PSY100 class (( Measuring Personality ))

Writing Assignment 5: Measuring Personality Through Self-Report

(Chapter 10)

This assignment gives you a chance to apply what you have learned about the science of psychology by assessing aspects of your own personality. By completing this assignment, you will be meeting aspects of several course goals including understanding the science of psychology and demonstrating your ability to apply your knowledge to your own ideas and experiences.

Instructions: Write a short paper addressing all parts of the assignment described below. This option asks you to critically reflect on the practice of measuring personality through paper and pencil surveys. You will be using what you know about the scientific method and personality to think about this topic. It will also require some self-reflection.

Due date*: Tuesday, November 11th

(*Working on this paper before Exam 3 may be beneficial to you as it can help you comprehend information relevant to the exam.)

A. BEFORE you begin writing, do the following:

1. Develop a hypothesis predicting how you would score on an assessment of the “Big Five” personality traits.

2. Take and score the personality inventory attached to this assignment.

B. When ready to WRITE, include the following information in your paper:

1. Your hypothesis and your reasoning for the predictions you made.

2. Your results. For each of the five personality traits, do 2 things: (i) interpret your score (i.e., what does it say about that aspect of your personality?); and (ii) evaluate your hypothesis (i.e., do your findings support or disprove it?)

3. A critical evaluation of self-report as a way to assess personality. How valid do you think this form of assessment is when trying to measure personality? What examples of your own personality and behavior support your findings? What examples disconfirm your findings? How honest were you when completing the survey? What biases might affect your results (e.g., confirmation or social desirability)? What are other or better ways to measure personality traits?

Personality Inventory

Rate the following items using the scale below:

Strongly Strongly

Disagree Neutral Agree

1 2 3 4 5

1. I often feel inferior to others.

2. When I am under a great deal of stress, sometimes I feel like I’m going to pieces.

3. I often feel tense and jittery.

4. Sometimes I feel completely worthless.

5. I often get angry at the way people treat me.

6. Too often when things go wrong, I get discouraged and I feel like giving up.

7. I often feel helpless and want someone else to solve my problems.

8. At times I have been so ashamed I wanted to hide.

9. I like to have a lot of people around me.

10. I laugh easily.

11. I really enjoy talking to people.

12. I like to be where the action is.

13. I often feel as if I’m bursting with energy.

14. I am a cheerful high-spirited person.

15. My life is fast paced.

16. I am a very active person

17. I like to waste my time daydreaming.

18. I am intrigued by the patterns I find in art and nature.

19. I believe letting students hear controversial speakers will open their minds to new ideas.

20. I often try new and foreign foods.

21. Sometimes when I am reading poetry or looking at a work of art, I feel a chill or a wave of excitement.

22. I have a lot of interest in speculating on the nature of the universe or the human condition.

23. I have a lot of intellectual curiosity

24. I often enjoy playing with theories or abstract ideas.

25. I try to be courteous to everyone I meet.

26. Most people think I am not selfish or egotistical.

27. I would rather cooperate with others than compete with them. .

28. I believe that very few people will take advantage of you if you let them.

29. Most people I know like me.

30. Some people think of me as warm and accepting.

31. I am not hard-headed and tough minded in my attitudes.

32. I generally try to be thoughtful and considerate.

33. I keep my belongings neat and clean.

34. I am pretty good at pacing myself so I as to get things done on time.

35. I try to perform all the tasks assigned to me conscientiously.

36. I have a clear set of goals and work toward them in an orderly fashion.

37. I work hard to accomplish all my goals

38. When I make a commitment, I can always be counted on to follow through.

39. I am a productive person who always gets the job done.

40. I strive for excellence in everything I do.

Use the answer key on the next page to score your survey.

Answer Key

Add up your ratings for each section, as indicated below. Higher scores indicate more of that trait.

Q’s 1-8 assess Neuroticism

Q’s 9-16 assess Extraversion

Q’s 17-24 assess Openness

Q’s 25-32 assess Agreeableness

Q’s 33-40 assess Conscientiousness

HIGH levels of each trait range from 28-40

NEUTRAL/AVERAGE scores range from 17-27

LOW levels range from 8- 16