Chapter 9

Question 1

longitudinal study

Answer 1

follows group of people over extended time, advantage is comparing same people as they age rather than different people over various ages, disadvantage is cost and drop-outs (attrition), valid and reliable measures are important (correlation not causation)

Question 2

findings from longitudinal studies

Answer 2

correlation between type A personality and development of cardiovascular disease, having successful marriage and performing well in school/work, subtle correlates like smiling can predict life outcomes

Question 3

important note with personality and success

Answer 3

having good personality is more important for success at work than coming from well-off or educated family, even tiny variations can have significant effects and some aspects of personality can be changed

Question 4

child temperament

Answer 4

genetically based behavioral tendencies in young children, with age the temperament, follows physical development

Question 5

temperament and the big 5

Answer 5

many models of child temperament overlap with big 5 traits, by adolescence, personality traits more clearly resemble adult big 5

Question 6

child temperament with the big 5

Answer 6

positive affect (smiling/happy) => extraversion
Affiliativeness (liking being around others) => agreeableness
effortful control (behavior control) => conscientiousness
negative affect (crying/sad) => neuroticism
orienting sensitivity (alertness) => openness

Question 7

what does the marshmallow experiment test

Answer 7

effortful control

Question 8

child temperament turning into adult personality strength

Answer 8

stronger with some traits than others, like under controlled kids are lower in conscientiousness so more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol

Question 9

childhood and control

Answer 9

develop better control of emotions and actions as mature, become more inhibited so can control impulses, especially between 4-9 years, relates to higher conscientiousness and important to functioning in society

Question 10

key development in adolescence

Answer 10

increased understanding of intellectual and abstract ideas, so better understanding of ideas/concepts that are intangible, openness increases from 11-18, conscientiousness and agreeableness increase

Question 11

self-esteem during childhood and adolescence

Answer 11

moderate in elementary school, dips in early teens, increases in high school and young adult, girls self-esteem increases slower than boys

Question 12

stages of life overall

Answer 12

infant 0-12 months
toddler 1-2 yrs
preschooler 2-4 yrs
school aged child 5-10 yrs
early adolescence 11-13 yrs
middle adolescence 12-16 yrs
late adolescence 17-18 yrs
young/emerging adulthood 18-29 yrs
middle adulthood 20-59 yrs
older adulthood 60+ yrs

Question 13

Birth order and personality

Answer 13

birth order only has small effect, more about roles taken on in family dynamic

Question 14

firstborn personality

Answer 14

higher conscientiousness and neuroticism, more dominant/bossy

Question 15

middleborn personality

Answer 15

lower in conscientiousness

Question 16

younger personality

Answer 16

higher in openness, more reckless/impulsive, higher agreeableness

Question 17

only children personality

Answer 17

better relationships with parents

Question 18

big 5 changes from young adult to old age

Answer 18

personality mellows as get older, less neurotic and more conscientious, increase in assertiveness (facet of extraversion), self esteem decreases after 60s because of loss of loved ones and career, narcissism decreases, patterns could be due to generational differences

Question 19

impact of life events on personality “quantum change” or radical personality change

Answer 19

infrequent, entering full-time workforce increases conscientiousness for those who work rather than go to college (college-goers do catch up), successful career leads to more confidence, dominance, norm-adherence, less neuroticism

Question 20

personality and romantic relationships

Answer 20

young adults in long term relationships increase in conscientiousness and self-esteem, decrease in neuroticism - similar pattern for older people with Erik Erikson and intimacy vs. social isolation

Question 21

Erikson Infancy, 0-1.5 yrs

Answer 21

trust vs. mistrust, trusting others means higher agreeableness and extraversion, lower trust means lower of those two

Question 22

Erikson’s early childhood, 1.5-3 yrs

Answer 22

autonomy vs. shame, autonomy means higher self-efficacy and independence, higher openness and lower neuroticism, higher shame means lower self-esteem, interdependence, lower extraversion and higher neuroticism

Question 23

Erikson’s preschool 3-5 yrs

Answer 23

higher self-efficacy and independence, higher openness, lower neuroticism, guilt leading to lower self-esteem and interdependence, lower extraversion, neuroticism

Question 24

Erikson’s school age

Answer 24

industry vs. inferiority, industry leads to higher self-efficacy, independence, openness, lower neuroticism, inferiority means lower self-esteem, interdependence, lower extraversion, higher neuroticism

Question 25

Erikson’s adolescence 12-18

Answer 25

ego identity vs. role confusion, finding who we are, what groups we belong to

Question 26

Erikson’s young adulthood 18-40

Answer 26

intimacy vs. isolation, close deep relationships, vulnerability (which is hard for those without industry), isolation makes not close relationships so difficulty socializing and connecting

Question 27

Erikson’s middle adulthood 20-65

Answer 27

generativity vs. stagnation, leaving a legacy for the future, not contributing can make people feel stuck and without goals

Question 28

Erikson’s older adulthood 65+

Answer 28

ego integrity vs. despair, find ways to maintain identity with changes in functioning, despair if lose identity roles and feel empty/lost

Question 29

significant life experiences and social investment theory: becoming a parent

Answer 29

adults with 2+ children increase in neuroticism over time, becoming a father magnifies preexisting tendencies in men’s sociability, few differences in personality traits

Question 30

note about significant life events and personality

Answer 30

negative/positive events affect people differently, personality traits can predict experiences and effects depend on perception, some very negative events can change personality, but personality is more likely to predict events