Personality Research Methods Flashcards
(25 cards)
Why measure personality? Quoted answer (Funder, 2004).
“People are psychologically different from each other, and these differences matter.” (Funder, 2004).
Early Personality Theory: Types
Astrology
Palmistry
Phrenology – Franz Josef Gall
Physiognomy – face, skin
Somatotypes – Sheldon (1954)
Psychological Types – Jung (1921)
Type Indicator – Myers and Briggs
Extraversion vs. Introversion (E vs. I) describes…
the location where an individual draws energy.
Sensing vs. Intuition (S vs. N) describes…
how a person takes in information
Thinking vs. Feeling (T vs. F) describes…
the means a person uses to make decisions…
Judging vs. Perceiving (J vs. P) describes…
the speed with which a person makes decisions
Types of measures (data)
Self-report:
Structured
Unstructured
Life-Outcome data:
Observer-report:
Lab
Naturalistic
Test data:
Lab
Self-report Data (S-Data)
Structured: True/False, multiple-choice, questionnaire, inventory ratings “I am an honest person” True/False 1=Untrue of me, 5= True of me Unstructured: Open-ended questions “My friends would say I am a person who \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_”
Self-report Data (S-Data) pros and cons
Advantages:
Access to wealth of information
May be obtained anytime, and anywhere
Disadvantages:
Problematic when responders do not cooperate
Responders interpret items incorrectly
Responders may not have good knowledge of self
Life-Outcome Data (L-Data) pros and cons
Advantages:
Public records are easy to obtain
Disadvantages:
Many factors, in addition to personality, may affect life outcome
Observer-report (O-Data)
“Target” person observed and reported by:
Individuals who know the person (e.g. spouse, parents)
Individuals who not known to the person (objective observer e.g. paid researcher)
Setting may be naturalistic or artificial
Behaviour may change due to being observed
Other factors may include unlike in laboratory, experimental settings
Is it ethical to observe without permission?
Observer-report (O-Data) pros and cons
Advantages:
External behaviour (impression on others) is assessed
Multiple observers can report different aspects
Disadvantages:
Labour-intensive, and costly
Potential bias especially when the observer knows the person
Observer may be biased due to their own personal characteristics
e.g. Observer who is more attentive to details than another observer
Test Data (T-Data)
Usually based in the laboratory
May construct tasks to elicit certain personality trait in person
Test Data (T-Data) pros & cons
Advantages:
Unique information not obtained elsewhere
Well-controlled environment, easier to measure, more objective
Technologically based – reducing researcher intervention
Difficult to fake some physiological responses
Disadvantages:
Participants modify normal behaviour when in lab; Is the behaviour resembling how they behave outside of the lab?
Researcher can influence participants during interaction
Reliability:
“Is the data we have gathered consistent over time?”
We need confidence in results especially when repeating the measurement
To have consistency when predicting behaviour
Validity:
“Does this test measure what it claims to measure?”
So we know we are measuring what we want, and not other unintended concepts
So that we can make valid claims about findings.
Experimental Research designs:
Manipulation of variable(s) is/are necessary
“A variable is a characteristic or condition that changes or has different values for different individuals.”
e.g., height, salary, intelligence, extraversion score
Random Assignment to Conditions is necessary
Thus, all groups are the same before the start of experiment
Warranted Conclusion: Causality (i.e., one variable influences another).
Research Methods:
1. Experimental DesignsThe fundamental scientific principle of Controlled Observation:
You want to show A causes B
Manipulate A, then observe any changes in B
Make sure no other variable could have been the cause of B
Research Methods:
2. Correlational Designs
To determine the relationship between 2 or more variables.
e.g., Is extraversion related to number of friends on FB?
No different groups of people, no comparison
Correlation coefficient:
An index/number indicating the direction and strength of relationship between 2 variables.
It ranges from -1.00 to 0.00 to +1.00
Warranted Conclusion: Correlational designs will not tell us about causality of one variable on another.
Describe a perfect positive correlation
Straight-line from bottom left corner to top right.
Describe a perfect negative correlation
Straight-line from bottom right corner to top left.
Describe a Near-zero correlation
Scattered data within graph. No distinct shape/format/line showcasing any correlations within data.
Describe a strong positive correlation
More scattered, non-perfect line from bottom left to top right.
Describe a strong negative correlation
More scattered, non-perfect line from bottom right to top left of graph.
