Chapter 1: Orientation to Personality
Define personality psychology
The scientific study of the stable, coherent individual differences in feeling, thinking, and
behaving, and how these interact with situational influences.
Define personality
Characteristics of the person that describe and explain consistent patterns of affect (feeling),
cognition (thinking), and behavior (acting). To be considered personality, patterns must be
stable, coherent, organized, biologically linked, and socially relevant.
The concept of personality arises from two key aspects of individuality:
1. Stable – continuity over time.
2. Coherent Individual Differences – predictable patterns across functionally similar
situations.
Know the historical evolution of Personality Psychology:
1. Early “Big Picture” Theory – Hippocrates (temperaments), Aristotle (rational mind),
Freud (psychoanalysis).
2. From Grand Theories to Levels of Analysis – Grand theories contradicted each other;
now research uses specific, testable levels of analysis.
Levels of analysis: understand the main perspective of each level:
● Trait-Dispositional Level – stable traits; what am I like; how do I differ from others?
● Biological Level – heredity, brain, evolution; nature vs nurture.
● Psychodynamic-Motivational Level – unconscious motives, conflicts, defenses.
● Behavioral-Conditioning Level – learned behaviors; contingencies of reinforcement.
● Phenomenological-Humanistic Level – subjective experience, identity, values.
● Social Cognitive Level – beliefs, goals, self-regulation, if…then patterns.
● Integration of Levels – the person as a whole requires combining perspectives.
, Practical application of levels of analysis
Personality theories are used to address issues like depression, anxiety, impulse control,
and health via therapy, medication, training, and education programs.
Chapter 2: Data, Methods, and Tools
Know the Different Types of Measures:
● Interviews – oldest method, rich detail, time-consuming, favored by psychodynamic
clinicians.
● Tests & Self-Reports – standardized measures, include both performance and
self-descriptions.
● Projective measures – ambiguous stimuli (inkblots, TAT), reveal motives.
● Naturalistic observation & behavior sampling – real-world contexts; e.g., Bandura’s
Bobo Doll.
● Remote behavior sampling (EMA) – record thoughts/feelings multiple times a day via
phones.
● Physiological functioning & brain imaging – EKG, EEG, PET, fMRI, hormonal
measures (cortisol, testosterone).
● Lab methods of social cognition – priming (automatic responses) and memory tasks
(schema-driven errors).
Establishing Relationships Among Observations:
● Constructs & Operational Definitions – constructs = abstract concepts (e.g.,
aggression); operational definitions = measurable indicators (e.g., shock intensity, arrest
records).
● Understand Variable – an attribute that can take multiple values.
● Know how to interpret Correlation – r ranges -1 to +1; r² = variance explained;
correlation ≠ causation.
● Range of the correlation coefficient – -1.0 to +1.0.
Define personality psychology
The scientific study of the stable, coherent individual differences in feeling, thinking, and
behaving, and how these interact with situational influences.
Define personality
Characteristics of the person that describe and explain consistent patterns of affect (feeling),
cognition (thinking), and behavior (acting). To be considered personality, patterns must be
stable, coherent, organized, biologically linked, and socially relevant.
The concept of personality arises from two key aspects of individuality:
1. Stable – continuity over time.
2. Coherent Individual Differences – predictable patterns across functionally similar
situations.
Know the historical evolution of Personality Psychology:
1. Early “Big Picture” Theory – Hippocrates (temperaments), Aristotle (rational mind),
Freud (psychoanalysis).
2. From Grand Theories to Levels of Analysis – Grand theories contradicted each other;
now research uses specific, testable levels of analysis.
Levels of analysis: understand the main perspective of each level:
● Trait-Dispositional Level – stable traits; what am I like; how do I differ from others?
● Biological Level – heredity, brain, evolution; nature vs nurture.
● Psychodynamic-Motivational Level – unconscious motives, conflicts, defenses.
● Behavioral-Conditioning Level – learned behaviors; contingencies of reinforcement.
● Phenomenological-Humanistic Level – subjective experience, identity, values.
● Social Cognitive Level – beliefs, goals, self-regulation, if…then patterns.
● Integration of Levels – the person as a whole requires combining perspectives.
, Practical application of levels of analysis
Personality theories are used to address issues like depression, anxiety, impulse control,
and health via therapy, medication, training, and education programs.
Chapter 2: Data, Methods, and Tools
Know the Different Types of Measures:
● Interviews – oldest method, rich detail, time-consuming, favored by psychodynamic
clinicians.
● Tests & Self-Reports – standardized measures, include both performance and
self-descriptions.
● Projective measures – ambiguous stimuli (inkblots, TAT), reveal motives.
● Naturalistic observation & behavior sampling – real-world contexts; e.g., Bandura’s
Bobo Doll.
● Remote behavior sampling (EMA) – record thoughts/feelings multiple times a day via
phones.
● Physiological functioning & brain imaging – EKG, EEG, PET, fMRI, hormonal
measures (cortisol, testosterone).
● Lab methods of social cognition – priming (automatic responses) and memory tasks
(schema-driven errors).
Establishing Relationships Among Observations:
● Constructs & Operational Definitions – constructs = abstract concepts (e.g.,
aggression); operational definitions = measurable indicators (e.g., shock intensity, arrest
records).
● Understand Variable – an attribute that can take multiple values.
● Know how to interpret Correlation – r ranges -1 to +1; r² = variance explained;
correlation ≠ causation.
● Range of the correlation coefficient – -1.0 to +1.0.
