Introduction

Question 1

What does the individual differences branch of psychology study?

Answer 1

It studies how and why people are psychologically very different from one another.

Question 2

List six topics that individual differences covers.

Answer 2

1. Intelligence.
2. Personality.
3. Motivation.
4. Leadership.
5. Interests.
6. Abnormal behaviour.

Question 3

What is an individual difference?

Answer 3

A trait we all have to different extents, rather than simply having or not having a trait.

Question 4

What is the branch of psychology concerned with measuring individual differences called?

Answer 4

Psychometrics.

Question 5

What is the definition of personality and who came up with it?

Answer 5

• A dynamic organisation inside a person that includes psychophysical systems that create the person’s patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings.
• Allport.

Question 6

Name two aims of studying personality.

Answer 6

1. Explain the motivational basis of behaviour.
2. Understand how personality develops alongside life events.

Question 7

What do the nomothetic and idiographic approach aim to do?

Answer 7

Conceptualise personality.

Question 8

List the four approaches to individual differences.

Answer 8

1. Nomothetic.
2. Idiographic.
3. Dispositional.
4. Situational.

Question 9

What does the nomothetic approach suggest? (3)

Answer 9

• Finite set of variables that can be used to describe personality.
• People differ only in amount of each trait.
• Attempts to generalise people.

Question 10

What does the idiographic approach suggest? (2)

Answer 10

• Focuses on the individual.
• Each person has a unique personality structure.

Question 11

What is the dispositional understanding of personality? (2)

Answer 11

• Views personality as consistent and unchanging.
• Utilises personality traits or types.

Question 12

What is the situational understanding of personality?

Answer 12

Views personality as unrelated states or behaviours determined by situational factors.