1. Psychology 102
Module 41-42

2. Course Instructor Dr. Haghighi

3. Trait Theories
Explain differences between people in terms of stable personality traits
Modern day psychologists have found 5 personality dimensions that span cultures

4. The 5 Factor Theory Extraversion Neuroticism Conscientiousness
Agreeableness
Openness to Experience

5. The 5 Factor Theory Extraversion Neuroticism Outgoing Withdrawn Stable
Unstable

6. The 5 Factor Theory Agreeableness Conscientiousness Low High
Undependable
Dependable

7. Openness to Experience
The 5 Factor Theory
Openness to Experience
Closed
Open

8. The 5 Factor Theory Helpful in predicting general trends in behavior
Too general to predict behavior in a specific situation

9. Behaviorist Theory Behavior determined by: Reward Punishment
Classical conditioning

10. Social Cognitive Theory
Bandura's Reciprocal Determinism and Self-Efficacy
Rotter's Locus of Control

11. Reciprocal Determinism
Environment
Personal
Cognitive
Factors
Behavior

12. Self-Efficacy One's perception of personal effectiveness
One of Bandura's personal/cognitive factors

13. Greater effort & persistence
Self-Efficacy
Belief you will do well
Greater effort & persistence
Success

14. Belief you will do poorly
Self-Efficacy
Belief you will do poorly
Less effort & persistence
Failure

15. Belief you control your fate
Internal Locus
Belief you control your fate
Optimism about the future
Taking action

16. Belief you don’t control your fate
Internal Locus
Belief you don’t control your fate
Pessimism about the future
Doing nothing

17. Personality & Heredity
Heritability can be calculated by comparing traits of twins reared together and twins reared apart

18. Heritability, Big 5 Traits
(Minnesota Study)

19. Heritability, Extraversion
(Minnesota Study)

20. Heritability, Neuroticism
(Minnesota Study)

21. Heritability, Conscientiousness
(Minnesota Study)

22. Heritability, Agreeableness
(Minnesota Study)

23. Heritability, Openness
(Minnesota Study)

24. Assessment Observation Interviews Rating Scales Inventories
Projective Tests

25. Problems
Observations, interviews, & rating scales suffer from reliability problems & the halo effect
Halo Effect:
Assuming that someone with one favorable trait has many others as well

26. The MMPI-2 The most widely-used inventory
Consists of 567 true-false questions

27. MMPI-2: Clinical Scales
Hypochondriasis(Hs): Exaggerated concern about physical health
Depression (D): Distress, depression
Hysteria (Hy): Physical symptoms w/ no cause
Psychopathic Deviate (Pd): Disregard for moral & social standards
Masculinity-Femininity (Mf): Having traditional male or female traits

28. MMPI-2: Clinical Scales
Paranoia (Pa): Fear of others & suspiciousness
Psychasthenia (Pt): Rigidity, tension, worry
Schizophrenia (Sc): bizarre & unusual thinking
Hypomania (Ma): Excitability, impulsiveness
Social Introversion (S): Modesty, Shyness

29. MMPI-2: Validity Scales
Cannot Say (?): Evasiveness
Lying (L): Lying in order to look good
Infrequency (F): Lying in order to look bad
Correction (K): Defensiveness in filling out the scale

30. Typical MMPI Profiles

31. Typical MMPI Profiles

32. Typical MMPI Profiles

33. The CPI An MMPI-like test designed for normal individuals
The MMPI is more useful for clinical purposes, the CPI for normal populations

34. Projective Tests The Rorschach Inkblot Test
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

35. The Rorschach
Subject tells what each blot looks like and what aspect of the blot triggered that response

36. The Rorschach
Responses scored on use of parts vs. wholes, movement, content, use of color
Criticized for lack of reliability, low validity (inability to predict behavior)

37. The TAT Consists of 19 vague or ambiguous drawings
Person describes what is happening in each

38. The TAT
A TAT-like picture:

39. Sentence Completion
A projective test requiring completion of open-ended sentences
May be more reliable than the TAT

40. Magazine Quizzes
“Personality” tests in popular magazines often use vague terms and rely on the the “Barnum Effect”:
"Always have a little something for everybody.” (Famed circus owner P.T. Barnum)
In this case, it involves having everyone's assessment be vague (so it fits) but positive (so you'll believe it)

41. End of Personality Theories
Have I mentioned what a brave, generous, clever person you are?