PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings PDF

PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings With respect to readings: read entire papers Create questions with the titles and subtitles of sections Identify key terms or finding of each section Familiarize se...

PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings With respect to readings: read entire papers Create questions with the titles and subtitles of sections Identify key terms or finding of each section Familiarize self with theories or theoretical terms and bolded/italicized terms Study figures and tables Do not need to remember names of researchers who conducted idiosyncratic studies or dates Do not need to memorize details of methods, data analyses, or stats presented in readings; but you need to be able to interpret statistics and discuss trends and patterns small vs large relationship between variables similarities vs differences between groups Power of Personality Introduction Focus on 3 domains: 1. Longevity/mortality 2. Divorce 3. Occupational attainment in work Used the gold standard of prospective longitudinal studies: studies that provide data about whether personality traits predict life outcomes above and beyond well-known factors such as SES and IQ The “Personality Coefficient” PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings 1  OG Critique: Walter Mischel states that personality traits have limited utility in predicting behaviour because the correlation appeared to be about.30 (the personality coefficient) 1. Personality traits have little predictive validity Personality trait is seen as validity weaklings of the predictive panoply Meyers et al. tabled the effect sizes, and placed them side-by-side to effect sizes medicine and everyday life. 1. Modal effect size in psychology is.10 to.40; meaning effect sizes tend to be modest. 2. Largest effects for any variables is.50 to.60, which is rare. 3. Effect sizes for assessment measures and therapeutic interventions in psychology are similar to those found in medicine. a. small correlations have very practical implications when we see it through the eyes of medicine. i. aspirin to treat heart diseases or chemotherapy to treat breast cancer =.02/.03 In terms of cumulative effects: small effect in someone’s life can have monumental consequences of their life in the future. 2. Other factors, such as situation, must be responsible for vast amounts of variance that are left unaccounted for. When effect of situations are converted into the same metrics used in personality research, effects of personality traits are generally as strong as effects of situations. So, both person and situation are necessary for explaining human behaviour. Personality effects on Mortality, Divorce, and Occupational attainment Reasoning for Process Used these three factors to provide the most stringent test of the predictive validity of personality traits. Chosen because they are socially valued, measured in similar ways, have been assessed in outcomes of studies on SES, cognitive ability and personality traits. PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings 2  Why they chose them: Mortality: most individuals value a long life Divorce/Marital stability: happy marriage is one of the most important predictors of life satisfaction can preserve cognitive function in old age. divorce is a significant source of depression for most, and undermine men’s health. Also linked to disproportional drops in economic status (especially for women. Educational/Occupational attainment: highly prized. both are associated with greater access to many resources that improve QOL with greater “social capital” may enable stronger life satisfaction, even in face of difficult life circumstances They compared SES and cognitive ability with the effect sizes of personality traits. Both widely accepted as predictors of longevity and occupational success. Also attempted to control for background variables If personality traits are found to predict the 3 domains, and are found to be robust, it can invited more questions. Measurement of Effect Sizes In studies of continuous outcomes — typically reported as standardized regression weights/beta coefficients In studies of categorical outcomes — ratio statistics In individual differences: Quantifies the likelihood of an event for a higher scoring groups vs the likelihood of the same event occurring for a lower scoring group. 1.0 = no difference in odds or probabilities +1.0 = increased likelihood for experimental group 0.38). Pharmacological therapies showed smaller effects (d = 0.31) PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings 19  Hospitalization had the smallest effects (d = 0.16). Emotional stability improved across all therapy types. Does Type of Presenting Problem in Clinical Studies Matter? Greatest changes were seen in patients with anxiety (d = 0.54) and personality disorders (d = 0.53). Smaller changes occurred in patients with eating disorders (d = 0.24) and substance use disorders (d = 0.22). Depression-related changes were moderate (d = 0.36). Focusing on Changes in Emotional Stability The analyses was only limited to the domain of emotional stability CBT (d =.73), supportive therapy, and mixed therapies were most effective for changes in emotional stability even Hospitalization showed a robust association, d =.35; but still a little less than the others How Long Does an Intervention Have to be to Change Personality? Changes persisted beyond therapy, with follow-up studies showing no significant decline in effect sizes over time. Immediate post-treatment effect: d = 0.34. 6-12 months post-treatment: d ≈ 0.46. Over 1 year post-treatment: d = 0.37. Ancillary Moderators ancillary moderators: factors that might influence the extent of personality trait change but are not the primary focus of the interventions. PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings 20  1. Duration of Intervention: Longer interventions were hypothesized to lead to greater personality changes. Most studies tracked changes over 12–15 weeks, with some lasting up to 24 weeks or longer. 2. Participant Characteristics: Mean Age Personality trait change did not vary significantly by participant age. This suggests that personality traits can be modified across different life stages, from young adulthood to older age. Gender Composition The gender composition of samples (average 63.4% female) did not strongly moderate personality change. This implies that both men and women experience similar levels of trait change through intervention. Eating disorder effect sizes were omitted because the studies were almost entirely female. 3. Year of Publication: More recent studies tended to show slightly smaller effect sizes compared to older studies, potentially due to improved methodological rigor in newer research. Despite this, the overall pattern of results remained consistent across time. 4. Measurement Tools: Changes in personality traits were observed across a variety of measurement tools, but the sensitivity of certain inventories (e.g., Big Five measures) may have influenced results. Some older tools focused on blended traits (e.g., emotional stability and extraversion combined), which might have introduced variability. 5. Follow-Up Intervals: PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings 21  Personality changes were generally long-lasting, with no significant decline in effect sizes over time. Effect sizes immediately post-treatment were d=0.34, but remained significant at: 6 months: d=0.48. 12 months: d=0.46. 1 year or longer: d=0.37. This supports the cause-correction hypothesis, showing that interventions produce enduring changes in personality traits rather than short-term state changes. Discussion Interventions cause changes in personality trait ratings over short-run. It’s possible that clinicians may be returning people the baseline before their episode of psychopathology. But this would be impossible to acquire. Emotional stability is most responsive to change, especially in therapies targeting anxiety and depression. The findings challenge assumptions that traits require years to change, showing they can shift substantially in weeks or months. However, future studies need to assess on a more regular basis to capture when and how change occurs. Can be down through the incremental model and the “punctuated equilibrium” Potential Moderators of Personality Trait Change The domain of the trait itself is a moderator Clinical interventions largely target alleviating negative affect, imparting more change on these two domains. PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings 22  The specifcity of therapy though is good, as having all traits improve would more likely reflect self-presentation or the possibility of a global positivity effect of therapy. Type of therapy being used and Presenting problem being treated therapy appears to lead to improvement regardless of what therapy. Personality disorders, often considered untreatable, showed the most change! In terms of emotional stability, all psychopathology showed positive changes in personality traits. Age Age effect was not apparent, supporting the plasticity of personality across the life course. Means personality is an open system and amendable to change. PSYC 305 Midterm 1 Readings 23