Big 5 Flashcards

1
Q

Five Factor model and the Big 5 both argue which 5 traits make up both models?

A

Neuroticism Emotional stability (Big 5)
Extraversion
Openness
Conscientiousness
Agreeableness

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2
Q

FFM and Big 5: Same Analyses
Both models are heavily reliant on Exploratory factor analysis
Explain factor analysis:

A

Statistical approach to go from lots of individual item responses to shared dimensions based on shared variance

Both FFM and Big Five scales converge on a five-factor structure
Findings are then used to create subscales/ subscores for each trait.

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3
Q

What are Factor loadings?

A

You run factor analysis:

It is the extent to which the items fit onto a latent factor
Range from -1 to 1
All PGSI items load very highly onto single factor.

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3
Q

Name the 5 domains for the Big 5:
(Lexical approach)

Lewis R Goldberg

A

Emotional stability
Calm, relaxed, stable, at ease, contented, unemotional, not envious

Extraversion
Extraverted, energetic, talkative, bold, active, assertive, adventurous

Intellect
Intelligent, analytical, reflective, curious, imaginative, creative

Agreeableness
Warm, kind, cooperative, unselfish, agreeable, trustful, generous

Conscientiousness
Organized, responsible,hardworking

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4
Q

Name the 5 domains for the Five Factor model:
FFM (questionnaire items)

Paul T Costa Jnr
Robert R McCrae

A

Neuroticism
Anxiety, anger, depression, self-consciousness, impulsivity, vulnerability

Extraversion
Warmth, activity, excitement seeking, positive emotions

Openness
Fantasy, Aesthetics, feelings, actions, ideas, values

Agreeableness
Trust, straightforwardness

Conscientiousness
Competence, order, achievement striving, self-discipline,
goal driven

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5
Q

Differences in FFM and Big 5:

A

Structure
Trait hierarchy (FFM) or no hierarchy (Big 5)

Trait: Neuroticism
Facets: Anxiety, anger, depression, self-consciousness, impulsivity, vulnerability

FFM makes greater assumptions about behaviour and personality:
It makes a specific claim in which direction you go from trait to personality

FFM states that its origination is genetic biologically determined behaviour
Domains lead to facets lead to behaviour

Big 5 only sates domains, limited to a description

But in practice they are used interchanagely

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6
Q

Differences of measurement of FFm and Big 5:
Questionaires:

A

FFM
Via questionnaire items designed to reflect the casual role in behaviour at the facet levels
6 facets underlie each of the domains
‘I am easily frightened’,
‘I rarely feel fearful of anxious’

Big 5
Via adjectives
Calm, agreeable
more specific and detailed

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7
Q

Differences in Empirical basis of FFM and Big 5:

Lexical approach- subset of adjectives from the dictionary chosen by P to determine their trait

A

Big 5: Lexical approach
Natural language used to identify personality traits
Bottom up, originates from Galton

FFM: Personality theory
Questionnaires designed to tap into behaviours
Influenced by Eysenck, Cattell, Jung
But lack of sufficiently comprehensive model (McCrae & John, 1992)

synthesis of different approaches

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8
Q

Differences in the causality of FFM and Big 5:
(Hierarchical structure)

A

Causality
FFM
States how traits influence and cause behaviour via genetics

Big 5
No formal causal statement. They just represent natural language.
Not about how behaviour occurs but just that it occurs

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9
Q

Differences in the origins of FFM and Big 5:

A

Biology (FFM) – genetic, neurology, evolution
Traits are derived from biological (neurological) process,
that have a genetic basis and are stable over time and across cultures (human universal)

Natural Language (Big 5)
Evolved a rich corpus of adjectives we use to describe our own and others’ behaviour.
Analysis of this should describe the main domain of personality
Does not make the same strength claims universality compared to FFM

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10
Q

What are the 5 differences between the FFM and the Big 5

A

FFM- biological trait theory Big 5- Descriptive model

Structure
Hierarchy (domains & facets) No trait hierarchy

Measurement
Questions Adjectives

Causality
Traits ‘cause’ behaviour No causal claims

Origins
Biology Natural Language

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11
Q

Claim 1:

Five Factors/Domain are present in both adjectives and questionnaire items

Results of Five Factor Model Structure:

A

Results:
Consistently across studies adjectives load on to 5 domains and the FFM facets onto their target 5 domains

Neuroticism

Extraversion

Openness

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

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12
Q

Universal Features of Personality Traits From the Observer’s Perspective: Data From 50 Cultures.

McCrae, Robert; Terracciano, Antonio

A

Most hypotheses from FFM load on to the personality traits:

eg. Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism

Greater than .3 indicates that the facet is a marker of the domain.

Eg. anxiety is a marker for Neuroticism
but not any of the other FFM domains
However, impulsiveness was .4 (doesn’t fit needly on any personality trait/ multiple)

Between cultures was very high, suggests it does not vary accross different cultures

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12
Q

Source: Bainbridge et al (2022), found that lots of other traits also map onto the FFM/Big Five domains.

A

All of the individual differences can be explained in the FFM in the personality structure

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13
Q

Which is a better model of personality
In relation to psychoticism between
FFM and PEN model Costa & McCrae (1995)?

A

Psychoticism is sensitive to very high-level disorders only

(Eg. people who commit antisocial and socially unacceptable behaviour)

The FFM explains that we should better represent Psychoticism in perms of Agreeableness and Conscientious
LOW agreeableness low conscientious = P

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14
Q

Claim 2: FFM has a biological basis of?

A

1.Behavioural genetics
2. Molecular Genetics
3. Neurological Structures

14
Q

Behavioural Genetics:

How were Twin Studies used? to estimate the degree of genetic and environmental influence on a trait

A

They were used to estimate the degree of genetic and environmental influence on a trait

Results:
E = .57 (G) .00 (S) & .44 (N)
A = .51 (G) .00 (S) & .49 (N)
C = .52 (G) .00 (S) & .48 (N)
N = .58 (G) .00 (S) & .42 (N)
O = .56 (G) .00 (S) & .44 (N)
Where G = genetic, S = shared environment and N, non-shared environment
Even recent studies using more elaborate designs, have found effect of S small, if not zero (Hahn et al., 2012)

15
Q

Molecular Genetics:
Genome-Wide Associations Studies (GWAS)

A

Examine the whole genome and look for associations with genes – exploratory analysis.

Need extremely large sample sizes

Multiple comparison rate is extremely high

Corrected p-value needs to be very small (to -log 10)

Any association found needs to be replicated and examined in targeted studies

16
Q

Genome-Wide Associations with the FFM
Terracciano et al (2010)

A
17
Q

Neuroscience of personality:
While there is a genetic component to traits
Genes -> Brain -> Behaviour

Research has focused on which 2 brain neuroscientific methods?

A

Structural MRI: Show that traits are associated with brain regions associated with the behaviours linked to that trait

Functional MRI: Show that brain activity on a tasks varies as a function of a trait

17
Q

Genome-Wide Associations with the FFM
Terracciano et al (2010)

A

Face value it looks like candidate genes are meaninful but research …
N (SNAP25 – rs362584)
Region linked to ADHD and psychiatric disorder
E (CHD13 & CHD23)
(Calcuim dependent adhesion genes) – 13 – Heart and 23 = neuro-sensory
O (CNTNAP2 – re10251794)
Linked to autism and complex schizophrenia phenotype
A (CLOCK– encode for circadian rhythms)
A is linked to morningness
C (DYRK1A0)
Linked to Alzheimers and Downs Syndrome

18
Q

Structural MRI of the FFMDeYoung et al (2010) found:

A

Suggests there is a structural basis for our personality

19
Q

Claim 3: Should be Observed Universally

A

FFM should be culturally universal, and thats what the findings were from

Universal Features of Personality Traits From the Observer’s Perspective: Data From 50 Cultures.
McCrae, Robert; Terracciano, Antonio

Suggesting similarity

20
Q

Claim 4: Should show Temporal Stability

A

Given that this approach has a biological origin,
this should be relatively fixed

Despite the systematic changes that occur across our life span as we age

eg, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness become more prominent in older people (more friendly, talkative)

21
Q

Stability: Set like Plaster? Srivastava et al. (2003)

Recorded people’s personality throughout their lifespan
What were the findings?

A

The four people A, B, C & D are assessed on a trait at 3 time points.

Although you have systematic shifts, the order does not change as much consistency is kept

They all increase in score at each time point

However, at each time point they have the same relative rank, D is always higher than C, C higher than B and B higher than A

22
Q

Research examining the FFM in the Tsimane are
forager-horticulturalist in lowland Bolivia
Live in extended family clusters (villages of 30 to 500)

What were the issues?

A

They used the Big 5 measure (Big Five Inventory)
instead of the FFM measure when they were measuring for FFM

Found No evidence for the FFM
Low Reliability
No stable factor structure

Deary (1996)
Re-analysed the data from 1915 pre-Big 5 (no selection bias)
Is the Big Five observed similarly over time
Found; these were better represented as distinct traits
Agreeableness was not the same as it was in 1950
-showing Temporal stability

22
Q

The WEIRD Problem?
Is the FFM culturally universal?

A

Papers used in journals tend to be Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) (Henrich et al., 2010).
American college students

These samples are seen as an effective analogue to generalise to anyone which is incorrect
showing mainstream psychology is very narrow

All samples across different cointries/ cultures have elements of WEIRD samples

If it true Universal we should see the FFM in preliterate, hunter-gather tribes

22
Q

– What are some of the problems with using factor analysis to determine personality that Block (1995) determined?

A

Adjectives selected to fit the model
You get out of a factor analysis what you put in.
If you select items or adjectives to reflect five factors, that is what you’ll see

Ones that don’t fit the model are removed.
If an analysis doesn’t fit onto a certain factor, psychologists exclude it!

Items not loading onto factor does not equal unimportance.

23
Q

What did Digman (1997) argue the Big Five factors highly correlated and instead should propose?

A

Instead proposes two superfactors (alpha and beta)
Alpha = A, C, ES (reverse of N) - socialisation
Beta = E, O – personal expression/restriction

24
Q

A03 Evaluation:
What does it mean when These models ( FFM/Big Five) are based on Exploratory analysis?

Disadvantage to FFM?

Disadvantages to Big 5?

A

FFM/Big Five are based on exploratory factor analysis,
where the factors are rotated to ensure five factors are separate (orthogonal)

When these are tested with the researcher specifying which items belong onto certain factors in a confirmatory factor analysis, five factor models do not fit as well!

BUT… McCrae et al (1996) argue CFA models too restrictive in specification, and items correlated due to self-report
Studies using more powerful methods (e.g. Marsh et al, 2010) suggest this is because the factors are correlated

Lack of biological mechanism behind Big Five.
However, papers to try and explain this have been worked on since

25
Q

Critiques of FFM: Neural bases

A

We can detect task-related differences via
Multiple comparisons

Detection of individual differences is difficult due to
Confounding factors (movements, vascular responses)
Multiple comparisons in brain-wide association studies (BWAS)

Controlling for P vales on these tests are very important

Alot of the research is descriptive rather than mechanic
doesnt really tell us why only what

26
Q

Critiques of FFM: Neural bases
Allen et al (2022) – Argued current neuroimaging studies are descriptive rather than mechanistic.

Nam the possible solution

A

Exploratory in nature – no hypotheses
Non-specific results and overlapping correlations
No behavioural manipulations

Possible solutions:
reliance on rich description, strong theories, large samples, and careful behavioural experimentation.