Individual Differences Psychology

7 Key excerpts on "Individual Differences Psychology"

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  eBook - ePub

  Personality and Individual Differences

  • Bere Mahoney(Author)
  • 2011(Publication Date)
  • Learning Matters

    (Publisher)

  intelligence are sometimes used to describe the field. Indeed, terms such as personality psychology, intelligence, differential psychology and Individual Differences Psychology are related, and are used interchangeably by some researchers (Lubinski, 2000 ). However, some researchers use these terms in ways that have more distinct meanings. For example, these different terms can indicate the phenomena researchers focus on, or their theoretical and methodological approach to the field.

  In this book, a broad and inclusive approach to the field is taken – what has been described as whole person psychology (Caprara and Cervone, 2000 ). This approach assumes that a necessary aim of Individual Differences Psychology should be the identification of what individual differences look like , for example by describing their apparent structure. However, this approach also assumes that such a focus on describing individual differences – referred to here as the what of individual differences – is insufficient for achieving whole person psychology. What is also necessary is the study of determinants – referred to here as the why of individual differences – and functions – referred to here as the how of individual differences. In other words, Individual Differences Psychology should study the what, why and how of individual differences phenomena. We refer to them here as the 3-dimensions or 3-ds , and the approach taken here is one that attempts to consider the field as one that needs to be 3-dimensional . Achieving an understanding of these 3-ds means focusing not merely on describing individual differences but also on understanding the processes and functions of individual differences phenomena. Therefore, in Chapter 9 , once we have examined the main topic areas of the field in Chapters 2 to 8 , we will return to this issue and you will be asked to consider, critically, how 3-dimensional Individual Differences Psychology is. It is important that we clarify what we mean by the terminology we use here. The term Individual Differences Psychology and the related term individual differences are used here to capture the assumptions about the aims of the field used in this book. The use of these terms is also both pragmatic and descriptive . These terms have a pragmatic usefulness because they are readily identifiable in the content of the British Psychological Society’s syllabi for undergraduate and postgraduate courses it accredits. Furthermore, the terms also feature heavily in undergraduate and graduate level textbooks, journal articles and journal titles, and are therefore useful search terms. Finally, the terms have descriptive value as researchers often refer to individual differences

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  Personality and Individual Differences

  • Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic(Author)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • BPS Blackwell

    (Publisher)

  This makes individual differences a unique area in psychology. Whereas most psychological theories pretty much assume that everybody is the same and hence attempt to identify the universal aspects of human behavior, individual difference theories are concerned with differences between people, or what makes everyone unique. For example, cognitive psychologists may try to explain the processes underlying short-term memory, whereas intelligence researchers may explain why some people have better short-term memory than others (Deary, 2001). Social psychologists may explain obedience to authority (Milgram, 1963), while personality theories may tell us why some people are more obedient than others (Adorno et al., 1950). Educational psychologists may assess the impact of anxiety on learning (Darke, 1988), whereas personality researchers may assess an individual’s likelihood of experiencing anxiety (Zeidner, 1998). Neuropsychologists may test whether recreational drugs, such as Ecstasy, have long-term effects on individuals’ level of aggressiveness, whereas dif- ferential psychologists may investigate which individuals are more likely to use recreational drugs and why (Zuckerman, 1994). The goal of individual difference researchers, then, is to identify the most general aspects underlying individuality and conceptualize a theoretical classi- fication for predicting differences and similarities in human thought, emotion- ality, and behavior. Simply put, individual difference researchers are concerned with explaining how and why people are different from one another, and aim to achieve a wide understanding of the psychological processes that determine such differences. Throughout this chapter, I introduce the topic of individual differences from the perspective of real-life problems.

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  Chess and Individual Differences

  • Angel Blanch(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Cambridge University Press

    (Publisher)

  Chess has also been suggested as an ideal model environment for the study of individual differences in the acquisition and development of expertise (Chabris, 2017; Charness, 1992; Gobet, 2016; van der Maas & Wagenmakers, 2005). In this view, studying individual differences in chess can contribute to unearthing how, when, and why humans differ when involved in a complex intellectual endeavour. Differential psychology is a useful conceptual and methodological approach to address such a different class of questions from those addressed so far from a cognitive psychology approach (Revelle, Wilt, & Condon, 2011). A considerable body of research within several fields and subfields of neurosciences and behavioural sciences advocates for the crucial significance of individual differences in explaining human behaviour. Several studies point out that there are consistent associations between brain anatomy 38 and functioning and inter-individual differences in motor behaviour and learning, perception, higher-level cognition, and intelligence and personality (Kanai & Rees, 2011). Furthermore, individual differences in core psycho- logical constructs such as intelligence, personality, and vocational interests account for meaningful variations in a vast array of behaviours that are readily observable and of cardinal importance for contemporary society (Lubinski, 2000). This chapter is divided into three main sections. The first, on the character- ization and appraisal of individual differences, describes the object of study and kinds of questions addressed by differential psychology, the definition and classification of psychological traits, and the main research designs in the field.

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  Psychology of Education

  Theory, Research and Evidence-Based Practice

  • Janet Lord(Author)
  • 2022(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications

    (Publisher)

  The branch of psychology known as individual differences is recognised by the British Psychological Society (BPS), the professional organisation for psychologists, as a core area in the study of psychology. Individual differences as an area differs from the other branches of psychology in that it is primarily concerned not with how we act and behave, but how each of us differs from one another. Through the study of our individual differences, psychologists and educators hope to gain an understanding of why some people are reserved whereas others are outgoing, why some of us struggle in education while others find it easier to progress. In other words, what are the individual differences that make us unique?

  In this chapter we shall explore two key aspects of individual differences highly related to education – namely intelligence and personality. Both are commonly seen to impact a student’s progress in education but are often not labelled as such.

  Critical question 

  Thinking back to your own education, were you ever described as a shy/outgoing/confident student who excels/struggles with English/maths? How might this relate to your individual differences and academic journey?

  Genetic make-up

  In humans, genetic variation starts with an egg, approximately 100 million sperm and fertilisation. The egg and the sperm each contain 23 chromosomes. Chromosomes are long strings of genetic material known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In each chromosome, sequences of DNA make up genes that control or partially control several characteristics, known as traits, such as eye colour. Each parent contributes half the genetic information carried by their offspring.

  The physical characteristics of the offspring (phenotype) are determined by the interaction of genetic material provided by the parents (genotype). A person’s genotype is the genetic make-up of that individual. A phenotype refers to the organism’s physical characteristics. For example, having blue eyes is a phenotype; lacking the gene for brown eyes (and so having blue eyes) is a genotype.

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  Evolutionary Psychology

  An Introduction

  • Lance Workman, Will Reader(Authors)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Cambridge University Press

    (Publisher)

  A great deal of research in psychology has focused on differences among individuals. Psychologists have been particularly interested in individual differences in personality and intelligence, investigat- ing the underlying causes of these differences and how they might affect other aspects of life such as career development, success in relationships and susceptibility to mental illness. Evolutionary psychology with its focus on ultimate questions asks a different question. What is the function, if any, of individual differences? Why, for example, are some people sensation-seeking extraverts while others are timid stay-at-home introverts? Why are some people smart and others less so? One answer could be that these characteristics reflect differences in upbringing; that they are the result of environmental rather than genetic differences. Intelligent individuals were given more educa- tional opportunities than less intelligent individuals; extraverts were encouraged to be bold and so on. But this cannot be the whole story. Research has shown that many of these traits are heritable, suggesting that at least some of the variation in the aforementioned characteristics is down to the effects of genes. But this poses another problem. We know that natural selection promotes certain genes over others by virtue of their superior phenotypic effects, thereby reducing genetic variability in a species, so why haven’t all of these genetic differences been removed from the gene pool? Is there some hidden benefit in having variability in personality and intelligence within our species? This chapter focuses on these (and other) questions, and in doing so it draws on material covered in previous chapters and points the way to the future of evolutionary psychology; an evolutionary psychology that views genes as dynamic, shaping the phenotype using decision rules that act upon environmental information.

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  The SAGE Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

  • Steven G. Rogelberg(Author)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications, Inc

    (Publisher)

  Individual Differences Individual Differences

  Rose Mary Webb Rose Mary Webb Webb, Rose Mary

  701 706

  Individual Differences

  Rose Mary Webb

  Individuals differ from one another behaviorally in many ways. Differential psychology, the scientific study of these individual differences, provides an organizational structure for this vast array of psychological attributes. By examining broad behavioral patterns and using systematic assessments of relatively stable personal attributes, differential psychology allows longitudinal forecasting of a variety of important life outcomes. Because much of the research in this area focuses particular attention on predicting long-term life outcomes, and because work is such a large and important feature of adult life, the relationships between many commonly investigated individual difference constructs and various aspects of work behavior (e.g., educational-vocational choice, acquisition of job-related knowledge, job performance, job satisfaction, citizenship, tenure) are well understood.

  Methodological Considerations

  Traditionally, the measurement of individual differences has relied on psychometric scales based on the aggregation of many items. Because any single item on a scale represents only a sliver of information about a personal attribute, aggregation is used to create a composite of several lightly correlated items. This approach distills the communality running through the items and constitutes highly reliable and useful information about the human characteristic under analysis.

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  An Outline of Psychology as Applied to Medicine

  • John Weinman(Author)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Butterworth-Heinemann

    (Publisher)

  This in turn can provide a valuable basis for treatment since it is possible to specify highly individualized aims for a treatment programme by relating to the special needs of an individual. Against this it must be argued that the means for studying and evaluating individual cognitions are still relatively poorly developed and in some ways are rather woolly. Moreover, cognitive approaches can run into difficulties in the research context since there can be problems in comparing individual ways of perceiving the world. However, this difficulty has been to some degree overcome by the techniques evolved in association with the Personal Construct Theory. d. Biological theories Biological theories attempt to explain individual differences in terms of underlying physiological mechanisms. In older times efforts were made to characterize personality types in terms of 'bodily humours'. Others sought to differentiate individuals by differences in the size and shape of their heads. Not surprisingly, these rather simple physiological and anatomical correlates do not appear to be related in any consistent way to differences in behaviour. In more recent times there have been attempts to relate personality to body build and although the original research workers claimed a high degree of correlation, more thorough subsequent work has diminished the strength of these claims. However one influential theorist, Eysenck, has attempted to describe dimensions of personality in terms of properties of nervous system functioning. Eysenck believes that individual differences in personality can be primarily accounted for by three unrelated dimensions which he has called extroversion-in-troversion, neuroticism and psychoticism. The extroversion-introversion dimen-sion refers to the sociability and degree of caution shown in behaviour. Extroverts are outgoing and impulsive while introverts are more withdrawn and cautious.

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