Assignment
Theories:
1. Biology of Personality
2. Evolutionary Psychology
3. Behaviorism and Learning
4. Humanism and Positive Psychology
5. Trait Theories and The Big Five
6. Situationist Theory
7. Person x Situation Interaction Theory
8. Self-Discrepancy Theory
I. Name and discuss two criticisms of psychoanalysis. Be thoughtful and thorough here. (Psychoanalysis)
II. Discuss specific evidence for a biological basis of personality. This question is intentionally broad, and there are a lot of different pieces of evidence you could use here. Be thorough in the pieces you choose to maximize your score. (Biological Aspects)
III. Describe the ideal instrument for measuring personality. Here, justify your choices on length, reporting format, and response format. (Personality Assessment)
IV. What is predictive validity? Define it and then describe how one trait demonstrates it. (Personality Assessment)
V. Give TWO specific examples of how a personality trait might interact with a situational feature to predict a specific behavior or outcome. Your grade on this question will depend on whether it's clear that you understand interactionist theory. (Situations)
VI. The slides on trait theory discuss various issues/limitations with the Big Five theory. Name and describe TWO of them here. (Trait Theory)
VII. What are some things that personality psychologists still need to research and investigate to get a clearer picture of how personality operates to drive behavior?
VIII. Provide an example of how the predictions made by evolutionary psychology might not be relevant today (in the 21st century). Be clear and specific in your answer. (Evolutionary Theory)
IX. Apply one theory of personality to explain/solve a real-life challenge in 2022.
You'll be required to answer one of them. Answers to these questions should be about 300-500 words long.
I. Given the criteria for a good theory discussed during the first week of the course, which of the 7 theories that we discussed is the "best" theory? Make sure to touch on as many of the criteria for a good theory as possible to maximize your score on this question.
II. Given everything we've done this term, should employers and universities be using personality instruments to make decisions about hiring and admissions? Why or why not? Be clear and specific in your answer, and use your science hat (not your sales hat).
Format your assignment according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.