Chapter 14 - Trait and Biological Perspective

Question 1

Trait and Biological Perspective

Factor Analysis

Answer 1

• statistical technique that permits a researcher to reduce a large number of measures to a small number of clusters or factors
  
  • Factor of introversion includes not attending parties, enjoying solitary activities, etc.
• This systematic approach is used to define what Allport called “the building blocks of personality”

Question 2

Trait and Biological Perspective

Cattell’s Sixteen Personality Factors

Answer 2

• Raymond B. Cattell developed 16 basic behaviour clusters of personality
• Personifies the Nomothetic approach.
• He separated his traits into
  
  • Surface and Source Traits
• Surface traits are those traits that to a casual observer seem to go together
• Source Traits are the basic underlying structures that provide coherence to personality and explain behavior.
• Using Factor analysis, Cattell was able to initially reduce Allport’s 4,504 traits down to 171.
• Further research allowed him to reduce this even further to 36 traits to which he then added another 10 for a grand total of 46 Surface Traits.
• Factor Analysis of the responses of large numbers of subjects to the questions based upon the 46 surface traits led Cattell to propose 15 source traits.
• The results of this endeavour was the 16pf questionaire
• This is possibly the most widely employed personality questionaire ever developed.
• It has been used in many cultural settings, with many different people and reveals specific patterns on a number of dimensions

Question 3

Trait and Biological Perspective

Eysenck’s Extraversion-stability Model

Answer 3

• Hans Eysenck proposed two basic dimensions of personality
  
  • Introversion-Extraversion and Stability-Instability
  • Added third factor called Psychoticism (creativity, impulsivity, social deviance) – Self Control
  • Linked dimensions to differences in normal patterns of arousal in brain
    
    • Claimed introverts to be overaroused
• He added a third dimension to his theory of personality called Psychoticism-Self Control
• Eysenck’s model is a combined Type-Trait model
• He argues personality is hierarchical
• The lowest level consists of Specific responses which may or may not be characteristic
• Next level up are Habitual Responses
• Highest level is the TYPE which is based upon interrelationships among traits
• Like Cattell Eysenck also used a Nomothetic approach and developed the EPQ to facilitate measurement of large numbers of people.

Question 4

Trait and Biological Perspective

The Five Factor Model

Answer 4

Big Five factor model proposes that OCEAN are principle factors of personality

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extraversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

Question 5

Trait and Biological Perspective

Traits and Behaviour Prediction

Answer 5

• Personality traits interact with other traits as well as with characteristics of situations
• Situational consistency is influenced by the importance of a trait for the person
• High self-monitors act differently in different situations, while low self-monitors do not

Question 6

Trait and Biological Perspective

Biological Foundations of Personality Traits

Answer 6

• Although all the theorists we have examined assume that personality has a physiological basis only Eysenck has produced supporting evidence for the physiological bases of his personality types.
• The brains of extreme introverts are over-aroused, and the brains of extreme extroverts are under-aroused (Eysenck, 1967)
• Introverts are more responsive to punishment while Extroverts seem more responsive to rewards
• On a great number of characteristics, MZ twins are more similar than are DZ twins

Question 7

Trait and Biological Perspective

The Stability of Personality Traits

Stability

Answer 7

• Little stability of behaviour across situations
  
  • This makes it difficult to predict behaviour from personality traits
• Stability over time
  
  • There is good evidence for both stability of some traits and change in some traits over time
• Traits found to be both stable and changing
  
  • Introversion-extraversion, emotionality, and activity level are quite stable
  • Stability found in optimistic or pessimistic view to negative life events

Question 8

Trait and Biological Perspective

The Stability of Personality Traits

Three factors causing difficulty in predicting basis of personality traits’ relation to behaviour

Answer 8

• Traits interact with other traits and characteristics in different situations
• Degree of consistency across situations is influenced by how important a given trait is for a person
• People differ in tendency to tailor behaviour to what is called for by the situation
  
  • Self-monitoring – personality trait that reflects people’s tendencies to regulate social behaviour in accord with situational cues as opposed to internal values, attitudes, and needs

Question 9

Trait and Biological Perspective

Evaluating the Trait Approach

Answer 9

• Trait theorists have made an important contribution by focusing attention on the values of identifying, classifying, and measuring stable, enduring personality dispositions.
• The next crucial task for trait theorists is to understand how biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, and environmental factors combine to determine personality, and how these personality dispositions affect behaviour and well-being.

Question 10

Focus on Neuroscience

The Neuroscience of the Big Five

Answer 10

• Research from Deckerbach and colleagues show that in NEO-PI scores on the Neuroticism scales were correlated with activity in parts of the temporl lobe
• The measure of Extraversion was associated with activity within a specific region of the frontal cortex
• Imaging studies have shown that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is preferentially activated during tasks that require use of general intelligence
• Early results, however, suggest that each of the main dimensions of personality may have their own brain circuitry.