Introducing Individual Differences: From Everyday to Psychological Questions PDF

PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 1 Introducing Individual Differences: From Everyday to Psychological Questions 1...

PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 1 Introducing Individual Differences: From Everyday to Psychological Questions 1 Chapter Outline 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 PERSONALITY: A COMMONSENSE IDEA 1.3 DESCRIBING INDIVIDUALS 1.4 ABNORMALITY 1.5 INTELLIGENCE, COMPETITION, AND ADAPTATION 1.6 PREDICTING SUCCESS 1.7 BORN DIFFERENT? 1.8 OTHER ABILITIES 1.9 VARIABILITY AND CHANGE: MOTIVATION AND MOOD STATES 1.10 CREATIVITY 1.11 LEADING THE WAY 1.12 INTERESTS 1.1 INTRODUCTION area in psychology. Whereas most psychological theories pretty much assume that everybody is the same and hence attempt The study of individual differences is part of a well-established to identify the universal aspects of human behavior, individual tradition in psychology that dates back more than a century. It difference theories are concerned with differences between people, encompasses several non-observable or “latent” constructs, such or what makes everyone unique. as intelligence and personality, which represent major sources of For example, cognitive psychologists may try to explain the variation in behavior. This makes individual differences a unique processes underlying short-term memory, whereas intelligence.. PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 2 2 Introducing Individual Differences Chapter 2 PERSONALITY: History, definitions, approaches, and structure Chapter 3 PERSONALITY: Traits in everyday life: what do they predict? Chapter 4 PSYCHOPATHOLOGY: Abnormal behavior and mental illness Chapter 5 INTELLIGENCE: Measurement of human abilities, IQ tests Chapter 6 INTELLIGENCE: In everyday life, what does intelligence predict? Chapter 7 BEHAVIORAL GENETICS: Genetic and environmental influences Chapter 8 BEYOND IQ: Searching for novel abilities (social, emotional, etc.) Chapter 9 MOOD AND MOTIVATION: Differences within individuals Chapter 10 CREATIVITY: Relationship to personality and intelligence Chapter 11 LEADERSHIP: Situational, personal, and interactional theories Chapter 12 INTERESTS: Rediscovering the importance of vocations Figure 1.1 Book contents at a glance. researchers may explain why some people have better short-term Although the boundaries of differential psychology are yet to be memory than others (Deary, 2001). Social psychologists may established, the label “individual differences” is normally used to explain obedience to authority (Milgram, 1963), whilst personal- refer to personality and intelligence. Accordingly, half of this ity theories may tell us why some people are more obedient than book is, in one way or another, dedicated to these variables (see others (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswick, Levinson, & Sanford, 1950). chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8). But personality and intelligence are Educational psychologists may assess the impact of anxiety on not sufficient to explain differences between individuals, and the learning (Darke, 1988), whereas personality researchers may study of individual differences involves more than personality assess an individual’s likelihood of experiencing anxiety (Zeidner, and intelligence theories. Thus, this book also covers psycho- 1998). Neuropsychologists may test whether recreational drugs, pathology or abnormal behavior (chapter 4), motivation and such as Ecstasy, have long-term effects on individuals’ level of mood states (chapter 9), creativity (chapter 10), leadership aggressiveness, whereas differential psychologists may investigate (chapter 11), and interests (chapter 12). An overview and basic which individuals are more likely to use recreational drugs and description of the chapters is presented in Figure 1.1. why (Zuckerman, 1994). The goal of individual difference researchers, then, is to identify the most general aspects underlying individuality and concep- 1.2 PERSONALITY: tualize a theoretical classification for predicting differences and A COMMONSENSE IDEA similarities in human thought, emotionality, and behavior. Simply put, individual difference researchers are concerned with explain- Differential psychology aims to explain observable differences ing how and why people are different from one another, and aim between individuals in terms of underlying psychological deter- to achieve a wide understanding of the psychological processes minants. This implies that certain psychological differences, in that determine such differences. the way people feel or think, lead to manifest differences Throughout this chapter, I introduce the topic of individual in the way they act. To this end, differential psychologists differences from the perspective of real-life problems. In other collect enormous amounts of information on how people words, I use a commonsense approach to explore the longstand- behave, paying particular attention to their consistent beha- ing psychological questions that gave rise to the academic area vioral patterns, and establish comparisons between different of individual differences that is known as differential psychology. people. This enables them to predict an individual’s likelihood....  PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 3 Introducing Individual Differences 3 behavior: e.g., goes partying a) different people have different interests b) different interests determine awareness different behaviors and intention c) we are aware, as actors and observers, of these interests interests: preferences: and behaviors e.g., likes e.g., meeting d) people tend to act in a parties people consistent manner values: e.g., having fun Figure 1.2 Traits as dispositions to act according to interests, values, and preferences. of behaving in one way or another. Take, for instance, the and other-observation. Last but not least, the examples suggest that following examples. people tend to act in a consistent manner, that is, that there are specific patterns of behavior that are common or frequent in Chloe is 21 and loves partying. She has many friends and some individuals, but strange or infrequent in others. an active social life. She prefers the company of others to In brief, the above examples suggest that (1) different people studying or reading, and is easily bored staying at home. may have different interests, values, and preferences; (2) people’s Laura, also 21, spends most weekends at home, reading interests, values, and preferences are reflected in their beha- and writing. She hates loud parties and dislikes talking to viors; (3) we are aware, as actors and observers, of these interests, strangers. She enjoys spending time with her family and a few values, and preferences; (4) people tend to act in a somewhat close friends, but makes no effort to meet other people. consistent manner across space and time (see Figure 1.2 for a graphical representation of these assumptions). All these assump- Now, considering the information you have about Chloe and tions are at the center of individual difference research, in particu- Laura, try to answer the following questions: lar theories of personality traits, which are the focus of chapters 2 and 3. a) Are you more similar to Chloe or Laura? b) What about your friends? Are they more similar to Chloe or Laura? 1.3 DESCRIBING INDIVIDUALS c) How would you describe Chloe and Laura? d) What else would you need to know about Chloe and Laura Theories of personality conceptualize behavioral differences in to know what they are like? terms of wide psychological characteristics or traits (see chap- e) Why are Chloe and Laura different? ter 2), which are partly inherited and remain relatively stable throughout lifespan, especially after adulthood. In the same There are several assumptions underlying the above examples. way that we can describe individuals according to their physical First, we can see that individuals, even of the same age and characteristics (e.g., tall, blond, slim, fat, pale), personality theor- gender, have different interests (e.g., reading, going out, meeting ists have attempted to develop a classification or taxonomy of new people). Second, these interests may determine the way they individuals in terms of their psychological characteristics (e.g., usually behave, that is, their choices of behavior across a range of extraverted, conscientious, agreeable, shy). situations. Thus, if Chloe loves going to parties, she will be more In that sense, the first aim in putting forward the concept of likely to go partying than if she hated parties (as in Laura’s case). personality traits is descriptive, that is, to identify the major pat- Third, and following on from the second point, we can see that terns of behavior by which people can be compared. In physical an idea implicit in the above examples is that individuals are terms, we can compare individuals by their height, weight, color aware of what they like and dislike. Not only are actors (e.g., of hair, skin, and so on, and in fact there are as many behavioral Chloe and Laura) aware, but so too are observers (whoever is aspects of individual differences as there are physical ones. describing others’ behavior). We are therefore faced with two However, whilst it is easy to observe differences in physical perspectives for assessing differences in behavior, namely, self- complexity, it is difficult to observe differences in psychological.... PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 4 4 Introducing Individual Differences motives underlying criminal offenders. People in general may abnormal clinical want to know which men or women are compatible with them behavior for establishing friendships and business or romantic relation- ships. Furthermore, knowing what others like and dislike may help us relate to others, and knowing what others are like may understand lead us to act in specific ways. performance educational As can be seen, there are several avenues by which individual in school difference research can make an important contribution to our Differences understanding of everyday life problems. No matter how abstract between theories of individual differences may seem, the goal is always individuals twofold, namely, theoretical and applied. To the extent that dif- performance occupational ferential psychology aims to predict and understand human at work behavior in a general sense, this area of research is psychological predict par excellence. Furthermore, clinical psychology, one of the major areas of psychology concerned with the study and treatment of psychopathology (see chapter 4), would be virtually undeveloped relationships general/lay without the use of personality theories and assessment methods, as these play a vital role in diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. Figure 1.3 Differential psychology: goals and applications. 1.4 ABNORMALITY variables, such as behavior, feelings, and thoughts, let alone Most individual difference constructs developed from real, every- understand them. For instance, we can in most cases tell whether day settings and refer to normal behavior. In clinical contexts a person is taller than others, but it is normally far more com- (e.g., hospitals and psychiatric institutions), psychologists were plicated to tell whether someone is shyer than others. This would able to develop theories of abnormal behavior and establish the require not only systematic observation of how much a person criteria for judging “psychological health,” which is the politically speaks, but also an estimate of his/her intention to speak. correct term for normality. The theoretical foundations of per- Another important issue is the usefulness of establishing a sonality research can be traced back to the beginnings of clinical classification of individuals’ tendencies to behave in specific ways, observation (from Emil Kraepelin to Sigmund Freud and Hans that is, whether it can help us improve any aspect of our lives, Eysenck), whilst the psychometric foundations of individual dif- such as work or relationships. Individual differences are meas- ference assessment originated in educational settings, specifically ured through psychometric instruments such as performance through attempts to identify the major determinants of school tests or self-report inventories, consisting of standardized success (Alfred Binet in France and Charles Spearman in multiple-choice questions. Crucially, scores on these measures England). Insofar as individual differences are expressed in terms are related to observable behaviors and predict differences and of both normal and abnormal behaviors, psychopathology and similarities between individuals across a wide range of settings personality are so closely related that the former may be thought (e.g., school, work, sports, everyday life). To the extent that such of as a subclass of the latter (see Figure 1.4). differences can be objectively assessed and related to real-life indicators or behavioral outcomes, they will help us to under- stand why and how individuals differ. There are several applied implications of theories aimed at providing a broad classification Normal behavior of human behavior, thoughts, and emotionality. Below, and in Figure 1.3, I consider a handful, but there are many others (this is something you may want to consider yourself !). Teachers would benefit from knowing whether students have Individual differences learning difficulties, or whether they are capable of learning so (referred to general behavior) fast that they may become bored with the conventional curricula. Personality, intelligence Employers would benefit if they could identify the job applicants who would be best suited for a job, especially when previous job experience is of little importance. Sports managers would find it useful to know which psychological aspects of their athletes’ personality determine whether they perform well at crucial stages of a competition. Army officers would find it useful to pre- Abnormal behavior (Psychopathology) dict which recruits are best suited to take the lead in particular missions (assuming, of course, that war is necessary). Police Figure 1.4 Normality and abnormality in differential psychology and authorities may like to have an accurate understanding of the psychopathology.....  PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 5 Introducing Individual Differences 5 Individual difference research has often been criticized for its political and social implications, and psychopathology’s notion of Intelligence, also known as intellectual ability, IQ, cognitive ability, or “g” (for general intelligence). “normality” is no exception (Szasz, 1958). Yet any explanation of Measures an individual’s ability to adapt and solve problems. human behavior will inevitably lead to generalizations involving Problems can range from complex mathematical tests to a more or less explicit notion of typical and deviant behaviors. simple reaction time (RT) and even practical tasks. Just as medical doctors use predefined classifications to judge, Intelligence can be broken down into minor skills or abilities. for example, whether the malfunctioning of an organ may have It is measured through standardized multiple-choice tests. caused painful symptoms, clinical psychologists need to establish Individual’s performance is compared to the norm (that of others). whether a certain psychological complexity may be the cause IQ is a powerful and widely used tool for classification and of problematic behaviors in their patients (see chapter 4). This selection of individuals. can only be done by measuring levels of a given dimension and In educational and occupational settings, it has proven comparing these scores with predefined, normative levels. For very effective. example, whether someone is obese or not will depend on his/her weight, and whether someone is depressed or not will Figure 1.5 Intelligence: individual differences in competition and depend on whatever measure of depression we use. In both cases, adaptation. though, it is necessary to identify the parameters of normality to determine the signs of pathology. Unfortunately, the term “normality” is often abused and, what is worse, distorted by prejudiced individuals who may need to or the ability to solve mental problems that are related to perform- confirm their beliefs of self-superiority or normality. This alone, ance in school, work, and most real-life settings. Both logically however, should not be a reason to abandon any comparative and statistically, most people are of average intelligence, though criteria. Few people would claim that, because fat or slim people most of us would prefer to be considered among the brightest experience prejudice, doctors should abandon their criteria for people in the world; in fact, it is this desire that may largely assessing obesity, or stop considering obesity as a health-related explain people’s negative attitudes toward IQ tests! Even being variable. The same can be said about psychological measures more intelligent than most people in a country, city, neighbor- such as intellectual ability. Just because some individuals make hood, or school would be regarded as a very desirable form of fun of those they consider less bright, psychologists should not abnormality. refrain from classifying people in terms of their intellectual abili- Individual differences in intelligence refer to an individual’s ties. It is a mistake to judge the usefulness of anything by the con- ability to solve problems that contribute towards his/her suc- sequences of its misuse. We do not judge the usefulness of cars by cessful adaptation to the real world. Problems can range from the number of road accidents or drink-and-drive cases; we do not very ordinary, everyday tasks to complex mathematical tests. judge the usefulness of email by the number of “spam” messages This ability, which can be broken down into more specific abili- received; and we should not judge the usefulness of personality ties, is measured through a series of standardized tasks where and intelligence theories by the incapacity (or unwillingness) of individuals compete for the highest possible scores, pretty much certain individuals to understand the meaning of individual dif- as they compete in real-life settings. Unlike other areas of differ- ferences. Indeed, scientific knowledge can help combat prejudiced ential psychology, such as personality, intelligence is not assessed and irrational beliefs about others, though much more is needed via self- or other-reports but through performance tests. This has to succeed in this task. Moreover, individual difference theories made IQ tests a powerful and widely used tool for classifying and should also be able to explain why some people are more likely selecting individuals in educational and occupational settings to be prejudiced than others, and whether this type of behavior (Furnham, 1997) (see Figure 1.5). But can we truly know whether can be prevented (Adorno et al., 1950). certain individuals are more intelligent than others, and what does it mean to be more intelligent? Although these questions will be addressed in depth elsewhere 1.5 INTELLIGENCE, COMPETITION, (notably in chapters 5, 6, and, less directly, 7 and 8), consider the AND ADAPTATION following example: On the first day of school, a teacher asks his pupils (about 6 years Normality does not always represent the most “desirable” of age) a number of questions, such as “What time is it now?,” classification. In fact, there are several situations in which you “How much do 4 + 7 make?,” “What is a zebra?,” and “Why is it may be better off distancing yourself from the norm. For instance, dark at night?” Some answer all questions correctly, whilst others most people have dental caries, but every dentist will tell you that do not. Furthermore, some pupils know the answer to some but it is healthier and better for your teeth not to have them (indeed, not other questions, and even amongst those who get all the that is one of the reasons many people choose not to go to the answers right, some are able to respond quicker than others, and dentist). Likewise, most university students in the UK (apologies some provide a more advanced explanation. for bringing this up!) are in debt, but surely those who are would be happier being part of the minority of “abnormal,” debt-less students. We may ask two simple questions. Why are some pupils better Even in psychological terms, it is not always better to be cat- at solving the problems, and what are the implications of being better egorized within the majority. One clear example is intelligence or worse at this, apparently very school-like, exercise? Unfortunately,.... PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 6 6 Introducing Individual Differences the answers are far from simple and many differential psycholo- rational evaluation of individuals’ attributes, which in a sense is gists (and even more laypeople) argue about these issues. While the opposite of discrimination. As it is normally understood, dis- this book should enable you to develop an informed opinion on crimination refers to pre-judgmental beliefs (“prejudice”) and the validity of IQ tests, most of the controversies surrounding negative attitudes towards an individual on the basis of his/her intelligence research are staged at more advanced levels and will membership of a group and disregard for his/her individual only be introduced here. qualities (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2004), not his/her actual Returning briefly to the example of the classroom, the ques- abilities! tion of why some pupils are better at solving the problems may Besides, the implications of acknowledging differences in intel- have different answers. One possibility is that previously acquired ligence are not necessarily negative. First, this may help us recruit knowledge (taught by their parents) may determine pupils’ capa- the best people for each job, resulting in an economic gain for city to solve problems. Another possibility is that children differ in society (or would you rather recruit those less capable of doing their intellectual curiosity, which may lead some but not others the job?). Second, the individual would benefit from a more accur- to search for the solutions to these problems. On the other hand, ate and unbiased identification of his/her intellectual strengths one could argue that the ability to successfully tackle these and and weaknesses, as teaching methods – and education in general other similar mental problems is largely dependent on the level of – could be tailored to suit those who need it most and ultimately functioning of the brain, implying that most underlying mental compensate for lower levels of intelligence. In fact, schools processes and operations required to solve such problems may be around the world tend to currently group children according to genetically rather than educationally determined. their age, assuming that age is the universal marker for intellec- At the same time, we need to address the question of whether it tual development. Yet not all children from the same age group matters that one is better at this kind of problem-solving. Looking are equally able to learn and acquire knowledge. Third, it would at the above example, can we really claim that those children be impossible to understand the processes underlying individual who answer more questions are more intelligent than others? differences in cognitive ability if we did not have a way of meas- This is an important question, in particular considering the extent uring these differences in the first place; or could you, for to which laypeople and experts agree or disagree about what instance, think of a way of understanding global warming with- intelligence really is and what intelligence tests really measure. out measuring temperature? Last but not least, differential Regardless of the specific types of ability test we employ, the psychology, as any other science, should be concerned with answer is simple: problems that (1) require mental operations and understanding its object of study rather than the consequences (2) are related to indicators of competence in real-life settings of its findings, whatever these are. may be considered a measure of intelligence (see again Figure Another issue is that, although even the most enthusiastic IQ 1.5). By definition, then, intelligence measures are important researchers accept that intelligence tests are not perfect, they are because they allow us to make predictions about individuals’ far superior to most alternatives, such as self-reports, interviews, level of future achievement (i.e., scoring high on mental biodata (a formalized, scored application form), or references problem-solving will indicate high potential for success, and (i.e., letters of recommendation). When the first IQ test was vice versa), and compare their performance based on objective developed in France about a century ago (see section 5.3.3), the problems rather than subjective or biased opinions. aim was to create an objective and effective tool to distinguish between fast and slow learners, with the intention of helping rather than punishing the latter (for instance by providing them 1.6 PREDICTING SUCCESS with additional teaching and tutoring). More importantly, it was clear at this stage that teachers’ judgments of pupils’ abilities It follows from our discussion in section 1.5 that the central were rather inaccurate, mostly because they were biased against and immediate goal of intelligence research is highly pragmatic, children with disciplinary rather than intellectual problems. namely, to predict future success and failure. Thus the essence Today, we could think of similar examples in the workplace of intelligence theory is to describe, understand, and predict indi- and educational settings. When it comes to recruiting new staff vidual differences related to competition and adaptation. There may or students, it is better to focus on what individuals can actually be different abilities and individuals may be trained to develop do than on who they may know (e.g., references, recommenda- different skills. However, there will always be observable indi- tions, networking), what they “may” have done in the past (CVs vidual differences in performance, and those attributed to dif- typically exaggerate previous achievements), and which groups ferences in mental efficiency, use of verbal and non-verbal (e.g., gender, race, religion) they belong to. Moreover, critics information, and knowledge acquisition and retrieval are of IQ testing would probably accept that relying on a subjective believed to be the cause of performance differences across a wide interview (especially if it is unstructured) is by no means a better range of settings. alternative to IQ tests. Figure 1.6 depicts some of the most widely Critics of differential psychology, specifically those opposed to used predictors of performance in occupational and educational intelligence theory and research, have often argued that classify- settings. ing individuals in terms of their abilities or level of skills is over- Thus, the present book will deal, amongst other things, with simplistic and detrimental for both the individual and society, and the measurement of those individual differences identified as that IQ tests may be used to discriminate against people, particu- determinants of future success. Such differences are at the heart larly economically disadvantaged individuals. It is, however, clear of intelligence theories and measurement, and will be the focus of that such “discrimination” would be based on an empirical and chapters 5 and 6.....  PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 7 Introducing Individual Differences 7 IQ Biodata References Mother Father Future success Personality CV inventories Are similarities with our parents (e.g., personality, Son Interview intelligence) inherited or “acquired,” that is, learned? Daughter Are they genetically (nature) Which one works best? or environmentally (nurture) determined? Figure 1.6 Different predictors of future success (including IQ). Figure 1.7 Genetic and environmental determinants of individual differences. 1.7 BORN DIFFERENT? If the first and most spontaneous observation we make about or father. This is not merely a descriptive observation but also a ourselves is that we differ from one another, the hypothesis that causal inference attempting to explain an individual’s behavior. these differences may be inherited rather than acquired or However, even if there is a similarity between parents and chil- “learned” must come very close to third. Thus the second, albeit dren, it would be difficult to prove that the underlying processes often implicit, assumption is that we resemble our own parents leading to this causal relationship are purely related to genetic much more than those of others. This assumption is arguably factors. The question, then, is whether we are like our parents enhanced by the fact that individuals tend to be physically more because of shared genes or because they taught us to be like them alike if they are from the same family, though, as noted, physical (see Figure 1.7). similarities tend to be more noticeable than psychological ones. Brothers and sisters are not always alike, are they? Likewise, For example, it is more difficult to know whether a person is some people seem to be completely different from their parents. brighter than others than whether he/she is darker than others. Furthermore, some individuals are similar, but genetically unre- Whilst it is apparent that physical traits, such as ginger hair or lated, which makes it quite unreasonable to argue that the basis prominent cheekbones, may be the result of inherited genetic of individual differences is solely genetic. For example, adoptive information, psychological similarities may also arise from envir- children may be similar to their adoptive parents despite not shar- onmental influences, such as parental rearing, formal education, ing any genetic information. and relationships with friends. We are thus faced with a dual Although the implications of a biologically based theory of per- problem, namely (1) identifying psychological similarities sonality and intelligence are problematic, particularly with regard between members of the same family (for instance, in personality to education settings, serious research is needed to address the and intelligence) and (2) figuring out whether these similarities extent to which individual differences are inherited. If the first are the result of genes or mere exposure to the same environment. step of differential psychology is to identify the major aspects by Thanks to a combination of technological advances and the which people differ, the second must be to understand the causes meticulous efforts of gathering longitudinal data (i.e., multiple of these differences, i.e., where they arise. Indeed, the question of measures of the same group of individuals, termed a cohort, whether differences are inherited (through nature) or acquired across extended periods of time), in particular from twins, recent (through nurture) may represent the fundamental step towards years have seen unprecedented progress in the study of the bio- an understanding of individual differences. logical basis of individual differences, an area known as behavioral Unfortunately, findings on the heritability (the extent to which genetics. These findings are examined more closely in chapter 7. differences are due to genetic factors) of individual differences, As will be seen, there is compelling evidence for the idea that particularly intelligence, have not always been reported in an both personality and intelligence are influenced by genes; that is, objective, unbiased manner. Rather, the biological basis of indi- large aspects of our personalities and abilities are inherited (via vidual differences has often been exploited to justify discrimina- genes) from our parents and previous ancestors (grandparents, tory claims – typically, of one group’s superiority over another – great-grandparents, and so on). or, in other cases, refuted by the equally ideological claims of On the one hand, the resemblance between biological parents those attempting to persuade the public that “we are all the and their children is striking enough to be noticeable even for same,” at least when born. The truth, as we know it, is that laypeople. Thus it is often pointed out that someone is more people are different and nobody, not even identical twins, is born similar (psychologically as well as physically) to his/her mother the same as anyone else. More importantly, it should be noted.... PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 8 8 Introducing Individual Differences (and this will become clear in chapter 7) that even if there is Traditional intelligence (IQ) Novel intelligences (Beyond IQ) robust statistical evidence for the heritability of individual differ- ences, this does not imply that the environment (i.e., education, Good at: Good at: learning, rearing, nurture) has no influence on our personality Solving mathematical Relating to others or intelligence. On the contrary, identifying the degree to which problems. (social). traits are biologically influenced has helped us understand the Solving logical problems. Managing emotions degree to which nurture may influence individual differences. In (emotional). short, then, both views are not incompatible but complementary. Spatial ability tests. Knowing oneself (intrapersonal). In the same way that athletes may inherit a favorable condition for sports from their ancestors (such that a previous history of Expressing ideas verbally. Everday life problems (practical). exercise, good nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle in general may School and university exams. Gaining recognition lead to preliminary advantages), individuals may also inherit a (successful). specific physiological complexion that may predispose them to behave in certain ways more than others. Even if these processes Figure 1.8 A comparison between traditional and novel conceptions were clearly outlined, however, it does not imply that factors of intelligence. other than genes may not play a role in shaping these general behavioral tendencies, preferences, and abilities. Just as no person would ever become a professional athlete if potential to succeed in everyday settings seems to reflect the she remained locked in a room all her life (“waiting for the genes opinion of an increasing number of differential psychologists, and to do the work”), no person would ever be capable of solving even more laypeople. A typical example representing these “anti- mathematical problems if she had never been taught mathem- IQ” views is that of “distracted geniuses” or “nutty professors,” atics, even if her parents were geniuses in that discipline. Likewise, who are obviously intelligent in the traditional or academic sense no one would be able to play the piano if he had never seen a of the word but appear to lack the necessary social or emotional piano in his life, even if his father were Johann Sebastian Bach skills for behaving “intelligently” in everyday life (e.g., interacting (1685–1750), who counted five accomplished musicians among with others, being on time, catching the right bus). his children (and many who were not). To paraphrase a basic On the other hand, most people seem capable of quickly citing information technology metaphor, you may have the fastest several examples proving that low-IQ individuals or those who computer processor but few data stored on the hard drive, or, did badly at school can be extremely successful in their professions conversely, you may have a slow processor but invest the neces- or occupations. Sadly, these examples are often used to “console” sary time to store and load plenty of information on the hard individuals who have done poorly in school and carry implicit drive. The question of nature versus nurture thus does not messages such as “don’t worry if your grades are terrible because demand an “all-or-nothing,” “either/or” type of response but a something else is necessary to succeed in life.” Whilst nobody probabilistic estimate of the impact of one of a number of factors, would claim that IQ scores are the only indicator of a person’s as well as interactions among them. potential for future achievement, the literature has shown that they do work rather well, suggesting that intelligence does matter. Whether other abilities, such as the ability to relate to people, 1.8 OTHER ABILITIES manage emotions, control impulses, and make practical deci- sions, are more important is a challenging question. Unlike tradi- Whether or not the psychological causes of everyday behavior tional abilities, which refer to problems that are well defined and are inherited is certainly important, but another relevant question have single correct answers (for instance, the capital of England is is what kind of abilities should be considered essential. As will be London and only London; the next number in the series 200, 400, seen in chapters 5, 6, and 7, differential psychologists have tended 800 can only be 1,600), novel abilities seem more reliant on sub- to focus on abilities associated with school or university per- jective judgments and refer to ill-defined problems (see Figure 1.8). formance, such as verbal, mathematical, and logical abilities. For example: “What should I do to make my boss like me?” is Although one of psychology’s most compelling findings is that a question for which no correct answer can be identified, at least these apparently abstract and decontextualized abilities tend to not for all possible scenarios. Thus, even if the ability to influence predict performance on a wide range of tasks, in the last 20 years others is as important as the ability to solve mathematical prob- psychologists have devoted much attention to the identification lems, the question is how we can measure this ability and, having of other, less academic and more practical abilities. done so, whether it contributes to the prediction of performance Those who support the cause for the identification of novel beyond established IQ tests. These issues are discussed throughout intelligences tend to be critical of the meaning and usefulness of chapter 8. traditional ability measures such as IQ tests. Famous psycholo- gists, such as Gardner (1983), Goleman (1995), and Sternberg (1997), have all authored bestselling books against IQ tests, 1.9 VARIABILITY AND CHANGE: putting forward alternative “abilities” instead (in fact, their fame MOTIVATION AND MOOD STATES is largely a result of this enterprise). Although evidence for the predictive power of IQ tests is irrefutable (see chapters 5 and 6), Although differential psychology is largely based on the study the idea that not only academically able individuals have the of consistent patterns of behavior, that is, those aspects of the....  PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 9 Introducing Individual Differences 9 individual that characterize the way she usually behaves and make her different from others, it would be foolish to believe that Traits people always behave in the same manner. We are not robots or programmed computers who simply behave according to rigid, predetermined tendencies, and our responses to situations and the way we react to different envir- onmental stimuli (e.g., death of a friend, winning the lottery, listening to a “moving” song) may vary from time to time. Motivation Behavior Mood Furthermore, even in the absence of salient events, our mood and motivation fluctuate, leading us to act in very different ways. Let us examine the following examples: You wake up with a hangover after a late (and expensive!) night out. You have a headache and plan to sleep late because Situational it is your day off, but... your mother knocks on your door factors early in the morning to get you out of bed. Even if you are usually a kind, calm, and stable person, it is likely that you Figure 1.9 Traits, motivation, mood, and situational factors. will behave in an aggressive and rude manner. You are usually talkative and friendly and enjoy meeting others... but your boyfriend has just told you he has been sleeping with your best friend. Although you feel upset and annoyed, it is your birthday party and you have to make best an individual can do (Cronbach, 1949). Yet neither traits nor an effort to be a good host. Will you be looking forward to ability tests take into consideration the situational variables that chatting to friends and meeting new people? affect an individual’s behavior. Even when you are taking an IQ At school, the arts teacher shows pupils how to paint in the test or a university exam, your performance may not reflect your impressionist style; although none of the students has previ- “true” ability because you may be worried, anxious, or distracted ously been trained in this technique, some may be more by other thoughts. Likewise, the aggregated score represented talented than others and pick up the method more rapidly. by most personality traits will not explain and fully predict an On the other hand, some students are also more enthusiastic individual’s behavior. It is therefore important to consider con- than others, and seem to try harder, discontented with their textual factors when interpreting behavior, even if we are gener- performance until they match the high standards set by the ally accurate at predicting people’s behavior. teacher. Why are some pupils more enthusiastic than others, The effects of situational factors will be dealt with in chapter 9, and does their motivation vary from time to time? which is dedicated to the study of mood and motivation. Theories of motives, drive, and affect posit that, even though per- The above examples suggest that behavior can be affected sonality and intelligence are helpful in predicting individual by a number of factors other than psychological traits or difference outcomes, it is often necessary to interpret behavior abilities. Whilst it is important that differential psychology at the state rather than trait level. Thus not every expression clarify the major issues underlying differences between individuals, of behavior should be interpreted as a manifestation of a trait. we must also consider variations within individuals, which will Some behaviors are representative of traits whilst others are not, cause stable traits, and even abilities, to be poor predictors of and personality is a general, not an absolute, disposition to act in behavior. specific ways. Thus you may be a pretty relaxed and friendly person but still lose your temper when annoyed or in a bad mood. Traits such as Agreeableness and Psychoticism (see chapter 2) may inform 1.10 CREATIVITY us of a person’s typical level of aggressiveness but say little of his/her likelihood of reacting aggressively in a specific situation. The final chapters of this book deal with three constructs that Likewise, a person’s level of intelligence or ability to think logi- have remained relatively unexplored in the history of individual cally may be a poor predictor of performance if that person’s differences, particularly in comparison with personality and motivation or level of effort is low. Figure 1.9 represents the rela- abilities. These concepts are creativity, leadership, and interests tionship between stable traits and motivational and mood states and have a longstanding tradition in psychology, although they as predictors of behavior. Whereas motivation and mood are have also been considered outside individual difference research. influenced by trait variables, they are also affected by situational Below, I anticipate some of the salient issues concerning individual factors. Thus behavior is a consequence not only of internal differences in creativity. disposition as personality characteristics, but also of situational It has often been suggested that creativity plays an important factors. role in determining cultural and social landmarks. Why individuals In brief, personality traits are aggregated measures of behavioral feel the need to create and how they are able to do so are largely tendencies and refer to “typical” performance, whereas ability unaddressed questions. Thus differential psychologists have tried tests measure “maximal” performance and thus indicate the to understand:.... PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 10 10 Introducing Individual Differences a) Why some individuals are more creative than others. Instruction: You have one minute to b) How we can measure these differences. name all the things you could do with a chair. c) Whether it is possible to predict creative achievement. sit Two assumptions are generally made regarding individual dif- lock ? ferences in creativity. The first is that creativity is different from a door intelligence, implying that people may be bright but not creative, or creative but not bright. The second is that creativity involves ? hit certain personality characteristics, such as nonconformity or someone eccentricity, and even psychopathological traits, such as schizo- CHAIR typic thinking (see chapter 4). Thus it has often been pointed out stand that artists and geniuses tend to be psychologically disturbed in ? on it one way or another. Methodologically, the measurement of individual differences Can you Which think of burn it responses in creativity has posed an ongoing problem for psychometricians. ? more work (fire) are more Given that creativity is defined primarily in terms of novel and uses for out original original ideas, it is difficult to predetermine which responses are a chair? and why? better than others, not least because of individual differences in ratings of creative products. When critics told Mozart (1756–91) Figure 1.10 Fluency and originality as indicators of creativity or that one of his piano sonatas had “too many notes,” the composer creative responses. replied that it had “as many notes as it should.” Whilst Mozart enjoyed some fame in his lifetime, another artist, Vincent Van Gogh (1853–90), lived a poor, anonymous, and unsuccessful life, tortured by insanity and unable to deal with his contemporaries. producing, examining, and applying ideas, and it is within the Yet nobody today would think of telling Van Gogh that he should context of this “ideational storm” that great and original ideas are have added more water to his paint. created. An apple falling on the head of Isaac Newton (1642–1727) The examples of Mozart and Van Gogh – and there are many may have inspired him to conceptualize the theory of gravity, but more of course – show that creative outcomes, particularly would only have caused a bump on most people’s heads. within the arts, cannot be objectively assessed in the same way as cognitive performance or knowledge. On the other hand, per- sonality alone is not sufficient to explain creative achievements. 1.11 LEADING THE WAY The fact that several leading creators lived eccentric lives and behaved in unusual or abnormal ways does not explain the Another topic that has been historically associated with indi- quality of their work. Even if creative talent and “lunacy” may vidual differences is leadership, although leaders have been studied coexist, psychopathology does not cause exceptional creations. more frequently in social rather than in differential psychology, Besides, creativity should not be thought of merely as an artistic as well as in other social sciences such as politics, history, and concept, but may also be related to scientific discoveries as well economics. In recent years, differential psychologists seem to as everyday problem-solving. have rediscovered the construct of leadership and a variety of The relationship of personality and intelligence with creativity novel theories have emerged. is complex. Leaving this relationship aside for a moment, and Individual differences in leadership have been examined prim- assuming that creativity is predominantly independent of other arily in terms of leadership “emergence” (i.e., who becomes a established individual difference constructs, the two salient leader and why) and “effectiveness” (i.e., who leads successfully approaches that have marked the scientific approach to creativity and who does not). Because of its applied implications – leader- are fluency and originality. Fluency refers to the quantity of ideas ship plays a role in economic, organizational, educational, and or occurrences, whilst originality refers to the uniqueness of an political contexts – there has been widespread historical interest idea or response compared to the responses of a larger group or in predicting the emergence and effectiveness of leaders. This norm. When combined, both concepts can be expected to give a begs the question of whether leadership is more dependent on fairly good indicator of creativity, as inventive or creative indi- personal than on situational variables; in other words, are leaders viduals tend to have many as well as novel ideas. A common test born or made? For example, some people may have leadership of creativity requires individuals to “name all the things they can qualities within them but “miss” the historical opportunities or do with” an object (e.g., chair, stick, pen) and computes both the situational events to become leaders. total number of responses and the number of unique or original Another question is whether leadership may be dependent responses (see Figure 1.10 for an example). on specific domains, such that leaders may only be apt to guide To the extent that fluency and originality are related, we can others in some activities (e.g., football tournament, peace march, hypothesize that having many ideas is a requirement for having achieving economic stability) but not others (e.g., scientific the- new ideas. Thus creative individuals are not suddenly surprised ory, political reform, artistic movement). On the other hand, or inspired by the odd occasional idea but are permanently some theorists have preferred to regard leadership as a process of....  PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 11 Introducing Individual Differences 11 Motivational factors: ambition, self-belief, need for power Situational factors: group demands, “being there,” group recognition Leadership Personality factors: Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Stability Ability factors: IQ, verbal intelligence, domain-specific skills Figure 1.11 What explains leadership? influence and thus posit that there are no stable dispositions that to account for interactions between traits and contextual vari- are constitutive of leadership, but rather that there are simple ables. In chapter 11, a comprehensive review of leadership is relational paths between the leader and a group in a given presented with the goal of addressing these and other central situation. questions about leaders’ personality, influence methods, and Traditional approaches to leadership have supported the his- abilities. torical view of leaders as Great Men (see section 11.2.2), regarding them as individuals who stand out from the crowd because of their atypical personality attributes, beliefs, or skills. In that sense, 1.12 INTERESTS leadership may be an outcome of other individual difference con- structs. Whether individual difference research is able to predict The final chapter of this book deals with individual differences in leadership is questionable, as most studies consist of retrospective interests. This area of research attempts to explain vocational and examinations of leadership in relation to other personality or abil- career choices, often through a combination of ability and per- ity measures. However, some longitudinal studies shed light on sonality variables. Some have regarded interests as an essential the importance of various psychological factors as determinants aspect of individuals’ personality because interests affect indi- of leadership. As with many other areas of differential psycho- viduals’ motivation, skills, and knowledge acquisition. Measures logy, recent conceptualizations of leadership have attempted to of interests are thus important to predict real-life outcomes, such bridge the gap between situational and personal factors in order as educational or occupation performance. Why do different people have different interests? How can we measure these differences? What are the main types of interests? What makes some prefer maths to arts, or arts to politics? When are interests determined? Are interests “learned” or “inherited”? Do interests change throughout the lifespan? Are interests influenced by our intelligence and personality? Can interests influence people’s intelligence and personality? ? Figure 1.12 Some questions regarding individual differences in interests..... PAIC01 3/13/07 11:43 Page 12 12 Introducing Individual Differences One fundamental question concerns the stability of interests personalities, and much psychometric research has attempted to throughout the lifespan. Whereas an individual’s level of interest identify the major categories underlying individual differences in seems to fluctuate from time to time (as explained by mood and interests. Just as with leadership, recent theories of interests seem motivation research), his/her type of interests remains relatively particularly promising with regard to integrating different areas stable throughout the life course. Thus some people have of individual differences and putting them in context. Thus they scientific interests, such as math, chemistry, or biology, whereas provide a comprehensive and detailed picture of how situational others have humanistic interests, such as literature, fine arts, and and personal variables may converge to explain some of the most music. Classifying interests is almost as complex as classifying important aspects of individuality...