Personality part 3 Flashcards
(57 cards)
What are the two basic formulations of traits?
Internal properties: Traits exist within a person and cause behaviors.
Example: Mark seeks admiration because he is naturally ambitious.
Descriptive summaries: Traits are just labels for patterns of behavior.
Example: George is called “jealous” because of how he behaves, not because of an inner cause.
How do internal causal properties explain behavior?
Traits exist inside a person and influence their behavior.
A person might possess a trait even if they do not express it at all times.
Example: Luisa loves to travel but stays home to save money.
What is the “Act Frequency Approach” to traits?
This approach views traits as patterns of behaviors rather than internal qualities. It identifies traits through three steps:
Finding Examples (Act Nomination) – Listing behaviors that represent a trait.
Example: For impulsivity, behaviors like “interrupting conversations” or “making quick decisions” are suggested.
Identifying the Best Examples (Prototypicality Judgment) – Choosing which behaviors are the clearest signs of a trait.
Example: “Shouting in an argument” is a stronger sign of anger than just frowning.
Observing Behavior (Recording Act Performance) – Measuring how often someone actually does those behaviors.
Example: Checking how frequently a person makes impulsive choices in real life.
What are the criticisms of the Act Frequency Approach?
Lack of context: It doesn’t specify how much behavior is needed to define a trait.
Example: Is someone creative if they wrote one poem in school?
Fails to capture potential traits: Some traits exist internally but are not always expressed.
Example: A brave person might never face a dangerous situation, so they don’t “show” their bravery.
What are the three main approaches to identifying personality traits?
Lexical Approach – Important traits are found in language (words people use).
Statistical Approach – Uses math (factor analysis) to find related traits.
Theoretical Approach – Based on existing psychological theories.
What is the Lexical Approach?
If a trait is important, people create words for it.
Looks for common and universally used trait words.
Example: Words like “friendly” or “brave” exist in many languages.
Weakness: Focuses mostly on adjectives, not actions or behaviors.
What is the Statistical Approach?
Uses factor analysis to find patterns in personality traits.
Groups similar traits together into bigger categories.
Example: “Talkative,” “outgoing,” and “sociable” → all relate to Extraversion.
Weakness: Needs large datasets and might miss less obvious traits.
What is the Theoretical Approach?
Traits are chosen based on theories of personality.
Example: Freud focused on traits like anxiety, while Maslow studied growth.
Weakness: Can be biased by the theory, rather than real data.
Why is combining these approaches useful?
Each approach has strengths and weaknesses.
Best results come from using all three together.
Example: The Big Five Personality Traits were found using both Lexical + Statistical approaches.
What is Eysenck’s PEN Model of personality?
A three-factor model of personality based on biology.
Traits:
Psychoticism → Aggressive, impulsive, antisocial.
Example: A person who frequently gets into fights and lacks empathy.
Extraversion → Sociable, active, enjoys stimulation.
Example: Someone who loves public speaking and socializing at parties.
Neuroticism → Emotionally unstable, anxious, moody.
Example: A person who overthinks and gets nervous easily before exams.
How is personality structured in Eysenck’s PEN Model?
Super-traits (Broad traits like Extraversion)
Traits (More specific, like sociability)
Habitual Acts (Consistent behaviors, like starting conversations often)
Specific Acts (Single actions, like greeting a stranger)
Example: A highly extroverted person frequently initiates group activities.
What is the biological basis of Eysenck’s model?
Extraversion → Related to CNS arousal (introverts are more reactive, so they prefer quiet).
Neuroticism → Higher emotional reactivity and stress response.
Psychoticism → Higher testosterone, lower MAO neurotransmitter levels.
Linked to aggression, antisocial behavior, impulsivity, and a lack of empathy.
Example: Introverts may find loud environments overwhelming due to stronger nervous system responses.
What are the Big Five personality traits?
Openness → Creative, curious, imaginative.
Example: An artist who constantly explores new painting techniques.
Conscientiousness → Organized, responsible, disciplined.
Example: A student who creates a detailed study plan and follows it strictly.
Extraversion → Outgoing, energetic, enjoys socializing.
Example: A party host who thrives in lively conversations.
Agreeableness → Kind, empathetic, cooperative.
Example: A volunteer who helps the homeless every weekend.
Neuroticism → Emotionally unstable, easily stressed.
Example: A person who panics over minor inconveniences
How was the Big Five model developed?
Lexical Approach: Personality traits come from language.
Statistical Approach: Factor analysis was used to group traits.
Example: Psychologists studied thousands of personality words in dictionaries to identify patterns.
What is the HEXACO Model?
A six-factor model of personality based on the Big Five, with Honesty-Humility added.
Honesty-Humility: Fair, sincere, avoids manipulation.
Example: A person who refuses to cheat on an exam even when given the opportunity.
Low Honesty-Humility: More likely to be manipulative or dishonest.
Example: A businessman who deceives clients for profit.
How does the HEXACO Model differ from the Big Five?
HEXACO includes Honesty-Humility, making it more ethical-focused.
Based on cross-cultural research in multiple languages.
Example: A person scoring high in Honesty-Humility is less likely to engage in corrupt business practices.
What is the biological basis of Eysenck’s model?
Extraversion → Related to CNS arousal (introverts are more reactive, so they prefer quiet) and extraverted are less aroused and seek more stimuli.
Neuroticism → Higher emotional reactivity and stress response.
Psychoticism → Higher testosterone, lower MAO neurotransmitter levels.
Example: Introverts may find loud environments overwhelming due to stronger nervous system responses.
What are common issues in measuring personality?
People may try to appear better than they are (social desirability).
Some might fake answers or not pay attention (carelessness).
The Barnum effect makes vague statements seem personal.
The Barnum Effect tricks us into believing general statements are personally meaningful. Be skeptical of personality descriptions that seem “too accurate”—they might just be cleverly worded to apply to everyone!
Example: Someone taking a job test might fake being “very organized” to impress employers.
What does ‘Meaningful Differences Among Individuals’ mean in personality psychology?
People differ in measurable ways, even if they have similar traits.
Psychologists measure how much a person differs from the average.
Example: Two people may be kind, but one is also talkative, while the other is quiet.
re personality traits stable over time?
Personality is mostly stable but can change after major life events (“turning points”).
Without major life events, personality stays mostly stable.
Example: A child who throws tantrums might grow into an adult who argues a lot.
Are personality traits always the same across situations? And what is Situationism and Person-Situation Interaction in personality psychology?
Not always. Personality interacts with the environment.
Situationism suggests behavior is shaped more by the situation than personality traits.
Example: A friendly person might be outgoing at a party but shy in a work meeting.
Person-situation interaction:
Behavior depends on both personality and the situation.
Example: Someone with a short temper may react aggressively only when stressed.
Person-Situation Interaction
Formula: B = f(SxP)
Behavior (B) = Function of (Situation x Personality).
People choose their situations (e.g., an introvert avoids loud parties).
Situations influence emotions (e.g., an introvert at a party might start feeling more social).
Traits evoke reactions (e.g., a bossy person gets pushback from others).
What is Situational Selection in personality psychology?
People choose environments that match their personality.
Example: An extravert prefers to work in a busy office rather than alone at home.
What is Evocation in personality psychology?
A person’s traits can trigger reactions from others.
Example: A rude person may make others avoid them without realizing why.