Methods of measuring personality

Methods of Measuring Personality

_Questionnaires and Inventories

  • Questionnaires are commonly used in psychology to measure personality traits.
  • One popular method is the Eysenck Personality Inventory, which measures the traits of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.
  • Cattell’s 16 Personality Factor model offers a more detailed analysis by considering a larger range of traits.
  • Consider that the effectiveness of these questionnaires relies on the honesty and self-awareness of the respondent.

_Interviews

  • Interviews provide a more personal method of assessment, allowing the psychologist to gain in-depth information.
  • This method allows for adaptation and follow-up questions, providing a fuller understanding of the personality.
  • However, interviews may also introduce researcher bias and the results can be influenced by the interviewer’s interpretations.

_Observation

  • Observation involves watching a subject in a certain environment and noting their behaviour.
  • This method may be naturalistic, occurring in the subject’s normal environment, or controlled, taking place in an artificial setting.
  • Observation provides data on actual behaviour, but may fail to take into account internal factors influencing the behaviour.

_Projective Tests

  • Projective tests present ambiguous stimuli and ask the individual to interpret them, revealing aspects of the unconscious mind.
  • A popular example is the Rorschach Inkblot Test, where individuals are asked to interpret ambiguous inkblot images.
  • Some psychologists question the validity and reliability of projective tests, due to their subjective nature.

_Psychophysiological Measures

  • These measures profile the bodily systems to investigate the physiological foundations of personality traits.
  • A common method is observing brain patterns through EEG or a MRI scan.
  • Techniques like heartbeat and blood pressure tracking can offer insights into traits like stress response and anxiety.

Each method allows different insights into personality and the fitness of each approach depends on the purpose of the test. Therefore, psychologists often use a combination of methods for a comprehensive understanding.