Chapter 2: How is Personality Studied and Assessed? This multimedia product and its contents are...

Chapter 2:Chapter 2:

How is Personality How is Personality Studied and Studied and Assessed?Assessed?

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Subjective AssessmentSubjective Assessment

Measurement that relies on interpretation (unlike objective assessment)

Weaknesses◦ Different observers may make different

judgments

Strengths◦ Complex phenomena may be examined and

valuable insight gained

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reliability (1)Reliability (1)

The consistency of scores that are expected to be the same

Test-retest reliability◦Measure of consistency over time


Reliability (2)Reliability (2)Internal consistency reliability

◦Split-half reliability The correlation between two halves of a

test

◦Cronbach’s coefficient alpha The average of all possible split-half

correlations


Validity (1)Validity (1)Construct validity

◦The extent to which a test truly measures a theoretical construct

Convergent validity◦A measure is related to what it

should be related toDiscriminant validity

◦A measure is not related to what it should not be related to


Validity (2)Validity (2)

Criterion-related validity◦The measure can predict important

outcome criteria

Content validity◦The measure contains items that

represent the entire domain of the theoretical construct


Item SelectionItem Selection Items should be clear and relatively simple

Items should discriminate among test takers

Items should be intercorrelated◦ But not so highly that they are redundant

The total score of the assessment should have a normal distribution◦ Avoid ceiling and floor effects◦ Be sensitive to variability across the range of scores


Response Sets (1)Response Sets (1)A bias in responding to test items

that is unrelated to the personality characteristic being measured◦Acquiescence response set

“yes”, “agree,” “true of me”

◦Social desirability response set The “good” or “correct” answer The answer that reflects well on the test-

taker


Response Sets (2)Response Sets (2)

To reduce the problem of response sets◦Reverse-code some items ◦Use neutral wording◦Include lie scales ◦Use several different methods of

assessment


Ethnic and Gender BiasEthnic and Gender Bias

A characteristic that is a strength in one group may be perceived as a weakness or deficiency in another

All tests make assumptions about the background of the test-taker

Use care in interpreting results◦ Always consider the context


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Self-Report TestsSelf-Report Tests

Usually pencil and paper testsMost common type of testExamples:

◦Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

◦Big-Five Inventory (BFI)◦Affective Communication Test

(ACT)


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Q-Sort TestsQ-Sort Tests

Person makes comparisons among his/her own characteristics

Uses a stack of cards, one characteristic per card

Sorts cards into piles indicating how descriptive each card is of him/her

Forced number of cards at each level◦ Normalizes use of levels across test-takers


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Judgments by OthersJudgments by Others

Someone else answers questions about the person being measured

Some traits are easier to judge than others

Can use ratings from parents, friends, teachers, spouse, psychologists, etc.

Used for adults and children


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Biological MeasuresBiological Measures

Assumes that the nervous system is an important element of personality

Modern biological measures◦ Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Can provide event-related potentials (ERPs) ◦ Positron emission tomography (PET) scan◦ Magnetic resonance imagery (MRI)◦ Functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI)◦ Hormonal levels◦ Chromosomal analysis


PET Scan PET Scan

Brain in REM Sleep

(horizontal view, nose on top)

Lightest areas have highest activity


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Behavioral ObservationsBehavioral ObservationsRecords the actual behavior of a

person

Types of behavioral observations◦Simple counts of a specific behavior◦Coding videotaped interactions◦Electronic pagers


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:InterviewsInterviewsUnstructured interviews

◦Typically yield rich information, but validity is questionable

Structured interviews◦More valid, but usually do not reveal

individual nuances


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Expressive BehaviorExpressive BehaviorThe analysis of how people

stand, move, speak, etc.

Includes the examination of:◦speech rate◦voice quality◦gaze patterns◦posture◦gestures


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Document Analysis/Life Document Analysis/Life StoriesStoriesInvolves the careful analysis of

writings such as letters and diaries

Can be a very rich source of information

Examples:◦Allport’s “Letters from Jenny”◦Terman’s analysis of Galton’s letters


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Projective TestsProjective Tests

Present an unstructured or ambiguous stimulus, task, or situation

Test-taker provides an interpretation◦The goal is to gain access to unconscious

motives and concernsExamples:

◦Draw-a-person test◦Rorschach Inkblot◦Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)


Projective Test Example: Projective Test Example: Draw-a-PersonDraw-a-Person

Drawing by a nine-year-old in response to the prompt “Draw a person”


Projective Test Example: Projective Test Example: InkblotInkblot

An inkblot stimulus similar to those used in the Rorschach Test.

The test-taker is asked, “What do you see?”


Types of Personality Types of Personality Measures:Measures:Demographics and LifestyleDemographics and Lifestyle

Uses information about a person’s age, place of birth, gender, family size, etc.

Can help researchers understand people based on their everyday lives


The Ethics of Personality The Ethics of Personality TestingTesting

Test results always contain some error◦However, this should not prevent

us from using personality testsDue to these errors, one must

be careful◦when interpreting test results◦when choosing how to apply the

results


Research DesignsResearch Designs

Common designs in personality research:◦Case Studies◦Correlational Studies◦Experimental Studies

Each has different benefits and drawbacks


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