Psych 205 1st Edition Lecture 11 Outline of Last Lecture I. The Trait Approach and important trait theorists Outline of Current Lecture II. Applying the Big Five in the workplaceIII. Assessing self-report inventoriesIV. Strengths and criticisms of the trait approachV. Achievement MotivationCurrent LectureIn todays lecture, we talked more about what the Big Five is and how to apply it in the workplace. We also looked at assessing self-report inventories and the strengths and criticisms of the trait approach. We started looking into chapter 8 but only got far enough to cover achievement motivation. Application: The Big Five in the Workplace-Employers use scores from personality tests to make hiring and promotion decisions-Critics complain that employers misinterpret test scores when making these decisions-Research provides stronger evidence for the relationship between personality and job performance-Research indicates that conscientiousness may be the best predictor of job performance-Highly conscientious people are organized, hardworking, persistent, and achievement oriented-People high in agreeableness trust, cooperative, and helpful-These types of people work well in team jobs-Extraverts have an edge in the business world over introvertsThese 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.-Test scores of applicants on the Big Five personality dimensions are useful when makinga hiring decisionAssessing Self-Report Inventories-Self-report inventories: asks a person to respond to a series of questions about themselves-Used a lot as a form of personality assessment-Have greater face validity-Used by researchers, personal managers, and clinical psychologists-Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-Prototypic self-report inventory used by clinical psychologists-Revised version, MMPI-2, was published in 1989 and was used a lot as a clinical assessment tool-Psychologists debate the validity of scales-Some problems with self-report inventories were: -Faking-test takers intentionally give misleading information on self-reportinventories-Fake good-presenting themselves as better than they really are-Fake bad- making them look worse than they really are-To reduce faking, test makers built safeguards into tests-Carelessness and Sabotage-Participants can get bored with long tests and select responses randomly-Test takers sometimes report incorrect information to sabotage a research project-Responses tendencies-Social desirability: extent to which people present themselves in a favorable light-Measuring social desirability enables a tester to adjust the interpretation of others scores accordinglyStrengths and Criticisms of the Trait Approach-Strengths:-Usage of objective measures to examine the constructs-Reduced level of the bias and subjectivity-Numerous practical applications-Educational psychologists and employers use trait measures in their work-Generated a large amount of research-Criticisms:-No explanation on how traits develop or how to help people who suffer from extreme scores-No schools of psychotherapy have originated from the trait approach-Lack of an agreed-upon frameworkAchievement Motivation: Need for Achievement-Desire to:-Accomplish something difficult-Mater, manipulate or organize-Overcome obstacles and attain a high standard-Using the Thematic Apperception Test assesses this-Used in a large number of investigations and is time consuming-Subjected to questions about interpretation of scoresTypes of Achievement Motivation-Implicit: Accounts for spontaneous actions-Explicit: Comes into play when people have time to consider achievement options and decisionsCharacteristics of High Need Achievers-Taking moderate risks, tackling work with a lot of energy, being disinterested in routine and boring jobs, preferring jobs that give personal responsibility for outcomes, and wanting concrete feedback about the performance.Factors Predicting Achievement Behavior-Parenting practices associated with high need for achievement in children-People with a high need for achievement tend to find economic prosperity than others-High level of achievement motivation interferes with effective performanceGender, Culture, and Achievement-High need for achievement predicts success in the business world for both genders-Men and women think about achievement in different ways-Men see success in terms of external standards-Women tend to rely on internal definitions of successAchievement Behavior in Different Cultures-Individualistic culture:-In terms of personal accomplishments-Workers see themselves in competition with their coworkers which motivates them to work harder-Collectivist culture:-In terms of cooperation and group-Professionals are concerned about the emotional and financial well being of their