Personality Dispositions Over Time: Stability, Change, and Coherence © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood1.

© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood

Chapter 5

Personality Dispositions Over Time:Stability, Change, and Coherence

1

© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood 2

Children and Personality

Kai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTEDgV-Wcc0


Part One. Dispositional Domain

Still looking for universal personality traits!! How many personality traits exist? How do we classify these personality traits? How do we measure these traits?? Are the traits stable over time? Are the traits stable across situations? How do the traits develop?

What Is Personality Development?

Continuities, consistencies, stabilities in people over time

PLUS the way in which people change over time


Three Key Forms of Stability

(1) Rank order stability: Maintenance of an individual position’s within group




(1) Rank order stability: Maintenance of an individual position’s within group

Rank-order instability / Rank Order Change: when people fail to maintain rank order





(2) Mean level stability / Constancy of Level:

Mean Level Stability

Mean Level Change



OP

EN

NE

SS

TO

EX

PE

RIE

NC

E

LOW

HIGH

2000

2015

2010

2005

What type of Constancy?

A.Mean Level StabilityB.Mean Level Change


CO

NS

CIE

NT

IOU

SN

ES

S

LOW

HIGH

2000

2015

2010

2005




EX

TR

AV

ER

SIO

N

LOW

HIGH

2000

2015

2010

2005




Select one of the HEXACO traits. Then, list three hobbies that show this trait from the following 3 time periods...

Elementary School

Junior High School

College


(3) Personality coherence Maintaining rank order relative to others But changing the way the trait is manifested

Child of Our Time: James vs. Helena


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzS_k2_fdpk


3 Theories Explain Change

Plaster Hypothesis

Plasticity Hypothesis

Transactional Model (P-E Interaction)


A study finds that individuals who reported the highest levels of Extraversion at age 15 also reported the highest levels of Extraversion at age 45. This is an example of:

A. Mean Level Stability

B. Mean Level Change

C. Rank Order Stability

D. Rank Order Instability


Temperament vs. Personality

Temperament: individual differences in emotional reactivity, attentional reactivity, and self-regulation

Temperament → Narrower Traits Personality → Broader Traits

2 Classic Theories of Temperament

How could we measure temperament in children?


Thomas & Chess(1977)

Easy Temperament (40%) Even tempered, positive, open and adaptable to new

experiences and situations

Difficult Temperament (10%) Active, irritable, and irregular in their habit. React very

negatively to new situations and people

Slow-to-Warm up Temperament (15%) Low activity level, sometimes moody, and slow to

warm up in new situations/experiences


Temperament Description

Activity Is the child always moving and doing something OR does he or she have a more relaxed style?

Rhythmicity Is the child regular in his or her eating and sleeping habits OR somewhat haphazard?

Approach / withdrawal Does he or she "never meet a stranger" OR tend to shy away from new people or things?

Adaptability Can the child adjust to changes in routines or plans easily or does he or she resist transitions?

Intensity Does he or she react strongly to situations, either positive or negative, OR does he or she react calmly and quietly?


Temperament Description

Mood

Does the child often express a negative outlook OR is he or she generally a positive person? Does his or her mood shift frequently OR is he or she usually even-tempered?

Persistence and Attention Span

Does the child give up as soon as a problem arises with a task OR does he or she keep on trying? Can he or she stick with an activity a long time OR does his or her mind tend to wander?

DistractibilityIs the child easily distracted from what he or she is doing OR can he or she shut out external distractions and stay with the current activity?

Sensory ThresholdIs he or she bothered by external stimuli such as loud noises, bright lights, or food textures OR does he or she tend to ignore them?


•Positive mood, high regularity, low intensity, adaptability, approach (not withdrawal)

Easy•Negati

ve mood, irregularity, extreme intensity, slow to adapt, withdrawal, loud crying/laughter

Difficult

•Low activity, withdrawal, slower to adapt, somewhat negative mood, low intensity

Slow to warm-up

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffoIpVjH8jc

What about the other 35%? Displayed characteristics in a different

configuration

Were not consistent in the types of behaviors they displayed across different situations or over time


Rothbart and Bates Approach

Temperament

Dimensions

Negative Emotionality Surgency Effortful

Control

(Rothbart, 2007; Rothbart & Bates, 2006)


Negative Emotionality

Fear Anger

Frustration Sadness

Negative AffectivityDimension Definition

Frustration Amount of negative affect related to interruption of ongoing tasks or goal blocking.

Fear Amount of negative affect, including unease, worry or nervousness related to anticipated pain or distress and/or potentially threatening situations.

Sadness Amount of negative affect and lowered mood and energy related to exposure to suffering, disappointment and object loss.

Discomfort Amount of negative affect related to sensory qualities of stimulation, including intensity, rate or complexity of light, movement, sound, texture.

Soothability Rate of recovery from peak distress, excitement, or general arousal.

Putnam & Rothbart, 2006


Surgency

Activity Level Approach

High Intensity Pleasure

Impulsivity

SurgencyDimension Definition

Activity Level Level of gross motor activity including rate and extent of locomotion.

Approach Amount of excitement and positive anticipation for expected pleasurable activities.

Smiling and Laughter

Amount of positive affect in response to changes in stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, and incongruity.

Shyness (low) Slow or inhibited approach in situations involving novelty or uncertainty.

High Intensity Pleasure

Amount of pleasure or enjoyment related to situations involving high stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, novelty and incongruity.

Impulsivity Speed of response initiation.



Effortful Control

Low Intensity Pleasure

Attentional Control

Perceptual Sensitivity

Inhibitory Control

Effortful ControlDimension Definition

Attentional Focusing

Tendency to maintain attentional focus upon task-related channels.

Inhibitory Control The capacity to plan and to suppress inappropriate approach responses under instructions or in novel or uncertain situations.

Low Intensity Pleasure

Amount of pleasure or enjoyment related to situations involving low stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, novelty and incongruity.

Perceptual Sensitivity

Detection of slight, low-intensity stimuli from the external environment.



Let’s evaluate the children’s temperament.

Matthew

Exasperating!

Kai

Apparently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1uWHgvWHOo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yjlhlENiVo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTEDgV-Wcc0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrIrbeoDkT0


Gender Differences?

Temperament

Dimensions

Negative Emotionality Surgency Effortful

Control


Rothbart’s Measures

Infant Behavior Questionnaire (3-12 months)

Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (18-30 months)

Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (3-8 years)

Early Adolescence Temperament (9-16 years)


In-Class Exercise:Name the dimension!1. During quiet time, how often did you child enjoy

just being quietly sung to?

2. When encountering a new activity, how often did you child get involved immediately?

3. While playing indoors, how often did you child like rough and rowdy games?

4. During everyday activities, how often did you child seem to be irritated by tags in his/her clothes?

© 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

In-Class Exercise:Match Temperament Factors to Big Five!

Factors

Negative Affectivity

Surgency

Effortful Control

Big Five

Openness to Experience Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism

36


Is personality stable?

Rank-Order Stability

Mean-Level Change

Influence of Major Life Events


Rank-Order Stability: Surgency, NA, and EC

ICBQ (1981; 3-12 months) 3-month stability; increases with time

ECBQ (2006; 1.5 – 3 years) r = .45 to .80

CBQ (2006; 3 to 8 years) r = .63 to .73

© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood 39(Roberts and DelVecchio, 2000). Note. Big Five

0-2.9

3-5.9

6-11.9

12-17.9

18-21.9

22-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-73

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Big Five Over Lifespan

Age Periods

Ra

nk

-Ord

er

Co

ns

iste

nc

y

Rank-Order Stability in Adulthood

Big Five: moderate to high levels

Replications include: Over varying time intervals (3 to 30 years) At different age points (18 to 84 years old) Using different reports (self, observer)

r = +.65



Rank-Order Stability in Adulthood

Age Time Period Report Type Correlation

25 - 84 6 Years, 2 Tests

Self, Big Five .70

31 – 57 7 Years, 2 Tests

Observers, Big Five

.70

18 - 85 9 Years, 2 Tests

Self, HEXACO, NEO-PI-R

.55 to .71

Start: 33End: 81

24 Years, Numerous Tests

Self; Big Five .65


Is personality stable?


Mean-Level Change



2 3 6 8 15

Extraversion

Age

2 3 6 8 15

Agreeableness

Age

2 3 6 8 15

Conscientiousness

Age

2 3 6 8 15

Emotional Stability

Age

2 3 6 8 15

Openness to Expe-rience

Age

(Lamb et al., 2002)



15 30 50 65

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

AgreeablenessConscientiousnessEmotional StabilityOpenness to ExperienceExtraversion: As-sertivenessExtraversion: Sociable, Lively

Age

Mea

n L

evel

Ch

ang

e

(Roberts, Walton, & Viechtbauer, 2006)


Big Five – Mean Level Change

ES and C Increase with age, then declines in old age

Agreeableness Increases or remains stable with age

Extraversion Social vitality/liveliness decreases with age Social dominance increases with age

Openness to Experience Curvilinear


Longitudinal Study: Major Life Events


Mean-Level Change


(Specht et al., 2011, JPSP)

What are some life events that might cause an

increase or decrease in personality?

© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood 48(Specht et al., 2011, JPSP)

Plaster or Plasticity?

© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood 49(Specht et al., 2011, JPSP)

Plaster or Plasticity?


Influence of Major Life Events on Rank-Order Stability

What are some life events that could change someone’s personality?

What personality trait would this event change?



Influence of Major Life Events on Rank-Order Stability

When child leaves parental home: For Parents ↑ OE Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

Death of Spouse For Living Spouse: ↓ A



Influence of Major Life Events on Mean-Level Change

After get married: ↓ in E and ↓in OE Separation from Partner: ↑ A After divorce/after first job: ↑ C, ↑ E After baby/after retiring: ↓C

Moving out of parental home: Women ↑ ES, no effect for men

Death of Spouse: Women ↓C, Men ↑ C



Bringing It Together

Rank-order stability and mean-level stability for personality Although small changes exist for certain ages

Major life events cause mean-level change But, not rank-order change



Personality Coherence

How does society/culture change people’s personality? Narcissism and the Birth Cohort Effect

How do people express personality traits as they age? Delay of gratification and the marshmallow study

Personality Coherence: Birth Cohort Effect

Changes in personality due to to living in different time periods

Ex: Is the increase in narcissism….. True change? A cohort effect?



Personality Changes Across Cohorts: Subclinical Narcissism

Little interest in forming warm, emotionally intimate bonds with others; aggressively lash out when rejected or insulted; overconfident

When faced with common resources, take more for themselves and leave less for others

Positively correlated with extraversion and agency (i.e. traits typical of male gender role)


Personality Changes Across Cohorts: Subclinical Narcissism

“I usually get the respect I desire.”

“I find it easy to manipulate people.”

“I like to be the center of attention.”

Kanye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF2YbvRLkno

58

Figure 2, p. 102

Mean Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) scores across three time periods for students attending the University of South Alabama

18% (1 out of 5 students) narcissistic; scored 21/40 on

NPI-40



Figure 2, p. 102

Mean Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) scores across three time periods for students attending the University of South Alabama

18% (1 out of 5 students) narcissistic;

scored 21/40 on NPI-40

34% (1 out of 3 students) narcissistic;

scored 21/40 on NPI-40


20-29 30-44 45-64 65+0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

9.40% 7.10% 5.60% 3.20%

Age Category

% r

epo

rtin

g N

PD

sym

pto

ms

at a

ny

po

int

in

life

tim

eThis study was conducted at one point in time – the year 2004-2005. This study measures levels

of subclinical narcissism across age groups in the year 2004-2005.

(Stinson et al., 2008)


Personality Coherence:Delay of Gratification

TED

4- and 5-year old children 15 minutes: total time ≈ 9 minutes: Avg time before ate marshmallow 11-year follow-up at ages 15/16

http://www.ted.com/talks/joachim_de_posada_says_don_t_eat_the_marshmallow_yet.html


Personality Coherence:Delay of Gratification

11-years later (ages 15/16)

Higher SAT scores & GPA Lower BMIs Less drug use Higher self-esteem Better regulation of stress Greater self-control

36 years later (40s)

Better performance on self-control task

Brain Patterns Low-delayers: ventral

striatum High-delayers: prefrontal

cortex

Does this sound like any of the Big

Five?

But, depends on predictability of environment!

http://boingboing.net/2012/10/11/marshmallow-study-and-class.html

63

Honesty-Humility

↑ Extraversion

↑ Neuroticism

↑ Conscientiousness

↑ Agreeableness

↑ Openness to Experience


Childhood Measure

Adulthood OutcomesWe want to measure

personality coherence in the HEXACO.

What are some adulthood outcomes that we would expect to be linked to the HEXACO

dimensions in childhood?

64

•Workplace deviance

•Academic achievement

Honesty-Humility

•Positive Relationships (Peer, Romantic)

•Aggression, Well-being

↑ Extraversion•Socia

l Difficulties

•Lower occupational attainment in adulthood

↑ Neuroticism

•Academic Achievement in childhood and adulthood

•Career success (income / occupational status), job satisfaction

•Positive Relationships

↑ Conscientiousness

•Positive Peer Relationships

•Greater academic achievement and work competence

•Reduced delinquency

↑ Agreeableness

•Academic achievement and IQ, Creativity

↑ Openness to Experience


Childhood Measure

Adulthood Outcomes


Personality Stability: Across Life Periods

By comparing personality across life periods, we can identify small changes in personality over time.

In general, many of the changes are due to the maturity principles.

But, people may experience this “maturity” through biological/physical changes (plaster) or through environmental changes (plasticity)


Coming Up!

Part II. Biological Domain Chapter 6: Genetics and Personality

Personality Dispositions Over Time: Stability, Change, and Coherence © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood1.

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