Psychology 2550A/B Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Psychological Repression, Rorschach Test
27 Apr 2015
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Psych 2550 personality theory and research notes. Personality psychology= branch of psych that identifies and studies the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that make a person unique: on individual differences. Constructs= complex, abstract concepts w no standard unit of measurement: not actually concrete materials in visible world, e. g. anger, intelligence, sense of humor, assessed indirectly through observation of relevant behaviours and responses. Operationalization= process of defining the measurement of a construct: different studies may operationalize the same construct in different ways, e. g. two studies could measure same construct but diff through anger, key part of study of personality. Scientific method= systematically gather evidence to test specific theories: set of techniques used to acquire new knowledge, personality requires understanding of statistics etc. Investigation should address specific hypotheses: once developed then tested, experimental approach is only one that could lead to causal result. Theory= well substantiated explanation of some aspect of personality. Theories are equally important: psychoanalytic, trait, behaviorist.
