Psychology, conceptual confusion, and disquieting situationism: Response to Lamiell (2018)

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Banicki
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Interdisciplinary Project ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Conceptual Confusion

In response to Lamiell’s (2018) commentary arising from my claim that both character and personality belong to “the discourse of individual differences” (Banicki, 2017, p. 56) some further clarifications are provided. At first, an interdisciplinary project lying behind my original article is sketched and the phrase “ individual differences” elucidated as having a non-technical meaning far broader than that connected with individual differences as a specific psychological research paradigm. Then, in turn, Lamiell’s criticism of the notion that the latter can serve as a sole ground for personality psychology is briefly summarised. An attempt is made to simultaneously emphasise the conceptual and logical depth of this criticism and to put into question some of its far-reaching consequences concerning the applicability (or lack thereof) of population-level data at the level of the individual. Finally, a concise remark is made about a specifically philosophical (rather than technically psychological or even psychometrical) approach to the situationism debate.

scholarly journals Personality Psychology

Psychology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Latzman ◽  
Yuri Shishido
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Individual Person ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Broad Field ◽  
Diverse Field ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Dynamic Organization

The title of “Godfather of Personality” may well be ascribed to Gordon Allport, who was the first to make public efforts to promote the “field of personality” in the 1930s (see Allport and Vernon 1930, cited under Gordon Allport). Personality psychology—located within what many argue is the broadest, most encompassing branch of psychological science—can be defined as the study of the dynamic organization, within the individual, of psychological systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings (see Allport 1961, also cited under Gordon Allport). The field of personality psychology is concerned with both individual differences—that is, the way in which people differ from one another—and intrapersonal functioning, the set of processes taking place within any individual person. The area of personality psychology is often grouped with social psychology in research programs at universities; however, these are quite different approaches to understanding individuals. While social psychology attempts to understand the individual in interpersonal or group contexts (i.e., “when placed in Situation A, how do people, in general, respond?”), personality psychology investigates individual differences (i.e., “how are people similar and different in how they respond to the same situation?”). Personality psychology has a long history and, as such, is an extremely large and broad field that includes a large number of approaches. Discerning readers will quickly note that the current chapter is largely focused on what has come to be the most commonly studied perspective, the trait approach. Those readers interested in other approaches are referred to a number of resources focusing on Other Approaches within the diverse field.

scholarly journals Individual- and population-level drivers of consistent foraging success across environments

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lysanne Snijders ◽  
Ralf H. J. M. Kurvers ◽  
Stefan Krause ◽  
Indar W. Ramnarine ◽  
Jens Krause
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Individual

AbstractIndividual foraging is under strong natural selection. Yet, whether individuals differ consistently in their foraging success across environments, and which individual and population-level traits might drive such differences, is largely unknown. We addressed this question in a field experiment, conducting over 1,100 foraging trials with nine subpopulations of guppies, Poecilia reticulata, translocating them across environments in the wild. A-priori, we determined the individual social phenotypes. We show that individuals consistently differed in reaching food, but not control, patches across environments. Social individuals reached more food patches than less social ones and males reached more food patches than females. Overall, individuals were, however, more likely to join females at patches than males, which explains why individuals in subpopulations with relatively more females reached, on average, more food patches. Our results provide rare evidence for individual differences in foraging success across environments, driven by individual and population level (sex ratio) traits.

scholarly journals Enriching Meta-Analytic Models of Summary Data: A Thought Experiment and Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blakeley B. McShane ◽  
Ulf Böckenholt
Keyword(s):  
Thought Experiment ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Analytic Models ◽  
Summary Data

Meta-analysis typically involves the analysis of summary data (e.g., means, standard deviations, and sample sizes) from a set of studies via a statistical model that is a special case of a hierarchical (or multilevel) model. Unfortunately, the common summary-data approach to meta-analysis used in psychological research is often employed in settings where the complexity of the data warrants alternative approaches. In this article, we propose a thought experiment that can lead meta-analysts to move away from the common summary-data approach to meta-analysis and toward richer and more appropriate summary-data approaches when the complexity of the data warrants it. Specifically, we propose that it can be extremely fruitful for meta-analysts to act as if they possess the individual-level data from the studies and consider what model specifications they might fit even when they possess only summary data. This thought experiment is justified because (a) the analysis of the individual-level data from the studies via a hierarchical model is considered the “gold standard” for meta-analysis and (b) for a wide variety of cases common in meta-analysis, the summary-data and individual-level-data approaches are, by a principle known as statistical sufficiency, equivalent when the underlying models are appropriately specified. We illustrate the value of our thought experiment via a case study that evolves across five parts that cover a wide variety of data settings common in meta-analysis.

Understanding the Dark Side of Costly Punishment: The Impact of Individual Differences in Everyday Sadism and Existential Threat

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 498-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Pfattheicher ◽  
Simon Schindler
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Costly Punishment ◽  
Basic Characteristics ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

In public goods situations, a specific destructive behaviour reliably emerges when individuals face the possibility of costly punishing others: antisocial punishment, that is, costly punishing cooperative individuals. So far, however, little is known about the individual differences and situational factors that are associated with the dark side of costly punishment. This research deals with this shortcoming. We argue that antisocial punishment reflects the basic characteristics of sadism, namely, aggressive behaviour to dominate and to harm other individuals. We further argue that antisocial punishment may reflect a type of behaviour that allows for the maintenance of self–esteem (through aggressively dominating others). Therefore, we expect that individuals who report a disposition for everyday sadism are particularly likely to engage in antisocial punishment when their self has been threatened (by thinking about one's own death). In a study ( N = 99), we found empirical support for this assumption. The present research contributes to a better understanding of antisocial punishment and suggests that sadistic tendencies play a crucial role, especially when the self is (existentially) threatened. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

What’s your problem? And how might we deepen it?

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Evolutionary Anthropology ◽  
Art Making ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Human Universals ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Case Basis

Literary studies need not always incorporate evolution but should always be at least compatible with the most powerful theory for explaining life. Evolution can open up new questions (like: why are we art-making, storytelling, versifying animals?), suggest new principles (like: always take into consideration the costs and benefits of creating or engaging in literary works), and offer new explanations of the life art represents and the effects it elicits (in sociality or emotion, say). These insights need not be restricted to human universals – evolutionary anthropology and evolutionary personality psychology investigate societal and individual differences – and can help explain at multiple levels, the global, the local, the individual, the work or the detail. Evolutionary considerations should not be required a priori but incorporated on a case-by-case basis, where they can almost always add explanatory depth.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Cigarette Use Trends in the United States among Multiracial and Other Youth, 1994-2008

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trenette Clark Goings ◽  
Sebastian Teran Hidalgo ◽  
Patricia P. McGovern
Keyword(s):  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Smoking Trends ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

Tobacco use among the multiracial population is grossly underresearched. This study explored the cigarette-smoking trends of multiracial individuals over time in comparison with monoracial individuals and assessed the relationship between cigarette smoking and factors at the individual, family, peer, school, and state levels. This study used data collected by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescents and Adult Health from 1994 to 2008. This study examined a subsample of 9,421 respondents who self-identified as Black, Asian, American Indian, Hispanic, White, or multiracial. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the population-level data. Findings suggest that multiracial individuals reported high rates of cigarette use over time. The most consistent correlates of cigarette use were family factors, peer cigarette use, and school policies that prohibit staff from smoking on school premises. Additional research is needed to identify the correlates and causes of cigarette use among multiracial adolescents and young adults.

The person as co‐investigator in personality research

1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubert J. M. Hermans ◽  
Han Bonarius
Keyword(s):  
Important Implication ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Personality Research ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
The Ideal

In this paper, arguments are presented for considering the subject as co‐investigator in personality research. A review of current research methods suggests that personality psychology is well on its way to recognizing the individual as an expert on his or her own self and situation. This means that the subject should also be allowed to take a much more active role in psychological research. It is argued that the ideal methodology for accomplishing this integration of the individual into psychological research is to establish a dialogue between psychologist and subject, allowing each to contribute to the scientific process from his or her own perspective and on the basis of his or her own expertise. The present approach calls for greater emphasis on the organization and coherence of personality as a system, greater openness and sensitivity to the particular world of the individual, and an even more dynamic conception of individuality than is currently found in our field. An important implication of the open system approach advocated in this article, the reduced role of prediction in personality research, is discussed and, finally, a preliminary list of expected gains and losses is presented.

On the Individual

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Magnusson
Keyword(s):  
School Psychologist ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Developmental Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

A description of two cases from my time as a school psychologist in the middle of the 1950s forms the background to the following question: Has anything important happened since then in psychological research to help us to a better understanding of how and why individuals think, feel, act, and react as they do in real life and how they develop over time? The studies serve as a background for some general propositions about the nature of the phenomena that concerns us in developmental research, for a summary description of the developments in psychological research over the last 40 years as I see them, and for some suggestions about future directions.

The Bullshitting Frequency Scale: Development and psychometric properties

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Littrell ◽  
Evan F. Risko ◽  
Jonathan Albert Fugelsang
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Misleading Information ◽  
Social Decision ◽  
Frequency Scale ◽  
Dispositional Factors ◽  
Reliable Scale

Recent psychological research has identified important individual differences associated with receptivity to bullshit, which has greatly enhanced our understanding of the processes behind susceptibility to pseudo-profound or otherwise misleading information. However, the bulk of this research attention has focused on cognitive and dispositional factors related to bullshit (the product), while largely overlooking the influences behind bullshitting (the act). Here, we present results from four studies (focusing on the construction and validation of a new, reliable scale measuring the frequency with which individuals engage in two types of bullshitting (persuasive and evasive) in everyday situations. Overall, bullshitting frequency was negatively associated with sincerity, honesty, cognitive ability, open-minded cognition, and self-regard. Additionally, the Bullshitting Frequency Scale was found to reliably measure constructs that are: 1) distinct from lying, and; 2) significantly related to performance on overclaiming and social decision tasks. These results represent an important step forward by demonstrating the utility of the Bullshitting Frequency Scale as well as highlighting certain individual differences that may play important roles in the extent to which individuals engage in everyday bullshitting.

scholarly journals Population-Level Prevalence, Bother, and Treatment Behavior for Urinary Incontinence in an Eastern European Country: Findings from the LUTS POLAND Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2314
Author(s):  
Mikolaj Przydacz ◽  
Marcin Chlosta ◽  
Piotr Chlosta
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Urinary Incontinence ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Eastern European Country ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Eastern European Countries

Objectives: Population-level data are lacking for urinary incontinence (UI) in Central and Eastern European countries. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence, bother, and behavior regarding treatment for UI in a population-representative group of Polish adults aged ≥ 40 years. Methods: Data for this epidemiological study were derived from the larger LUTS POLAND project, in which a group of adults that typified the Polish population were surveyed, by telephone, about lower urinary tract symptoms. Respondents were classified by age, sex, and place of residence. UI was assessed with a standard protocol and established International Continence Society definitions. Results: The LUTS POLAND survey included 6005 completed interviews. The prevalence of UI was 14.6–25.4%; women reported a greater occurrence compared with men (p < 0.001). For both sexes, UI prevalence increased with age. Stress UI was the most common type of UI in women, and urgency UI was the most prevalent in men. We did not find a difference in prevalence between urban and rural areas. Individuals were greatly bothered by UI. For women, mixed UI was the most bothersome, whereas for men, leak for no reason was most annoying. More than half of respondents (51.4–62.3%) who reported UI expressed anxiety about the effect of UI on their quality of life. Nevertheless, only around one third (29.2–38.1%) of respondents with UI sought treatment, most of whom received treatment. Persons from urban and rural areas did not differ in the degrees of treatment seeking and treatment receiving. Conclusion: Urinary incontinence was prevalent and greatly bothersome among Polish adults aged ≥ 40 years. Consequently, UI had detrimental effects on quality of life. Nonetheless, most affected persons did not seek treatment. Therefore, we need to increase population awareness in Poland about UI and available treatment methods, and we need to ensure adequate allocation of government and healthcare system resources.

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