Module 3

Learning Objectives

· Analyze trait theories of personality

· Evaluate research on personality traits

· Examine issues of ethics in trait research studies

· Review foundational research in personality psychology to prepare a draft of a scholarly literature review

· Analyze how the field of personality psychology and research has evolved over time

· Evaluate how ethical issues in personality psychology research have been addressed historically

Module at a Glance

This is the recommended plan for completing the reading assignments and activities within the module. Additional information can be found in the module Reading and Resources section and in the task list.

1. Read Chapters 7 and 8 in the textbook and watch the video The Power of Introverts.

2. Write an initial post in the discussion. Remember to respond to your classmates on the discussion topic later in the week.

3. Submit Final Project Milestone One: Literature Review Draft.

Reading and Resources

Required Resources Textbook:  Personality: Theory and Research , Chapters 7 and 8 Chapter 7 covers the trait theories of personality, including the theories of Allport, Eysenck, and Cattell. Chapter 8 covers the five-factor model and evaluates the trait theories. In addition to reading these chapters, you may also want to reread pp. 245–248 if you need a refresher on the applications of the Big Five model, which you read about in Module One. These readings support this module’s discussion. Textbook:  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , Sections 1.6, 2.4, 2.5, and 2.27 Section 1.6, “Literature Review Articles,” provides a summary of typical literature review articles. The readings from Chapter 2—Section 2.4, “Title,” Section 2.5, “Author Name (Byline),” and Section 2.27, “Heading Levels”—provide information on the elements of writing a paper in APA format, which you will use in your final project papers. These readings support Final Project Milestone One. Video: The Power of Introverts (19:04) This TED Talk by Susan Cain discusses the importance of the trait of introversion and advocates adopting an attitude in which we value diversity in traits. This resource supports this module’s discussion.

Website: American Psychological Association - Ethics In addition to the resource you reviewed in the Module 2 discussion, browse this resource to become more familiar with ethical considerations for research. In contrast, the following two examples discuss studies that show experiments that were conducted, but today are recognized as horrific and unethical: Little Albert and The Tuskegee Experiment. PDF: Literature Review Basics This document outlines the requirements of the literature review that you will complete for this course. This resource supports Final Project Milestone One. PDF: Literature Review Example This sample literature review will demonstrate how to write your own literature reviews in this module. These will be adapted literature reviews that are more basic than a full literature review. This resource supports Final Project Milestone One. Document: Literature Review Template Use this template to write your own literature reviews in this module. This resource supports Final Project Milestone One. Additional Support (Optional)

Webpage: Purdue OWL Reference Page Information This webpage from the Purdue Online Writing Lab describes how to properly format references from a variety of sources in proper APA style. This resource is optional but supports Final Project Milestone One as well as the content of the course as a whole.