Individual Differences

1. A case of Multiple Personality (1954) Thigpen, H.C and Cleckley, H. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 49, 135-151 Individual Differences EVALUATION

3. Why did Thigpen and Cleckley decide that Eve did not have Schizophrenia?

4. 1. Method: Case study What is a case study? Why is this study a case study?

5. 1. Method: Case Study

6. 1. Method: Longitudinal What is a longitudinal study? Why was this study longitudinal?

7. 1. Method: Longitudinal

8. 1. Method: Self-Report What is Self-Report Why is this study Self-Report?

9. 1. Method: Self-Report

10. 1. Method: Observation What is an observation? Why is this study observational?

11. 1. Method: Observation

12. 2. Sample How do we define a sample? What is the sample in this study?

13. 2. Sample

14. 3. Data collection What is data? Why do psychologists need to collect data?

15. 3. Data: Qualitative

16. 3. Data: Quantitative

17. 4. Reliability This refers to whether the findings are consistent over time and within scores • Is this the case or was Eve just a skilled actress? • What aspects of the study were reliable? • How could we make the study more reliable in future?

18. 4. Reliability Are findings consistent over time? • Test-retest method: Are findings consistent over scores? • Use of more than one rater • Use split-half method

19. 5. Validity

20. 6. Suggested Changes If you were doing the study now are there any changes that you would make and why?

21. 6. Debates • Determinism Vs Free Will • Reductionism Vs Holism • Nature-Nurture • Ethnocentrism • Psychology as a science • The usefulness of Psychological Research

22. 6c. Nature versus nurture Is Eve’s situation a result of nature or nurture? • Nature: • Nurture:

23. 6d. Ethnocentric bias Diagnosis of MPD is more prevalent in USA than anywhere else. Why do you think this might be?

24. 6f. Individual versus situational approach • Is Eve living up to the expectancies of the situation? • Are the researchers putting ideas of different personalities in her mind?

25. 6g. Usefulness of the research • What institutions in society would benefit from this information? • Can the study be generalised beyond the research setting? • Is the study robust, scientific, representative?

26. 6g. Usefulness of the research • Findings showed support for the origins of MPD being the result of traumatic childhood experiences and therefore increased understanding of both this disorder and the effects of negative physical and emotional experiences. • However, both BPS and the Royal College of Physicians warn that therapists can easily encourage false memories of childhood abuse and that the memories of patients with dissociation may be unreliable. • Diagnosis has been used successfully as a legal defence, on occasions. However, the used of MPD as a legal defence remains an controversial issue.

27. 7. Issues • Ethics • Ecological Validity • Longitudinal-Snapshot • Qualitative & Quantitative Data

28. 7a. Ethical Issues What does ethics refer to? Why do we need ethical guidelines for psychological research?

29. Protection of participants • Withdrawal – Eve Black didn’t want to take part in Thigpen and Cleckley’s investigation but was bribed to if she wanted more time “out”. • Consent • It is not known if either Eve White or Eve Black gave consent to widely publicize her case study • Giving Advice • Thigpen and Cleckley’s solution to Eve’s multiple personality disorder was to encourage another character Jane to take over, this might not have been the correct decision.

30. 7a. Ethical issues in this study

31. 7b. Ecological Validity

32. 7c. Longitudinal-Snapshot

33. 7d. Qualitative & Quantitative Data

34. 8. Suggested Changes If you were doing the study now are there any changes that you would make and why?