7 - Eysenck's PEN Theory Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in 7 - Eysenck's PEN Theory Deck (42)
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1
Q

Why are personality psychology and everyday human observation similar?

A

both seek to characterize people using similar kinds of terms

2
Q

What are some considerations for the trait approach?

A
  • almost all research within the trait approach relies on correlational designs
  • it focuses exclusively on individual differences (trait measurements are made on ordinal rather than ratio scales)
  • it is meaningful and useful to assess broad categories of individual differences
  • personality traits affect life outcomes that matter to people
3
Q

Why is there a certain inconsistency in relation to traits?

A
  • personality traits are not the only factors that control an individual’s behaviour
  • situations vary according to the people who are present and the implicit rules that apply
  • people differ from each other in the degree to which they have developed a consistent personality
  • this difference might be related to psychological adjustment as well as age
4
Q

What are the three parts of the situationist argument?

A
  • predictability = there is an upper limit to how well one can predict what a person will do based on any measurement of that person’s personality; this upper limit is a low upper limit
  • the power of the situation = situations are more important than personality traits in determining behaviour
  • erroneous perceptions = everyday intuitions about people are fundamentally flawed; people commit the fundamental attribution error
5
Q

What is the situationist argument for predictability?

A

there is no trait that you can use to predict someone’s behaviour with enough accuracy to be useful

6
Q

What is the personality response to the situationist argument for predictability?

A
  • unfair literature review
  • we can do better = the .40 upper limit is a result of poor or less than optimal research methodology
  • a correlation of .40 is not small
7
Q

Why is the 0.40 upper limit a result of poor research methodology?

A
  • personality is more likely to be relevant in real situations
  • some people are more consistent than others
  • some behaviours might be more consistent than others
  • should be a focus on general behavioural trends instead of single actions
8
Q

What is an absolute standard?

A

how many correct and incorrect predictions of behaviour a trait measurement would yield in a hypothetical context

9
Q

What is a relative standard?

A

compare the degree of predictability with the accuracy of other methods used to predict behaviour

10
Q

What is the situationist argument for the power of the situation?

A
  • data is collected from studies in experimental social psychology
  • the concept of personality trait involves individual differences that are maintained across situations, not how much a behaviour is performed
  • as the effect of the situation gets stronger, the effect of the person tends to get weaker
11
Q

What is the situationist argument for erroneous perceptions?

A

the approximate - 18,000 trait terms in the English language came about because ideas about personality traits are important
- people are psychologically different, and it is important and interesting to note how

12
Q

When are personality variables important, and when are situational variables important?

A
  • situational variables are relevant to how people will act under specific circumstances
  • personality traits are better for describing how people will act in general
13
Q

What is interactionism?

A
  • aspects of personality and of situations work together to determine behaviour; neither has an effect by itself, nor is one more important than the other
14
Q

How do values relate to the person-situation debate?

A
  • a situationist view implies that people are free to do whatever they want
  • this implies that nothing we do is ever really our fault
  • a personality view implies that an individual might be able to develop a consistent identity and personal style that allows them to transcend the moment
15
Q

What are the methods to connect traits with behaviour?

A
  • single-trait approach
  • many-trait approach
  • essential-trait approach
  • typological approach
16
Q

What are high self monitors?

A
  • those who vary in their inner and outer selves and in how they perform in different settings
  • carefully survey every situation looking for cues, and then adjust their behaviour accordingly
17
Q

What are low self monitors?

A
  • largely the same outside as they are inside, and do not vary much from one setting to another
  • behaviour is guided by their inner personality
18
Q

What is narcissism?

A
  • excessive self-love
  • seek to defend an unrealistically inflated self-concept
  • in its normal range, it may have its pros and cons
  • extremes can be considered a personality disorder
19
Q

What is the California Q-set?

A
  • list of 100 personality traits
  • Q-set is a set of items
  • Q-sort is the resulting arrangement
20
Q

What does the many-trait approach say about word use?

A
  • the use of words as implications for personality
  • people who used a relatively large number of certainty words were described as intelligent, verbally fluent, ambitious, and generous
21
Q

What does the many-trait approach say about depression?

A
  • women may be at risk for depression when they are overcontrolled
  • for young men, the risk factor is being undercontrolled
22
Q

What does the many-trait approach say about political orientation?

A
  • authoritarians = uncooperative, inflexible, obey authority, fewer positive emotions, stem from an attempt to lessen fears
  • liberals = motivated by a desire for a wide range of gratifications soon
  • could also be a result of parental outlook and genetics
23
Q

What is the block theory?

A
  • two essential characteristics of personality = ego resilience (psychological adjustment) and ego control (impulse control)
  • high in ego-control = overcontrolled, inhibit their impulses
  • low in ego-control = undercontrolled, more prone to immediately act on their impulses
  • high in ego resilience = adjust their level of control from high to low and back again as circumstances warrant
24
Q

What is Tellegan’s theory?

A
  • updated Eysenck’s theory

- superfactors = positive emotionality, negative emotionality, constraint

25
Q

What are the misgivings of trait approaches?

A
  • the structure of personality traits across many individuals is not the same thing as the structure of personality as it resides within a person
  • important differences between people are not just quantitative but qualitative
26
Q

What are the Caspi types?

A
  • well-adjusted = adaptable, flexible, resourceful, interpersonally successful
  • maladjusted overcontrolling = too uptight for their own good, denying themselves pleasure needlessly, and being difficult to deal with at an interpersonal level
  • maladjusted undercontrolling = too impulsive, prone to be involved in activities such as crime and unsafe sex, tend to wreak general havoc on other people and themselves
27
Q

How does Eysenck describe personality?

A
  • hierarchy of constructs
  • acts = physical movements, individual cognitions
  • habits = patterns of correlated acts
  • traits = sets of intercorrelated habits
  • factors = set of intercorrelated traits
28
Q

How is Eysenck’s hierarchy organized?

A
  • move from the most experiential to the most genetically determined aspects of personality
  • habits and acts = influenced by learning
  • traits and factors = influenced by genetics
  • genes condition the learning that takes place
  • the hierarchy develops top down
29
Q

What are the PEN dimensions?

A
  • extroversion - introversion
  • neuroticism - stability
  • psychoticism - ego control
30
Q

How does Eysenck describe extroversion?

A
  • characteristics = sociability, activity, assertiveness, sensation-seeking, dominance, venturesomeness, carefreeness
31
Q

How does Eysenck describe neuroticism?

A
  • characteristics = anxiousness, depression, low self-esteem, shyness, moodiness, tenseness, irrationality, emotionality
  • orthogonal to the extroversion - introversion scale
32
Q

How does Eysenck describe psychoticism?

A
  • characteristics = aggressiveness, coldness, egocentricity, impulsivity, antisociality, unempathetic, tough-mindedness, creativity
33
Q

How do the PEN dimensions relate to the four humours?

A
  • sanguine = stable extrovert
  • phlegmatic = stable introvert
  • choleric = neurotic extrovert
  • melancholic = neurotic introvert
34
Q

What are Eysenck’s personality tests?

A
  • Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) = measures only extraversion and neuroticism, 57 questions
  • Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) = measures all factors, 90 items
35
Q

What is Eysenck’s explanation for extroversion-introversion?

A
  • differences in the degree of cortical arousal
  • Eysenck believed that this was genetically determined
  • for optimal efficiency, we have to be at the right level of arousal
  • the reticular activating system (RAS) sends nerve impulses to the cortex to arouse it
36
Q

What is the biological basis for extroverts?

A
  • cortex is chronically underaroused and needs more stimulation
  • person seeks additional external stimulation

Characteristics

  • excitation develops slowly and is weak
  • reactive inhibition develops quickly and is strong
  • somatic symptoms = physical ailments
  • antisocial behaviours = harmful to others
37
Q

What is the biological basis for introverts?

A
  • cortex is chronically overaroused and needs less stimulation
  • person reduces the number or intensity of external stimuli

Characteristics

  • excitation develops quickly and is strong
  • reactive inhibition develops slowly and is weak
  • anxiety, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder
38
Q

What are the research findings for introverts and extroverts?

A
  • introverts = faster pupillary contraction, slower dilation
  • extroverts = require lower levels of sedation to reach sedation threshold
  • introverts = prefer lower levels of stimulation when learning
  • extroverts = higher pain tolerance than introverts
  • introverts = learn more quickly, forget more slowly
39
Q

What is Eysenck’s explanation for neuroticism - ego stability

A
  • genetic difference in the arousability of the autonomic
  • neurotic = low threshold for activation
  • stable = high threshold for activation
40
Q

What are the characteristics of a highly stable individual?

A
  • need an event of considerable magnitude for the ANS to activate
  • when they do respond, it is a small emotional response
41
Q

What are the characteristics of a highly neurotic individual?

A
  • a stimulus that sets off a small response in a highly stable individual will set off a large response in a neurotic individual
  • experience frequent emotional responses that are stronger
  • personality disorders (anxiety, depression) = learn relationship between stimuli and exhibit a high emotional response
42
Q

What is Eysenck’s explanation for psychoticism - ego control?

A
  • psychoticism is associated with high levels of testosterone
  • psychoticism is associated with low levels of monoamine oxidase (MAO)
  • MAO is found in synapses, and breaks down monoamine neurotransmitters, limiting activity in the nervous system
  • MAO levels negatively correlated with impulsivity
  • MAO levels negatively correlated with aggressiveness