Ch 1 Learning Objectives p 4 12 14 21 1 Define personality and understand each of the elements of the definition of personality Psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that influence his or her interactions with and adaptations to the environment The set of psychological traits o The WHAT of personality o Characteristics that describe ways people are different from each other o Average tendencies of a person o Describe explain predict behavior and mechanisms o The HOW of personality o The processes of personality o Three ingredients Inputs or Attention Decision rules or Available Options Outputs or Actual Behavior within the individual o Carry with you organized and relatively enduring o Organized linked in a coherent fashion o Enduring consistent over time and across situations influence interactions with and adaptation to o Affect our lives o Serve a purpose the environment o Physical environment o Social environment o Intrapsychic environment0 2 What are three reasons personality traits are useful Describe explain and predict behavior 3 What is the difference between personality traits and mechanisms 4 What are the three components of personality mechanisms Traits WHAT of personality Mechanisms HOW of personality Inputs attention Decision rules available options Outputs actual behavior 5 At what levels do personality psychologists analyze similarities and differences Be able to define each level and provide examples Human nature how we are like all others Individual and group differences how we are like some others Individual uniqueness how we are like no others 6 What are the six domains of knowledge about personality What sort of topics apply to each domain Intrapsychic mental mechanisms unconscious Dispositional ways people differ traits Biological genetics physiology evolution Cognitive experimental cognitions and subjective experiences conscious Social cultural social and cultural context Adjustment meeting challenges in life From the book 7 What purposes should a good theory fulfill 1 Provides a guide for researchers2 organizes known findings3 makes predictions 8 What is the difference between theories and beliefs Beliefs are often personally useful and crucially important to some people but they are based faith not on reliable facts and systematic observations Theories on the other hand are tested by systematic observations that can be repeated by others that yield similar conclusions 9 What are the five scientific standards for evaluating personality theories Be able to define of each standard 1 Comprehensiveness does the theory do a good job of explaining all of the facts and observations within it s domain 2 Heuristic value Does the theory provide a guide to important new discoveries about personalty that were not known before 3 Testability Does the theory provide precise predictions that can be tested empirically 4 Parsimony Does the theory contain few premises and assumptions parsimony or many premises and assumptions lack of parsimony 5 Compatibility and integration across domains and levels Consistent with what is known in other domains can be coordinated with other branches of scientific knowledge Ch 2 Learning Objectives p 24 31 34 36 38 52 1 Describe and provide examples of the four sources of data collected by personality psychologists three from class one from the book Self Report data interviews reports questionnaires checklists Observer Report data professional personality assessors family friends Test data situational test projective techniques ink blot Biological not for personality but are related 2 Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each source of personality data Self report o inexpensive easy know about themselves o lie inaccurate because you re unaware observer report o friends family naturalistic o types of observers observer bias Test data o elicit behaviors o difficult to score might guess what was being measured researcher can influence behavior 3 Define three types of reliability and be able to recognize examples of each Test retest score should be similar Internal consistency rating scale consistent Inter rater reliability observers should be getting same answer 4 Define four types of validity and be able to recognize examples of each Face does it look like it is measuring what you think it should be Predictive should be able to predict associations Convergent correlate with same thing depression and sadness should correlate Discriminant unrelated things depression and sensation seeking should not correlate 5 How are reliability and validity related Scale can be reliable but not valid Not reliable can never be valid 6 Define generalizability Valid across various groups and various situations 7 Know the advantages and disadvantages of correlational research Strongest closest to positive or negative 1 Advantages describes relationships between variables can measure things you can t control Disadvantages correlation does not equal causation 8 What is the 3rd variable problem with correlational research What is the directionality problem 3rd variable problem can something cause both variables directionality problem can the order be reversed 9 Explain the benefits of experimental research What are the features of experimental research Why are these features important for achieving the goal of experimental research Can determine causality Control manipulation of independent variable hot room vs cold room all other Random assignment participants in each condition are equivalent at beginning variables kept constant of study 10 Know what is meant by statistical significance P 05 probablility results would ve occurred by chance not due to manipulation If results could have occurred by chance 5 or fewer times out of 100 From the book 11 What is Life Outcome Data L Data Refers to information that can be gleaned from the events activities and outcomes in a person s life that are available to public scrutiny 12 Be able to explain when to use experimental correlational and case study designs Experimental Typically used to determine causality to find out whether one variable influences another variable Correlational study Used for determining whether there is a relationship between two variables Case study when a researcher in interested in examining the life of one person in depth Ch 3 Learning Objectives 10 Know the two formulations of traits and be able to describe how they are
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