01:830:338 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Stanford Prison Experiment

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: 01:830:338
• Professor: Professor Lyra Stein

Document Summary

Most research within the trait approach relies on correlational designs: traits should be able to predict behavior. The trait approach focuses exclusively on individual differences: does not measure how much of a trait someone is. Instead, measures the degree to which a person might be more or less of a trait relative to someone else --> comparisons. Is one of the approaches" strengths --> assesses and attempts to understand how ppl differ: weakness: neglects aspects of personality common to all ppl & how each person is unique. Theorists differ in agreeing whether traits simply describe how a person acts, are the sum of everything a person has learned, are biological structures, or combine all these concepts. The problem is that: ppl are inconsistent --> personality traits are not the only factors that control behavior. Ppl differ in amts of traits, and diffs can be accurately measured.