Personality

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• Lecture 3.
• Personality
• and
• intelligence assessment

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Reference

• Murphy, K. R. Davidshofer, C. O. (1998).
  Psychological testing. Principles and
  applications International Edition (6/e). Upper
  Saddle River, N.J. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
  (chapters 1-12 and 15).

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Ravens Progressive Matrices (1962) answer key
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Ravens Progressive Matrices (1962) answer key
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Ravens Progressive Matrices (1962) answer key
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Ravens Progressive Matrices

• Versions
• Raven Standard Progressive Matrices
• average 6 to 80 year olds
• Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM)
• younger children and special groups
• Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM)
• - above average adolescents adults
• All three tests are measures of Spearman's g

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Nature of g in search for factors underlying
intelligence

• Charles Spearman
• Observed that people who are good at one type of
  thinking or cognition tend to do well in other
  types as well
• G factor
• Spearmans term for a general intellectual
  ability that underlies all mental operations to
  some degree
• Some of the correlations between subtexts are
  much higher than others
• These other abilities Spearman named s factors
  for specific abilities

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Advanced Progressive Matrices

• The Advanced Progressive Matrices, or "difficult"
  level test, spreads the scores of the top 20
  percent of the population.
• Applications include management selection
  (graduates), gifted education, and research on
  cognitive processes.
• The APM is divided into two tests Set I, a
  wide-range booklet with 12 problems, is used as a
  practice and screening test for Set II Set II, a
  36-problem series, is for use with persons of
  above-average intellectual ability.

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Coloured Progressive Matrices

• Printed in several colours, the Coloured
  Progressive Matrices is an "easy" level test that
  spreads the scores of the bottom 20 percent of
  the general population.
• It may be used with young children, mentally
  impaired adolescents, and the elderly.
• The CPM includes the two easiest item sets from
  the Standard Progressive Matrices, plus a dozen
  additional items of similar difficulty.
• The CPM is administered individually, although
  most children aged 8 and older can take the test
  in small groups.

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Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM)

• Description The Standard Progressive Matrices
  (SPM) was designed to measure a persons ability
  to form perceptual relations and to reason by
  analogy independent of language and formal
  schooling, and may be used with persons ranging
  in age from 6 years to adult.
• It is the first and most widely used of three
  instruments known as the Raven's Progressive
  Matrices.

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Age and Raven Standard Progressive Matrices
results
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Correlations between Raven Standard Progressive
Matrices and school grades (Polish sample)
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Parents education level and children s (511
1511) SPM results
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Education level and SPM results
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Chilrens (511 1511) place of living and SPM
results
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FCBTI answer key

• Briskness (Zwawosc)
• Yes 3, 29, 31, 34, 37, 49, 55, 94, 110, 114,
  115, 116, 119
• No 11, 36, 41, 57, 62, 83, 98
• Perseveration(Perseweratywnosc)
• Yes 2, 7, 9, 26, 32, 40, 46, 61, 78, 103, 107
• No 1, 15, 16, 19, 21, 24, 28, 47, 85
• Sensory sensitivity (Wrazliwosc sensoryczna)
• Yes 14, 17, 48, 51, 77, 93, 102, 112, 113
• No 8, 10, 23, 27, 30, 33, 45, 56, 100, 106,
  109,

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FCBTI answer key

• Emotional reactivity(Reaktywnosc emocjonalna)
• Yes6, 12, 25, 35, 43, 50, 63, 66, 68, 69, 74,
  91, 99
• No 39, 42, 44, 59, 70, 108, 120
• Endurance (Wytrzymalosc)
• Yes 60, 64, 79, 87, 90, 92, 95, 101, 117
• No 5, 38, 52, 58, 71, 72, 76, 80, 81, 82, 84
• Activity (Aktywnosc)
• Yes 13, 18, 20, 22, 53, 54, 67, 75, 86, 88,
  89, 96, 97, 104, 105, 111, 118
• No 4, 65, 73

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The Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT) - an
overview

• Theory primarily presented by Strelau about
  twenty year ago, has undergone several changes
• The current status of the RTT - described by nine
  postulates
• It ascribes temperament to formal characteristics
  of behavior present since early infancy in humans
  and animals, and underline the biological
  background of temperament characteristics as well
  as their possible changes due to biologically
  determined life-span variation and individual-
  specific interaction with the environment
• RTT underlines the functional significance of
  temperament characteristics especially under
  extreme demands

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The Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT) - an
overview

• the structure of temperament is described by six
  following traits briskness, perseverance,
  sensory sensitivity, emotional reactivity,
  endurance, and activity
• the location of RTT traits among dozens of other
  temperament and personality characteristics can
  be demonstrated by means of correlational and
  factor analytic studies
• a theoretical model of the "temperament-stress"
  aimed at examining the functional significance of
  temperamental characteristics as postulated by
  the RTT is constructed

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Temperament - definition

• Temperament refers to basic, relatively stable,
  personality traits expressed mainly in the formal
  (energetic and temporal) characteristics of
  reactions and behavior. These traits are present
  from early childhood and they have their
  counterparts in animals. Primarily determined by
  inborn biological mechanisms, temperament is
  subject to changes caused by maturation and
  individual-specific genotype-environment
  interplay
• (Strelau, 1998)

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Postulates of RTT

• 1. Temperament reveals itself in the formal
  characteristics of behavior. This statement,
  based on the conviction that for centuries formal
  traits of behavior have constituted the most
  frequently quoted feature that describes the
  nature of temperament, determined from the very
  beginning our way of studying temperament.

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Briskness (BR)

• tendency to react quickly, to keep a high tempo
  in performing activities, and to shift easily in
  response to changes in the surroundings from one
  behavior (reaction) to another

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Perseveration (PE)

• tendency to continue and to repeat behavior after
  cesation of stimuli (situations) evoking this
  behavior

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Sensory Sensitivity (SS)

• Ability to react to sensory stimuli of low
  stimulative value
• Pertains to different modalities

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Emotional Reactivity (ER)

• tendency to react intensively to
  emotion-generating stimuli, expressed in high
  emotional sensitivity and in low emotional
  endurance

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Endurance (EN)

• ability to react adequately in situations
  demanding long-lasting or high stimulative
  activity and under intense external stimulation

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Types of tests

• Criterion the form of recording the examinees
  behaviour (Cattell)
• Tests of performance
• Behavior observations
• Self-report

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Tests of Performance Referred to as "Tests of
Maximal Performance" Examinees are given a
well-defined task that they try to perform
successfully. Examinee must know what he/she
must do in response to the task. The subject
exerts maximal effort to succeed. Performance
tests are designed to uncover what an individual
can do, given the specific test conditions.
Examples - Intelligence Tests, language
proficiency - Biology test, flight simulator
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Self Report Instruments

• - Participant is asked to report his or her
  feelings, attitudes, beliefs, values.
• When self-report makes sense
• Self-report relies upon the test takers
  awareness and honesty.
• It is the best method to measure internal states
  - things only the person themselves can be aware
  of and judge.
• People are not always good judges of their
  ability
• Provides an estimate

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Self Report Instruments

• Many personality inventories such as the MMPI and
  the 16PF measures are based on self-report.
• Clinicians include self-report measures as part
  of their initial examinations of presenting
  clients.
• Self-Report measures are frequently subject to
  self-censorship.
• People know their responses are being measured
  and wish to be seen in a favorable light.
  (self-serving bias)
• Items are frequently included to measure the
  extent to which people provide socially desirable
  responses.

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Behaviour Observation Naturalistic
observation Involves observing the subjects
behaviour and responses in a particular
context. Differs from performance tests in that
the subject does not have a single, well defined
task. The observer can record duration
intensity Examples - Examiner might observe
children interacting or an individual having a
conversation or some other social interaction. -
Companies recruit observers to pose as
salespeople to observe employees behaviors.
Subjects may be unaware they are being tested.

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History of Test Development circa 1000 BC.
Chinese introduced written tests to help fill
civil service positions Civil Laws, Military
Affairs, Agriculture, Geography 1850 The United
States begins civil service examinations. 1885
Germans tested people for brain damage 1890
James Cattell develops a "mental test" to assess
college students . Test includes measures of
strength, resistance to pain, and reaction time.
1905 Binet-Simon scale of mental development
used to classify mentally retarded children in
France. 1914 World War I produces need in U.S.
to quickly classify incoming recruits. Army Alpha
test and Army Beta test developed. Looked at
psychopathology. 1916 Terman develops Stanford
- Binet test and develops the idea of
Intelligence Quotient
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History of Test Development 1920 - 1940 factor
analysis, projective tests, and personality
inventories first appear. 1941-1960 vocational
interest measures developed 1961-1980 item
response theory and neuropsychological testing
developed 1980 - Present Wide spread
adaptation of computerized testing. "Smart"
Tests which can give each individual different
test items develop
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Formal classification of tests

• One-dimensional tests (one-scale instruments)
  interpretation in terms of trait intensity
  (quantitative diagnosis) or typological
  (qualitative diagnosis).
• Multi-dimensional tests (multi-scales
  instruments) interpretation in terms of profile
  (model of parallel or hierarchical traits), which
  may lead to the typological or differential
  (within subject) diagnosis.

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Fig 1. The test scores, assessing the trait
intensity
Average score moderate trait intensity
Low score low trait intensity
High score high trait intensity
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Fig. 2. One-scale test scores, serving for
typological diagnosis
Test score similar to the upper group
Test score similar to the lower group
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Typological diagnosis of one-scales scores

• Typological (one-scale diagnosis) refers to the
  special one-type.
• Typological diagnosis may refer also to two-types
  classification
• abnormal (type I) normal abnormal (type
  II, opposite to type I)
• Blocks concept of personality types, based on
  the dimension of self-control overcontrolled
  (inhibited) type vs underconstrolled (impulsive)
  type (normal type of personality is between
  clinical types).

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Fig. 3. Multi-scale test scores, serving for
profile diagnosis (parallel traits)
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Multi-scale test scores (hierarchical model with
parallel subtraits) - Conscientiousness in FFM
Conscientiousness
Dutifulness
Competence
Order
Deliberation
Self Discipline
Achievement Striving
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Differential diagnosis of the test profile

• Comparisons of the scales within one subject,
  like comparison between verbal IQ and nonverbal
  IQ (strictly quantitative assessment).

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The history of well-known tests

• 1905 Binet Simon the first intelligence
  scale
• 1906 Heymans Wiersma the first personality
  assessment (peer-rating)
• 1917 Woodworth the first personality inventory
  (psychopathology)
• 1927-1934 Strong/Kuder the first vocational
  inventories

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The history of well-known tests

• 1939 Wechsler Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence
  Scale (1997 - WAIS-III)
• 1943 Hathaway McKinley Minnesota
  Multiphasic Personality Inventory (1989 - MMPI
  2)
• 1949 Cattell 16 PF (Personality Factors)
• 1950 - 1990 - Eysenckian inventories
• 1990 2000 Big Five inventories (Costa
  McCrae).

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Journals presenting tests (and psychometric
problems)

• Psychometrika
• Educational and Psychological Measurement
• Applied Psychological Measurement
• Journal of Educational Measurement
• Journal of Educational Psychology
• Journal of Applied Psychology
• Personnel Psychology
• Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

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Advantages and disadvantages of the tests
Tests represent the best, fairest, and the
most accurate technology available for making
many important decisions about individuals, but
at a time the psychological testing is highly
controversial (Murphy Davidshofer, 1989, p.
2).
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Ethical (controversial) aspects of testing

• The impact of testing on society (artificial or
  real differences, efficiency or equity, helping
  or hurting people)
• Invasion of privacy (information about private
  life, problem of confidentiality and informed
  consent)
• The fair use of tests (the equal availability of
  the test material testing disabled examinees).

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Traits The gist

• Personal (internal) rather than situational
  (external)
• Stable rather than transitory (across time)
• Consistent rather than inconsistent (across
  similar situations)
• General rather than specific (across different
  situations)
• Universal dimensions Individual differences
  (across people)

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Traits

• Traits broad dispositions to act in specific
  ways
• disposition tendency (e.g., people with high
  anxiety tend to avoid threatening experiences)
• broad abstraction (not specific instance
  adjectives (helpful) rather than verbs (help)

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Traits

• abstractions based on common features (e.g.,
  extraversion)
• hypothetical can not observed/measured directly
  ? need to translate trait into something
  measurable (behavior)

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Traits are

• 1. Dimensional (ordering of people) not
  categorical
• 2. Hypothetical (not observable)
• 3. Causal (internal) or Descriptive (summaries)
• Organized in a system
• 5. Consistent over settings and time

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Measuring Traits

• Hypothetical nature of trait - can not know with
  absolute certainty measure is tapping intended
  trait
• Many measures of same trait
• All with error variance not due to trait
  (different types of measure have different
  sources of error)

Trait
Measure
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Traits and individual differences attenuated by

• Strong situational constraints
• Trait combinations
• Trait conflicts
• Other traits
• Motives
• Temporary moods
• Roles

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Intelligence Tests Today

• The Weschler Test (WAIS-IIIR)
• 14 subtests
• 7 subtests make up verbal intelligence
• 6 subtests make up performance intelligence

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The Weschler Test (WAIS-IIIR)
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What is the WAIS measuring?

• Verbal IQ Score
• Measure of acquired knowledge, verbal reasoning
  and attention to verbal materials
• Performance IQ score
• Measure spatial processing, attentiveness to
  detail and visual motor integration

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What is the WAIS measuring?

• Verbal Comprehension
• Measure of verbal acquired knowledge and verbal
  reasoning
• Working Memory
• Measures how one attends to, holds and processes
  information briefly.

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What is the WAIS measuring?

• Perceptual Organization
• Measures spatial processing and attentiveness to
  detail
• Processing Speed
• Measures ability to process visual information
  quickly