Psych 205 1st Edition Lecture 10Outline of Last Lecture I. Psychoanalytic concepts and attachment stylesOutline of Current Lecture II. Trait approachIII. Important trait theoristsIV. Factor analysis and the search for the structure of personalityV. Situation versus trait controversyCurrent LectureIn todays class we were introduced to the trait approach and the theory, application and assessment of it. We looked into some important trait theorist and also factor analysis and the search for the structure of personality. We went over situation versus trait controversy and applying the “big five” in the work place. Also, we went over the self-report inventories and the strengths and criticisms of the trait approach.Trait Approach-Trait Approach: identifies personality characteristics that can be represented along a continuum-Trait: categorizes people according to degree to which they manifest a particularcharacteristic-Assumptions-personality characteristics are relatively stable over time and across situationsGordon Allport-Acknowledged the limitations of the trait concept-Behavior is influenced by a variety of environmental factors-Traits have physical components in the nervous system-Promoted the concept of self-reportThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Gordon Allport: Research Strategies-Nomothetic approach-People can be described along a single dimension according to their levelof assertiveness or anxiety and common traits applies to everyone-Idiographic approach-Identifies the combination of traits that best accounts for the personality of a individual-Central traits: describe an individual’s personality-Cardinal trait: single dominating trait in personality-Advantage-person determines what traits to examineHenry Murray-Personology: combination of psychoanalytic and trait concepts-Needs-basic elements of personality and focused on psychogenic needs-Readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions-People can be described in terms of a personal hierarchy of needs-Press-situation that influences the activation of a need-Principal contributions to personality-Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) -Stimulated extensive research on psychogenic needsFactor Analysis and the Search for the Structure of Personality-Factor analysis: Technique employed by Raymond Cattell to determine the structure of human personality-Source traits-basic traits that make up the human personality-The type of data chosen for analysis confines limitation-procedureDonald Fiske’s Personality Factors-Social adaptability, Emotional control, Conformity, Inquiring intellect, Confident self-expressionThe Big Five-Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, ConscientiousnessNeuroticism-Places people according to their emotional stability and personal adjustment-People with high scores are more vulnerable to anxiety and depression-Individuals with low scores tend to be calm and well adjustedExtraversion-Places extreme extraverts at one end and extreme introverts at the other-Extraverts are very sociable people-Introverts are reserved and independent peopleOpenness-Involves active imagination, divergent thinking and intellectual curiosity-People on the high end are unconventional and independent thinkers-Individuals on the low end prefer the familiar rather than the imaginativeAgreeableness-People with high scores are helpful, trusting and sympathetic-Individuals with low scores tend to be antagonistic and skepticalConscientious-People on the high end are organized, plan oriented, and determined-Individuals on the low end are carelss, and easily distracted from tasks and undependable-Referred as will to achieve or workOngoing Questions Related to the Big Five Model-Debate about what the five factors mean-Disagreement about the structure of the five-factor model-Researchers have looked into the stability of the five factors over time-When to use scores from Big Five measures versus scores from specific trait scalesCriticism of Trait Approach-Trait measures do not predict the behavior well because both the person and the situation are related to behavior-Person-by-situation approach: individual traits as well as situations determine behavior-There is little evidence for cross-situational consistencyDefense for Trait Approach-Measuring behavior-strong links between personality and behavior is not established because researchers don’t measure behavior correctly-Identifying relevant traits-single strait can predict a person’s behavior if that traitis important, or central for the person and inclusion of secondary trait, dilutes the correlation between the trait score and the behavior-Important of 10% of the variance considering the complexity of factors that influence behavior and the ability to explain 10% of variance should be considered good