Lecture 2 - Measuring Personality Flashcards
(16 cards)
How can we study covariance patterns?
- Take a large list of trait words in a language
- Find the correlations between all the words (words = items)
- Items that correlate together constitute a factor -> Use a method to calculate Principal Components
- Try to arrive at a structure of 5 to 7
What structures have been derived through the above method?
The 5-factor structure
What are some common observations through these lexical studies on covariance patterns?
- We often find 5 (maximum 7) factors/components in lexical studies across the world
- Why is there covariance between some traits?
- Why is there persistence? (consistency across time)
- Why is there pervasiveness? (Consistency across situations)
What are different ways to interpret covariance structures?
- Trait realism
- Situationism
- Network Stability
- The self as an actor
What is the main idea behind trait realism and temperament?
This idea defines a trait as an
inferred (innately obtained) organismic (psychological, psychobiological) structure
underlying an extended family of behavioral dispositions. These
dispositions aren’t viewed as generalized action tendencies, but as inclinations to
behave in certain ways in a set of
trait-relevant situations
What are the 3 traits in the Big 3 Questionnaire?
(Big 3 Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire)
Positive Emotionality:
- Well-being (Wb)
- Social closeness (Sc)
- Achievement (Ac)
- Social Potency (Sp)
Negative Emotionality:
- Stress reactivity (Sr)
- Alienation (Al)
- Aggression (Ag)
Constraint:
- Harm Avoidance (Ha)
- Control (Co)
- Traditionalism (Tr)
(And separate from the 3 traits there’s also the item of Absorption (Ab))
Mechanism of trait realism
- Biopsychological system -> Trait 1 -> Different lexical words to characterize a person
(See slide page 16)
What is the Temperamental Big 3 Infant Questionnaire?
An alternative the the Big 3 Personality Questionnaire mentioned above that tries to determine traits in a completely temperamental form (the above questionnaire might also have social influences, and this questionnaire tries to exclude those influences and see the pure temperamental influence)
What are the 3 traits in the Temperamental Big 3 Infant Questionnaire?
Surgency:
- Approach (Ap)
- Vocal reactivity (Vr)
- High intensity pleasure (Hip)
- Smile and laughter (Sl)
- Activity level (Al)
- Perceptual sensitivity (Ps)
Negative affectivity:
- Sadness (Sa)
- Distress to limitation (Dil)
- Fear (Fea)
- Falling reactivity (Fr)
Orienting/Regulation Capacity:
- Cuddliness (Cu)
- Low intensity pleasure (Lip)
- Duration of orienting (Do)
- Soothability (So)
What is the main idea behind situationism?
Since highly generalized behavioral consistencies have not been demonstrated, the concept of personality traits as broad dispositions is thus not valid.
!!! Traits and situations influence how we feel in a specific moment !!!
(See slide page 19)
What’s a way to balance out both trait realism and situationism (Since they’re polar opposites)?
Since both are correct, we can include both:
Traits can be seen as person-specific distributions of certain states-of-mind and behaviors. Thus they indicate the likelihood of such states over a certain time-period.
These person-specific distributions are quite stable (personality), but the specific outcomes at any particular moment vary a great deal (situationism)
What is the main idea behind network stability?
The interaction between particular thoughts, feelings, and acts lead to covariance between them resulting in generalized patterns and broad traits
(See slide page 21)
What is the main idea behind stability in the self as an actor?
(We know from previous set of flashcards)
The cycle:
Our actions influence others’ Perception and judgement of us which then also influences their reaction to us. Those reactions influence our own perceived reactions and self-judgements which in turn also influence our actions
What is an example of a coding narrative?
Agency and Communion:
Agency:
- Self Mastery
- Status and Victory
- Empowerment
- Achievement/Responsibility
Communion:
- Love/Friendship
- Dialogue
- Unity/Togetherness
- Caring/Help
What are other possible coding narratives?
See slide page 33
Based on the coding narrative of Agency and Communion, how could we alternatively model Personality Disorders?
Personality Functioning can be split into the self and interpersonal functioning.
- The Self can be split into Identity and Self-Direction
- Interpersonal functioning can be split into empathy and intimacy
- The Self part refers to the Agency codin
- The Interpersonal functioning refers to the Communion part
!!! Disturbances in the self and interpersonal functioning constitute the core of personality psychopathology
