NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
PSY 610
Dr. Virginia Blankenship
Fall Semester 2008
| Class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:45-2 p.m. in 213 SBS |
| Office Hours in 345 SBS: 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, 928-523-5500 |
| Preferred method of contact: email Virginia.Blankenship@nau.edu |
Course Description . This course provides a comparative analysis of the major theories of personality and the empirical research testing those theories.
Course Objectives. The first objective of this course is to provide you, through your readings, with a solid basis for understanding research and theory in Personality Psychology. Classroom sessions will be conducted in a seminar and discussion format in which you, as students, will take an active part. Each student will be responsible for leading two classes, thus developing your abilities to make presentations to your peers. Course exam will assess your ability to understand and compare the major theories and to evaluate the research findings. Additionally, this course is designed to lead you through the process of writing a review of the literature in an area of Personality Psychology. You will gain experience in reading primary research papers (journal articles) and in putting the findings into a logical sequence that describes the current state of knowledge in your topic.
Course Structure/Approach: This course will be conducted as a seminar in which student participation is central. The assigned readings will provide the focus for class discussion, and must be completed before the class period. At the end of each class, you will evaluate yourself on your class participation and hand in your evaluation to Dr. B.
Required Textbook:
Derlega, V. J., Winstead, B. A., & Jones, W. H. (2005).
Personality: Contemporary theory and research, 3rd Edition. Belmont, CA:
Thomson Wadsworth. (DWJ)
Readings are on electronic reserve with access
through the class Vista shell..
Highly Recommended: APA Publication
Manual, 2001.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:
Class Participation and Presentations |
30% |
|
Examination |
35% |
|
Review Paper (20+ pages) |
35% |
|
Total |
100% |
Assignments for the date given are to be completed BEFORE CLASS.
Aug. 26 |
Organization and Preview. The NEO-PI. |
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Aug. 28 |
Chapter 1 (DWJ). The Scientific Study of Personality Blankenship, V. , et al. (2006). Using the multifaceted Rasch model to improve the TAT/PSE measure of need for achievement. Journal of Personality Assessment, 86 (1), 100-114. |
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Sept. 2 |
Chapter 2 (DWJ). Personality Measurement Allen, J. (2002). Assessment training for practice in American Indian and Alaska Native settings. Journal of Personality Assessment, 79 (2), 216-225. |
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Sept. 4 |
Chapter 15 (DWJ). Culture and Personality Schaller, M. & Murray , D. R. (2008). Pathogens, personality, and culture: Disease prevalence predicts worldwide variability in sociosexuality, extraversion, and openness to experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95 (1), 212-221. |
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Sept. 9 |
Kim, H., & Markus, H. (1999). Deviance or uniqueness, harmony or conformity? A cultural analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 785-800. Kanagawa, C., Cross, S. E., & Markus, H. R. (2001). "Who am I?" The cultural psychology of the conceptual self. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(1), 90-103. |
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Sept. 11 |
Chapter 7 (DWJ). Personality Structure Trull, T. J., Widiger, T. A., Lynam, D. R., & Costa, P. T., Jr. (2003). Borderline personality disorder from the perspective of general personality functioning. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 193-202. |
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Sept. 16 |
Does Peraonality Change? Caspi, A. (2000). The child is father of the man: Personality continuities from childhood to adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 158-172. Helson, R., Kwan, V. S. Y, John, O. P., & Jones, C. (2002). The growing evidence for personality change in adulthood: Findings from research with personality inventories. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 287-306. |
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Sept. 18 |
Chapter 6 (DWJ). Motives Wirth, M. M., & Schultheiss, O. C. (2006). Effects of affiliation arousal (hope of closeness) and affiliation stress (fear of rejection) on progesterone and cortisol. Hormones and Behavior, 50,786-795. |
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Sept. 23 |
Cury, F., Elliot, A. J., Da Fonseca, D., Moller, A. C. (2006). Th social-cognitive model of achievement motivation and the 2 X 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90 (4), 666-679. Vallerand, R. J., Mageau, G. A., Elliot, A. J., Dumais, A., Demers, M. A., & Rousseau, F. (2008). Passion and performance attainment in sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9, 373-392. |
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Sept. 25 |
Chapter 3 (DWJ). Genetic and Environmental Influences McCrae, R. R., Costa, P. T., Jr., Ostendorf, F., et al. (2000).
Nature over nurture: Temperament, personality, and life span
development. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78,
173-186. |
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Sept. 30 |
Chapter 4 (DWJ). Personality, Biological Perspectives Eid, et al. (2003). Sociability and positive emotionality: Genetic and environmental contributions to the covariation between different facets of extraversion. Journal of Personality, 71(3), 319-346. |
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Oct. 2 |
Chapter 18 (DWJ). Disorders of Personality: Diseases or Individual Differences? Seedat, S., & Stein, D. J. (2002). Hoarding in obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders: A preliminary report of 15 cases. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 56, 17-23. Steketee, G., Frost, R. O., & Kim, H. J. (2001). Hoarding by elderly people. Health & Social Work, 26 (3), 176-184. |
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Oct. 7 |
Chapter 8 (DWJ). The Psychological Unconscious Blanton, H., & Stapel, D. A. (2008). Unconscious and spontaneous and ... complex: The three selves model of social comparison assimilation and contrast. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 954 (6), 1018-1032. |
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Oct. 9 |
Chapter 16 (DWJ). Stress and Illness King, A. C., Bernardy, N. C., & Hauner, K. (2003). Stressful events, personality, and mood disturbance: Gender differences in alcolics and problem drinkers. Addictive Behaviors, 28, 171-187. |
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Oct. 14 |
Chapter 5 (DWJ). Personality Development Habermas, T., & Bluck, S. (2000). Getting a life: The emergence of the life story in adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 748-769. |
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Oct. 16 |
Chapter 14 (DWJ). Moral Character Bursik, K., & Martin, T. A. (2006). Ego development and adolescent academic achievement. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16 (1), 1-18. |
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Oct. 21 |
Chapter 17 (DWJ). The Interface of Personality and Relationships Christensen, M., & Manson, S. (2001). Adult attachment as a framework for understanding mental health and American Indian families: A study of three family cases. American Behavioral Scientist, 44(9), 1447-1465. |
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Oct. 23 |
Midterm Exam due - No class |
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Oct. 28 |
Chapter 11 (DWJ). Personality and Control Windsor, T D., Anstey, K. J., Butterworth, P, & Rodgers, B. (2008). Behavioral approach and behavioral inhibition as moderators of the association between negative life events and perceived control in midlife. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 1080-1092. |
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Oct. 30 |
Chapter 9 (DWJ). Self-concept, Self-esteem, and Identity Yoder, A. E. (2000). Barriers to ego identity status formation: A contextual qualification of Marcia's identity status paradigm. Journal of Adolescence, 23, 95-106. |
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Nov. 4 |
Chapter 10 (DWJ). Self-awareness and Self-consciousness Phillips, A. G., & Silvia, P. J. (2005). Self-awareness and the emotional consequences of self-discrepancies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31 (5), 703-713. |
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Nov. 6 |
Topic Ideas for Review Paper and PsychINFO abstracts due TODAY. Kelly - Personal Constructs Koch, E. (2006). Personal constructs and psychodynamic psychotherapy: A case study. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 23 (3), 554-578. |
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Nov. 11 |
Veterans Day Holiday - No Class |
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Nov. 13 |
Norem, J. K., & Illingworth, K. S. S. (2004). Mood and performance among defensive pessimists and strategic optimists. Journal of Research in Personality, 38 (4), 351-366. Elliot, A. J., & Church, M. A. (2003). A motivational analysis of defensive pessimism and self-handicapping. Journal of Personality, 71(3), 369-396. Oyserman, D., Bybee, D., & Terry, K. (2006). Possible selves and academic outcomes: How and when possible selves impel action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91 (1), 188-204. |
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Nov. 18 |
Chapter 12 (DWJ). Sex and Gender Lippa, R. A., & Tan, F. D. (2001). Does culture moderate the relationship between sexual orientation and gender-related personality traits? Cross-Cultural Research, 35 (1), 65-87. King, L. A., & Smith, N. G. (2004). Gay and straight possible selves: Goals, identity, subjective well-being, and personality development. Journal of Personality, 72 (5), 967-994. |
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Nov. 20 |
Chapter 13 (DWJ). Emotions Skoe, E. E. A., Eisenberg, N., & Cumberland, A. (2002). The role of reported emotion in real-life and hypothetical moral dilemmas. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28 (7), 962-973. |
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Nov. 25 |
Outline of paper and list of references due Bandura, A., & Locke, E. A. (2003). Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88 (1), 87-99. McGregor, H. A., & Elliot, A. J. (2005). The shame of failure: Examining the link between fear of failure and shame. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31 (2), 218-231. |
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Nov. 27 |
Thanksgiving - No Class |
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Dec. 2 |
The future of Personality Psychology: Goldberg, L. R., Johnson, J. A., Eber, H. W., Hogan, R., Ashton, M C., Cloninger, C. R., & Gough, H. G. (2006). The international personality item pool and the future of public-domain personality measures. Journal of Research in Personality, 40 (1), 84-96. Gosling, S. D., Vazire, S., Srivastava, S, & John, O. P. (2004). Should we trust web-based studies? A comparative analysis of six preconceptions about intrnet questionnaires. American Psychologist, 59 (2), 93-104. |
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Dec. 4 |
Short presentations of paper topics |
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Dec. 9 by 2:30 pm |
Final papers due in my office - No class |
The Review Paper
The process of writing your review paper will be divided into successive steps to make the task more manageable and allow me to monitor your progress. Your paper for this course must be an original paper (not used for any other course), must be on a topic central to personality theory and research, and must be completed in the manner outlined below.
I WILL NOT ACCEPT PAPERS THAT HAVE NOT MET ALL THE STEPS OUTLINED. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR TOPIC, WE MUST AGREE TOGETHER TO THAT TOPIC CHANGE AND YOU MUST GO BACK AND COMPLETE ALL THE STEPS UP TO THE CURRENT ONE. YOUR FINAL PAPER MUST BE ON THE TOPIC WE HAVE AGREED UPON AS THE PROCESS CONTINUES.
Articles in Psychological Bulletin are review articles and provide a model for your paper. On page 5 of the APA Publication Manual, 5th Edition, there is a description of a review article. Reading that description will be very helpful for you.
It is required that you type all papers using 12 point type Times New Roman or similar font, double-spaced with 1-inch margins. The structure of the paper must conform to APA style.
Step 1: Topic Ideas for Review Paper and PsycINFO Abstracts Due: Nov.6
1-2 pages for ideas + 20 abstracts from PsycINFO:
The first step in the process is to determine the subject of your review paper. Your topic must focus on personality research and/or personality theories. It is important that you discuss your topic(s) with me so I can help you focus on something that will be "do-able."
You will perform a PsycINFO search in the library to identify at least 20 preliminary articles that bear on your topic. Please attach copies of the abstracts from that search to your 1-2 page topic paper. The topic you choose should be broad enough that you can easily identify 20 articles, some of which should be from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP), American Psychologist, Journal of Personality, Journal of Personality Assessment, Educational and Psychological Measurement, and/or Journal of Clinical Psychology. At this point, you should be securing copies of articles that are available only through Inter-library Loan.
Step 2: Outline of Review Paper and List of References Due: Nov. 25
2-4 Pages including a full list of references to be used.
The more complete your outline is, the more guidance I can give you on how to modify your paper to meet the requirements for a review paper. Make sure your references are typed in correct APA style.
Step 3: Review Paper Due: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2:30 p.m.
Your review paper should rely on primary sources (journal articles) and not secondary sources (textbooks). Chapters in edited books are usually primary sources (reprints of journal articles). Some common failings of student papers include: relying too much on direct quotes and failure to put page numbers after direct quotes. You should write the paper in your own words, taking the ideas in the articles and expressing them as you understand them. You will, of course, provide a citation for the article from which those ideas came. Use direct quotes only if the way the author expressed the idea is so important that you cannot possibly change it and maintain the integrity of the idea. When you do include direct quotes, make sure that each quote has a single citation identifying the source, and a page number. Remember that you need to include the complete citation just once in each paragraph. Consult the APA Publication manual for details. When using diagnostic criteria in your paper, use and cite the DSM-IV (not earlier editions, except for comparison). Your review paper should have a cover page, an abstract, your review of your topic, including at least 20 references, and a Reference List, all in APA format. Edit and proof read it carefully.
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Class Presentations Guidelines: Provide a printed outline of your presentation to the entire class in which you summarize the major points of the chapter and readings for that day. During your presentation you are asked to:
1. present the main ideas of the chapter and the readings,
2. engage the rest of the class in critiquing the chapter and readings to identify faults in logic and/or design,
3. situate the reading within the context of other material (e.g., the Derlega, Winstead, and Jones book),
4. with the rest of the class, explore new ideas extending the reading to possible new studies, professional consultation, and real world applications,
5. bring in examples or applications from videos, the internet, etc., and
6. provide class activities to illustrate the ideas and/or research methods (simulations, questionnaires, etc.).
You will also be evaluated on your ability to answer questions posed by other seminar members and by the instructor.