Psyc 100 > Lecture 16 > Flashcards

Lecture 16 Flashcards

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1
Q

What do psychologists aim to do in the study of personality?

A

They attempt to identify and scientifically measure stable characteristics in people.

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2
Q

What do all languages have in common when it comes to personality?

A

They include thousands of words that describe people’s personalities.

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3
Q

What does the field of personality psychology focus on?

A

Understanding individual differences and consistent behavior patterns across time and situations.

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4
Q

The role of evolution

A

We are a brainy, social species destined to live in complex groups of 100-200 people

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5
Q

We have 2 main evolutionary tasks

A

To get ahead
To get along

Our personalities are developed for these tasks

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6
Q

Who popularized the study of personality traits?

A

Gordon Allport.

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7
Q

How did Allport define personality?

A

As the study of traits — the characteristics that describe who a person is and how they typically behave.

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8
Q

What are cardinal traits?

A

Traits that dominate a person’s entire personality and influence most of their behavior.

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9
Q

What are central traits?

A

General dispositions that describe a person (e.g., honesty, kindness).

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10
Q

What are secondary traits?

A

Traits that are situation-specific or appear only in certain contexts.

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11
Q

What are some historic approaches to personality?

A

Psychoanalytic – focus on the unconscious

Behaviorist – learning and conditioning

Humanistic – personal growth and self-actualization

Trait – measurable characteristics (most scientific)

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12
Q

What do traits shape

A

How a person interprets the world and cab lead people to behave in similar ways across different situations

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13
Q

Lexical hypothesis

A

Traits that provide useful ways to differentiate among people’s personality characteristics are necessarily encoded in language

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14
Q

What does the lexical hypothesis produce

A

An unwieldy number of traits by which people can be described

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15
Q

Factor analysis

A

Have people describe themselves and correlate

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16
Q

Assessment

A

Drscribe certain consistencys in certain emotional behavior

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17
Q

Self reporys

A

Measure what people are willing and able to describe about themselves

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18
Q

Information reports

A

Rating a person made by their family and close friends

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19
Q

The big 5 factor model

A

The dominant model in the trait approach to personality, which posits five key dimensions along which humans vary

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20
Q

What are the big 5

A

Open mindness to experience

Conscientiousness

Extraversion

Agreeableness

Neuroticism

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21
Q

Open mindness

A

Where a person is imaginative and independent and prefers variety

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22
Q

Conscientiousness

A

Where a person is organized, careful, and responsible

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23
Q

Extraversion

A

Extent to which a person is energetic and outgoing

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24
Q

Agreeableness

A

Where a person is good natured, helpful, and trust8ng

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25
Neuroticism
Where a person is calm and secure
26
Open mindedness facets
Intellectual curiosity Aesthetic sensitive Creative imagination
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Conscientiousness facets
Organization Productiveness Responsibility
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Extraversion facets
Sociability Energy level Assertiveness
30
Agreeablnezs facets
Compassion Respectfulness Trust
31
Neuroticism facets
Anxiety Emotional volatility Depression
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Should personality be noticeable across situations
Yes But certian traits cannot show as much in certain situations such as an extrovert at a funeral
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What does it mean that traits are bipolar?
Each trait has two opposite ends (e.g., introversion ↔ extraversion), and people fall somewhere along that spectrum.
34
Where do most people score on the Big Five traits?
Near the mean (average), not at the extremes.
35
Which trait do people tend to care about most?
Extraversion — people often focus on how social or outgoing they are.
36
Are the Big Five traits related to one another?
No — they were designed to be independent of one another.
37
Why should we be cautious about socially desirable traits?
Socially positive traits don’t always go together — for example, someone can be extraverted but also neurotic or quarrelsome.
38
What misconception should we avoid about the Big Five traits?
Assuming that having one “good” trait (like agreeableness) means having others automatically — traits operate separately.
39
Are personality traits stable
They are stabke across situations and over time Ranking of personality traits remains consistent However, there are average shifts in personality over the lifespan
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Emotional stability
Emotional stability means staying calm and balanced even when facing stress or strong emotions.
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Social vitality
The part of extraversion in interactions
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Social dominance
Being assertive. Assertive actions
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Which traits tend to increase with age?
Agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.
44
What happens to open-mindedness over time?
It generally increases, though results can be mixed.
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What happens to extraversion across adulthood?
Social vitality (energy, sociability) stays about the same, while social dominance (leadership, confidence) increases in adulthood.
46
Can life events influence personality traits?
Yes — major life changes such as love or work, and formal counseling, can lead to positive trait changes.
47
What kinds of experiences tend to promote positive personality change?
Those involving responsibility, relationships, and growth opportunities.
48
Do personality traits differ across cultures?
Yes — there are average differences in the levels of traits (like extraversion or conscientiousness) across cultures.
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What influences these cross-cultural personality differences?
Political and cultural forces that shape behavior, values, and self-expression.
50
How can cultural perception affect trait judgments?
People’s views of average trait levels in their own culture may not always be accurate.
51
What else varies across cultures besides average trait levels?
How much people are actively trying to change aspects of their personality.
52
What personality traits are commonly compared across cultures?
Extraversion, introversion, and conscientiousness.
53
What field studies how genetics influence personality?
Behavioural genetics.
54
What does heritability (h) refer to?
The proportion of variation in a trait that can be attributed to genetic differences among individuals.
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What is the typical heritability estimate for personality traits?
Around 50% — meaning half of personality variability is due to genetic factors.
56
What does the remaining 50% of personality variation come from?
Environmental influences and individual experiences.
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Does shared environment influence personality
Yes
58
Contributions and critique of psychoanalysis
The existence of unconscious thought The importance of early development The influence of the mind of body The talking cure
59
Freuds three levels of awareness
Conscious mind Precocious mind Unconscious mind
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Conscious mind
What you are aware of right now
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Precocious mind
Information your not thinking about at the momment but can easily bring to mind
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Unconscious mind
Deep mental processes you cannot access directly
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Eysencks three factors theory
Extraversion Neuroticism Psychoticism
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Extraversion
How outgoing, social, energetic you are
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Neuroticism
How easily you feel stress, worry, or emotional instability
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Psychoticism
How impulsive, aggressive, or detached from others you are
67
Self concept
Your overall idea of who you are
68
Working self concept
The part of your self concept that is active right now depending on the situation
69
Locus of control
Your beliefs about what controls your life Internal or external
70
Internal locus of control
You belive you influence what happens
71
External locus of control
You belive things happen because of luck or fate
72
Learned helplessness
When repeated failure or lack of control makes you stop trying, even when you could succeed now
Psyc 100
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