Getting Started Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayers Personality: A Systems Approach PART 1: EXPLORING PERSONALITYCHAPTER 2: RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY Research.

Getting Started

Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayer’s Personality: A Systems Approach

PART 1: EXPLORING PERSONALITY CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY

Research In Personality

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Getting Started

Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayer’s Personality: A Systems Approach


Topics Covered

• Where Does Data Come From?

• What Research Designs are Used in Personality Psychology?

• What Does it Mean to Measure Personality?

• How Do Psychologists Study Many Variables?

Where Do Data Come From?

© Copyright 2006 Allyn & Bacon Mayer’s Personality: A Systems Approach


(Review) Molecular-Molar Dimension

Molar (e.g., sociological)

Intermediate (e.g., psychological)

Molecular (e.g., biological)




Schematic of the Connective ModelMolar (e.g., sociological)

The Incorporative Environment


The Personality System

The Situation


The Brain and Nervous System

The Setting




External Source Data Molar (e.g., sociological)




The Situation



The Setting




External Data Sources with ExamplesMolar (e.g., sociological)

Institutional-Source Data: School records, Marriage certificates, etc.



Observer-Rating Source Data: Judging extroversion, etc.


Bio-PsychologicalData: Medical record data

Setting Data: Neighborhood qualities




Major Types of External-Source Data Institutional Records Grades, marriage certificates, newspaper

articles, etc..

Observer Report What other observers say about us




Looking at Personal Report DataMolar (e.g., sociological)




The Situation



The Setting




Major Types of Personal-Report Data

Self-Judgment Agreeing or disagreeing with a given statement about oneself

Convergent-Report

Constructing a response that meets a criterion

Thematic-Report

Creating responses that reflect themes or ideas

Process-Report Pertaining to something going on in your mind at the moment

What Research Designs Are Used in Personality?



Case Studies and Observationism

• Case Studies– Easily understandable– Colorful and interesting– Hypothesis generation tools– Unrepresentative– No control

• Observationism – Repeated, intensive, study of cases, over consistent conditions.




Review of Correlation

A. Correlation examines the co-relation between two variables

B. Symbol: r

C. The r varies from –1.0 to 1.0

D. 1.0 and –1.0 represent perfect relations

E. 0 represents a random relation




Review of Correlation (Cont.)

• This is a correlation between height of fathers (Y) and height of sons (X).

• What is the approximate correlation?

• Answer: r = .83

Scatterplot of Heights

62

64

66

68

70

72

74

65 70 75

Height of Sons

Hei

gh

t o

f F

ath

ers





• This is a correlation between year in college and number of parties attended per week.


• Answer: r = .09

Party-Going and Year of School

012345

0 5 10

Number of Parties Attended Last Month

Yea

r in

Sch

oo

l





• Number of cashiers on duty, and

• Number of people waiting to check out


• Answer: r = -.88

Cashiers and Lines During Busy Period

0123456

0 5 10

Number of People in Line

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ash

iers

o

n D

uty




Experimental Methods

• Quasi-Experimental Designs– Natural treatment– No randomization– Creative personalities

• True Experimental Designs– Experimenter-applied treatments– Randomization

What Does It Mean to Measure Personality?



Measurement of Attributes

• Measure attributes of the object

• For example, measurement of– length (to right)– weight (to right)




Psychometric Theory

A. Theories of How to Measure Abstract, Mental Phenomena

B. The Central Equation:X = T + e

X, the obtained test scoreT, the true scoree, the error score




Pop Question

A. Which of the following correlations between two variables is most useful for the purposes of predicting one from the other?

a) -.75

b) .00

c) +.25

d) +.50




Reliability

A. Demonstration: Take and Score a TestB. Volunteer ScoresC. Reliability: Does a test measure with

consistency?




Reliability in Physical Measurement

Things to Remember Measuring a Window for Window Blinds:

• Use a steel tape for accuracy. • Measure the exact width of the window at 3

different places. • Make all measurements to the nearest 1/8 inch.




Definitions of Reliability

• Informal: that a test measures what it measures with consistency

• Formal: the correlation, r, between the true score and the obtained score.




(A hard) Pop Question

When is a mental test perfectly reliable?

A. X = 0

B. T = 0

C. e = 0

D. X = T




Measurement Validity

A. Definition: That a test measures what it is supposed to measure

B. Types of Validity:1. Face

2. Content

3. Criterion

4. Structural

5. Construct




Face Validity

A test looks like it measures the right thing

for Depression: “Are you sad?”




Content Validity

A test’s items accurately sample from the content domain




Criterion (or Predictive) Validity

A test predicts a specific, measurable outcome, such as a life variable

Examples:

marriage

grade point average

occupational success

(or postdicts it, or concurrently indicates it)




Structural Validity

• A test measure the number of things it claims to measure

• Technical Test: Factor Analysis…– How many factors does a test measure? – Factor: An “underlying” variable




Construct Validity

• A test behaves the way it is supposed to behave according to theoretical statements, over numerous circumstances and tests


How Do Psychologists Study So Many Variables?


Multiple Variables

• Personality is a complex, multifaceted system

• This means that a lot of variables may be examined at a time

• How does one cope?




Multivariate Techniques

• Multivariate techniques handle multiple variables

• One crucial kind of technique examines “how many things” are being measured

• This class of techniques includes:– Factor analysis (the example here)– Multidimensional scaling– Cluster analysis




Logic of Factor Analysis

• Factor analysis uses correlational logic– If multiple variables correlate highly, they are

the same thing– If the variables don’t, they are different things

• Example:– If happiness and joy correlate highly: the

same– If they don’t: different




1. What does a factor look like?

I am: I

Curious .40

Interested .60

Thoughtful .80

Bored -.40

• A factor is represented by a column of factor loadings under a roman numeral

• The factor loading is the correlation between a test item and a factor

• The test item is to the left.




Simplified Rules for Interpreting a Factor• Step 1: Identify original test items with high

positive loadings • Step 2: Ask, what are the items trying to “get at”?

(That’s the primary name of the factor). (e.g., extraversion)

• Step 3: Locate the items loading negatively on the same factor. Those tell you the “polar opposite” label (e.g., introversion) – if there is one

• Step 4: No high loadings? Then, the factor is a “garbage” factor.




Example A

I II• Do you like parties? .70 -.15• Are you often nervous? .30 .80

Are you sociable? .75 -.01• Do you prefer to read over -.70 -.09

going to parties?• Are you often in a bad mood? .04 .70




Example B

I feel… I II III

Happiness .80 .20 .01

Sadness -.70 .10 .05

Excitement .60 .75 -.10

Anxiety -.25 .40 -.15

Calm .20 -.50 .20




~End of Chapter 2~

Getting Started Copyright © 2007 Allyn & Bacon Mayers Personality: A Systems Approach PART 1: EXPLORING PERSONALITYCHAPTER 2: RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY Research.

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