factors' in personality development.

Traits and characteristics we inherit from our parents. Signup and view all the answers

Describe 'environmental factors' in personality development.

Are the influences around us. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the types of questions asked by psychologists regarding the role of human physiology in personality.

How do physiological processes influence our responses to different situations? (A), How does the brain function in relation to personality? (B), How do physiological measures vary across individuals with different personality traits? (C) Signup and view all the answers

Identify commonly physiological measures used in personality research.

Cardiovascular Activity (A), Electrodermal Activity (EDA) (B), Brain Activity (C) Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Electrodermal Activity (EDA)' measure.

Obtained by electrodes or sensors placed on the skin surface. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Cardiovascular Activity' measure.

Can measure stress reactivity, heart rate, and blood pressure. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Brain Activity' measure.

Neuroscience: study of nervous system; brain function; brain structure; brain connections; brain electrical activity. Signup and view all the answers

Identify the physiological theories of personality.

Sensitivity to reward and punishment (A), Neurotransmitters and personality (B), Brain asymmetry and affective style (C), Extraversion-Introversion (D), Sensation Seeking (E), Morningness-Eveningness (F) Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Extraversion-Introversion' theory.

Measured by Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Sensitivity to reward and punishment' theory.

Impulsivity and anxiety. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Sensation seeking' theory.

Seek out thrilling, exciting, take risks, avoid boredom. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Neurotransmitters and personality' theory.

Associated with pleasure, depression and other mood disorders, fight of flight response. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Morningness-Eveningness' theory.

Being a morning or evening type of person. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the 'Brain asymmetry and affective style' theory.

EEG can measure brain waves. Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Personality

The set of psychological traits and mechanisms within an individual.

Psychological Traits

Characteristics that describe how people differ from each other.