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State versus Trait

State versus Trait. Lecture Plan. What are traits? What are states? How are they measured? Theories of states Biological basis of states Associations of states and traits. Nomothetic Personality is described in terms of shared attributes Establish universal laws of human functioning.

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State versus Trait

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  1. State versus Trait

  2. Lecture Plan • What are traits? • What are states? • How are they measured? • Theories of states • Biological basis of states • Associations of states and traits

  3. Nomothetic Personality is described in terms of shared attributes Establish universal laws of human functioning Idiographic Describe a portrait of the person Understand the functioning of a specific individual Two major approaches

  4. What are traits? • What do we know about traits? • Who are the major proponents of trait theory? • What are some of the key criteria of traits?

  5. States • Transient: but what does this mean? • milliseconds, hours, days, months, years? • When can it be categorised as a state eg a mood disorder and when can it be categorised as a trait eg a personality disorder? • A person can be low on emotionality (Neuroticism) but still become anxious • Are there criteria for differentiating state and trait?

  6. States • Short lasting • Temporary feeling • Moods

  7. Zuckerman’s Proposal • Test-retest reliability. High for traits, low for states • Two trait measures of the same construct should correlate more highly together than they do with a single state measure. • A trait measure should not fluctuate due to a transient change in conditions. • Trait and state measures which measure the same construct (such as anxiety) should correlate to a low level, though if these state measures are averaged they should correlate with the trait measure to a moderate degree.

  8. Potential Problems • Can we truly measure a trait without measuring state and vice versa? • Do traits predict states or vice versa?

  9. Measurement of state • Very similar to trait • What differences? • Test-retest • Response for ‘now’ ‘few weeks’ ‘past month’ • What moods can you name?

  10. Mood Dimensions • Researchers have tended to focus on one aspect of mood • Two or three dimensions • Two dimensional model – Tellegen and Watson • Positive affect • Negative affect • Test instrument PANAS • Thayer – Activation-Deactivation Adjective Checklist (AD-ACL) • Energetic arousal • Tense Arousal • Matthews 3 dimensions • Test instrument UWIST MACL • Energetic arousal • Tense arousal • Hedonic Tone

  11. States and Situations • Moods can be changed • Situation • Mood induction • Biochemical changes

  12. Validity of mood dimensions • Factors have been shown to affect these dimensions of mood • Drugs, biological rhythm, life events • If you have a bar of chocolate and a can of coke in the afternoon – what do you think this will do to your energetic arousal? • Or how about exercise?

  13. Experimental manipulations • Experimental induction of hypoglycaemia in the lab – can increase tense arousal and reduce energetic arousal

  14. Relationships between personality and mood • Much of the research in this area deals with traits • Two main traits associated with mood – Extraversion and Neuroticism • What do you think these relationships will be?

  15. Five Factor Model

  16. Assessment • How would you go about assessing the relationships between personality and mood?

  17. Time frame of measurement • Across what length of time would you measure mood? • How do you think that this will affect the results? • Why?

  18. Neuroticism and mood:in healthy controls Mood Neuroticism

  19. Extraversion • What do you expect to find for Extraversion?

  20. Experimental Studies • Velten – Blackburn et al (1990) • Assessed relationship between Neuroticism and level of negative mood induction • Extraversion - no difference on negative mood • Mood induction Larsen and Ketelaar (1991) imagine positive events, neutral events, negative events • Extraversion more effect from positive on positive mood • N with negative on negative mood

  21. Personality and mood disorders • Patients with depression have > N scores compared to healthy controls and those in remission from depression (Roy, 1990). • Patients in remission have > N scores compared to healthy controls (Roy, 1990). • High Neuroticism scores predict depression in never ill controls (Kendler, 1993).

  22. Our Study • What did we do? • What can we assess? • What tests would be do?

  23. What are the other theories that we have discussed so far?

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