PSYC 2130 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Trait Theory, Walter Mischel, Personality Psychology

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2130
• Professor: Christa Philips

Document Summary

Personality- chapter 4- personality traits, situations, and behavior. Psychologists who follow the trait approach begin with common sense and ordinary words. Personality psychology and everyday human observation are in some ways not so different. Both seek to characterize people using similar kinds of terms and it is even possible to compare one approach to the other. Almost all research within the trait approach relies on correlational designs. The trait approach focuses exclusively on individual differences. Example, the trait approach seeks to measure the degree to which a person might be more or less dominant, sociable, or nervous than someone else. Assumes that in some real sense people are their traits. Casual observation, there, is sufficient to confirm that personality traits are not the only factors that (cid:272)o(cid:374)t(cid:396)ol a(cid:374) i(cid:374)di(cid:448)idual"s (cid:271)eha(cid:448)io(cid:396); situatio(cid:374)s (cid:373)atte(cid:396) as (cid:449)ell. This is because situations vary per the people who are present and the implicit rules that apply.