Quiz 2 Study Guide
Identify and provide examples of trait-descriptive adjectives.
Identify and discuss the three fundamental questions that guide psychologists who study personality traits.
Identify and discuss the two basic formulations for answering the question “What is a trait?”
Discuss the act frequency formulation of traits, including a brief review of each of the four steps involved in this program of research.
Be familiar with accomplishments and critiques of the act frequency formulation of traits.
Identify and discuss the three basic approaches to identifying the most important traits.
Discuss Eysenck’s hierarchical model of personality, including brief reviews of the basic super-traits identified by this model.
Discuss the advantages and limitations of Eysenck’s hierarchical model of personality.
Discuss Cattell’s 16 personality factor system, including a brief review of each of the 16 basic traits identified in this system.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Cattell’s 16 personality factor system.
Identify and briefly discuss the five factors of the five-factor model of personality.
Discuss the empirical evidence for the five-factor model of personality.
Discuss the troublesome nature of the fifth factor of the five-factor model of personality.
Discuss whether the five-factor model of personality provides comprehensive coverage of individual differences.
Identify and discuss
three assumptions about personality traits that most trait psychologists share.
Define and discuss
situationism. Provide an example of a situationist interpretation of individual
behavioral differences.
Discuss the idea of
person-situation interaction. Provide an example of an interactionist
interpretation of individual behavioral differences.
Define and give an
example of situational specificity.
Define and give an
example of a strong situation.
Discuss and give examples of selection, evocation, and manipulation as ways in which traits and situations can interact to produce behavior.
Discuss aggregation
and why it is now a standard practice among trait psychologists.
Discuss the
measurement issue of careless responding and how trait psychologists might
address this problem.
Discuss the
measurement issue of faking and how trait psychologists might address this
problem.
Discuss the
measurement issue of response sets and how trait psychologists might address
this problem.
Discuss the two
major views of socially desirable responding among trait psychologists.
Discuss the
application of trait measures to employment selection. What are some of the
benefits and liabilities of using traits measures for employment selection?
Identify various personality measure used for employment selection and be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Discuss integrity
testing as a means of employment selection.
Define personality development.
Define and distinguish three forms of personality stability: Rank-order stability, mean level stability, and personality coherence.
Define personality change, including the two key features required for identification of “real” personality change.
Identify and discuss the three levels of analysis for considering personality change and stability.
Discuss the stability of temperaments during infancy.
Discuss personality stability during childhood.
Discuss empirical work examining the life trajectories of bullies and whipping boys from childhood to adulthood.
Discuss empirical work on rank order personality stability in adulthood.
Discuss empirical work on mean level personality stability in adulthood.
Discuss work on changes in self-esteem from adolescence to adulthood, and day-to-day changes in self-esteem (self-esteem variability).
Discuss empirical work on the changes over time in flexibility and impulsivity.
Discuss empirical work on the changes over time in autonomy, dominance, leadership, and ambition.
Discuss empirical work on the changes over time in sensation seeking.
Discuss empirical work on the changes over time in femininity, competence, independence, and independence, based on the Mills College Study.
Discuss the relationship between wife’s personality, husband’s personality, and subsequent marital dissatisfaction and divorce.
Discuss the relationship between personality and subsequent alcoholism and emotional disturbance.
Discuss the relationship between impulsivity and subsequent educational and academic achievement.
Discuss empirical work on the relationships between childhood temper tantrums and adult outcomes such as criminality.
Discuss work suggesting that choice of marriage partner predicts personality change and stability over time.
Identify and discuss other personality dimensions besides traits that might change over time.