Lecture 21 - Can personality change? Flashcards
(22 cards)
Why study if the environment can change personality?
- Personality affects well-being, life outcomes, and IQ
- Understanding change could improve interventions and psychological theory
What does past research say about personality stability?
Moderate stability from early to middle adulthood and from middle to old age (Hampson & Goldberg, 2006; Leon et al., 1979)
What did Harris et al. (2016) investigate?
Whether personality traits are stable from age 14 to 77, using teacher ratings and self/other ratings later
Key findings of Harris et al. (2016)?
- No significant correlation between early and late traits
- Later-life dependability was linked to well-being and early IQ
How was personality measured in Harris et al. (2016)?
- Teacher ratings at 14
- Self and other ratings at 14 using the same traits plus the IPIP
How is ‘dependability’ defined in the study?
A composite of self-confidence, perseverance, mood stability, conscientiousness, originality, and desire to excel
How did IQ relate to personality in Harris et al. (2016)?
Higher adolescent IQ predicted greater dependability in later life
What critical issues are there with the Harris et al. study?
- Different personality and IQ measures over time
- Teacher-rated reliability
- Sample size limitations
- Lack of control group
How did Helson et al. (2002) review show?
A literature review suggesting personality traits can and do change over the lifespan
Spect et al. (2011) findings on personality change?
Big Five traits show variation and change across the lifespan, with some traits increasing or decreasing with age
Wagner et al. (2020) proposed what?
An integrative framework combining biology, environment, and motivation to explain personality change
What did Roberts et al. (2016) find in their meta-analysis?
That personality traits, especially emotional stability and extraversion, can be changed through structured interventions
What did Stieger (2021) find using a coaching app?
Big Five traits can be altered intentionally via digital interventions
Criticisms with personality testing?
Tests may be situationally biased, lack predictive power, or falsely assume traits are fixed
Should personality characteristics be called ‘traits’?
Debatable. Traits imply fixed patterns, but evidence (e.g., Roberts et al. 2016) shows that traits can change
Common method to assess personality change?
Longitudinal studies over years or decades
What composite trait did Harris et al. label?
Dependability
What Roberts e al. (2016) conclude?
Behaviour change can lead to volitional personality change
Study using a coaching app to alter traits?
Stieger (2021)
What trait correlated with well-being in later life?
Dependability
What framework is often used in personality change research?
The Five Factor Model (Big Five)
Did Harris et al. (2016) find long-term stability?
No. Traits at 14 and 77 were not signiicantly correlated
