Chapter 1-Psych Of Personality

 Personality Psychology
o the scientific study of what makes us who we are and the environmental and
genetic factors that make us that way
The Building blocks of Personality
 Traits
o a person’s typical way of thinking, feeling and acting in various situations, at
different times
o these traits will be consistent across our lives and will be expressed in all sorts of
ways
 Genetics
o the study of how genes and environment affect personality and behavior
o everyone has an environmental component
o we also inherit potentialities that may be expressed in our personalities depending
on the environment
 Neuroscience
o the study of how our brain and nervous system affect personality and activity
o current evidence suggests that part of who we are, is built into us by neurology
 Evolutionary forces
o have encouraged behaviors and traits that have improved the survival of the
species or survival of an individual and his or her close genetic relatives
 Self and Identity
o encompasses our own sense of who we are including self-concept, self-esteem,
and social identity
o part of what makes up our personality, is our sense of self and social identity
 Intrapsychic foundations of personality
o we can look within ourselves to our own conscious and unconscious thoughts and
feelings that also make up our personality
 Regulation and Motivation: self determination theory
o when people feel free to choose, are competent at what they do, and are connected
to the people around them, they will be motivated and self-directed for the task at
hand
o building block is concerned with how people adjust their responses to the
environment
 Cognitive functions
o describes how people perceive and think about information about themselves and
the world
Integration
 we combine the building blocks of personality into a whole person
 the whole is greater than the mere sum of the parts

How do Psychologists study Personality
 The scientific method
 o described how to make and test observations about the world in order to draw
conclusions while minimizing error or bias
o starts with the identification of basic facts about the world, then using the
collection of facts, scientists build theories, then the scientists make predictions
and test the predictions based on their theories using controlled methods
o Finally a scientists make their results public by publishing them in books, journals
or on the internet
 Observational studies and personality Questionnaires
o Observational study
 they observe what people do, to understand a certain phenomenon
 then based on these observations, they may generate a hypothesis to
explain their findings
o Personality Questionnaires
 tests in which people answer questions about themselves that identify
certain aspects of personality
 Correlational and Experimental designs
o Correlation Coefficient
 measures the relationship, between two variables, can be positive or
negative
 If one variable increases the other one decreases
 when two variables are related, there are always at least three possible
explanations for the finding
 first: possible that the first variable caused the second
 second: its possible that the second variable caused the first
 last: possible that some third variable effects both
o Correlational studies
 researchers generally don’t manipulate variables, instead measure two
variables to see how they are related
o Experimental condition: participants experience one treatment
o Control condition: participants experience a different treatment or no treatment at
all
o Random Assignment: means that every participant in the experiment has an equal
chance of experiencing each of the conditions
o Experimental control; all aspects of the experiment experience the same except
for the variable being studied
o Independent variable: is it independent to participants response
o Dependent variable: depends on the participants response
o Neuroticism: a personality trait that describes how anxious and vulnerable to
negative emotions a person is
 Types of Data and Personality assessment
o Self-report data
o Observation data from friends or trained observers
o Test data: how they behave in a controlled situation
o Life data: count how many times a persons photo appeared in their yearbook
Ethical Principles
 Respect for the dignity of persons
o allowing people to chose for themselves whether they wish to participate or not
o informed consent: giving consent after they have been informed about the
procedures and possible risks
 Responsible caring
o first, researchers should do no harm to their participants
o using the best research methods, and material
 Integrity in Relationships
o the benefits and burdens of the research must be shared equitably among potential
people
o must treat all participants fairly and equally
 Responsibility to Society
o the researchers develop knowledge from their activities and apply them in ways
that respect the values of society
 IRB; institutional review board
o to review all research to ensure that it upholds these standards