How Personality is Studied and Assessed

RESEARCH METHODS
Case Studies
In depth study of an individual

Correlational Studies
Assess degree of relationship between two variables
Positive correlation; Negative correlation
Correlation does not equal causation

Experimental Studies
Allow for inferences about causality
Independent variable; Dependent variable

Types of Personality Measures:Self-Report Tests
Usually pencil and paper tests

Most common type of test
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI)

Objective Assessment: -Measurement that is not dependent on a judgment by the individual making the assessment
Weaknesses
Does not allow for details or rich impressions from individuals
Strengths
More reliable, less biased

Subjective Assessment:
Measurement that relies on interpretation

Weaknesses
Different observers may make different judgments
Strengths
Complex phenomena may be examined and valuable insight gained

Types of Personality Measures:Projective Tests:

Provides an unstructured stimulus, task, or situation to which the person responds
The goal is to gain access to unconscious motives and concerns of the individual

Examples:
Rorschach Inkblot
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Draw a person
Example: Inkblot
Example: TAT=Make up a story about this picture, including what will happen next
TAT: attempts to see how a person places order on a vague stimulus

Types of Personality Measures:Expressive Behavior:
The analysis of how people stand, move, speak, etc.

Includes the examination of:
Speech rate gaze patterns posture gestures

Types of Personality Measures: Interviews:
Unstructured interviews
Typically yield rich information, but validity is questionable

Structured interviews
More valid, but usually do not reveal individual nuances
(e.g., SCID – Structured Clinical Interview)

Types of Personality Measures:Judgments by Others:
Someone else answers questions about the