Personality Research

Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois, USA 60208

Telephone: 847-491-7700
Office: 315 Swift Hall
Email: revelle@northwestern.edu

• Overview
• Personality Taxonomies
• Assessment and Applications
• Statistical Program
• Research Methods
• Psychometrics
• Statistics

• Personality Theory
• Biological approaches
• Behavior genetics
• Psychoanalytic theory
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Other

• Personality and Ability
• Using R in personality research
• Psychometric Theory
• Academic Webpages

• Scientific Journals
• Research labs
• Homepages of researchers
• Course syllabi
• Online Research Projects
• Personality Pedagogy Wiki

Description

The first part of the course is meant to provide a rapid overview of current theories of personality, particularly as they apply to real world performance. Tests of these theories are possible research projects. During the second third of the course, while preparing to conduct the research projects, class lectures and assignments will discuss the fundamentals of psychometric theory. The third section of the course will be devoted to other current topics in the field of personality research.

Requirements and methods of evaluation:

• A research proposal that reviews a relevant body of the personality literature, proposes a theoretical question, and suggests how to answer it. The review should be the equivalent of the introduction of a journal article, and the proposed method to test the theoretical question should demonstrate sophistication in research design. The paper should conclude with a summary of how the data will be analyzed and the pattern of expected results. To be written in APA style . (Due May 9). (30%)
• A midterm exam that will cover the various theories of personality and performance discussed in class and in the readings. Sample questions will be distributed before the exam. (May 1st ) (30%)
• A final research project that will include a review of the relevant literature, development of a personality questionnaire from an existing data base of 250K participants and 900 temperament, ability, and interest items. The scales developed by each person may be correlated with those of existing scales as well as scales developed by the class. To be written in APA style . (Due June 15th). (30%)
• A final exam that will cover the basic concepts of the course. (June 13th). (This final exam is optional and will be weighted equally with the other exams and projects. That is, if taken, all projects have a 22% weight. If not taken, all projects have a 30% weight.
• Class and discussion group participation. This is a class on research methods and theories. It is necessary for all members of the class to participate in proposing alternative models and evaluating the theories presented. This may be done in class discussion, as well as extraclass interaction. Computerized conferencing will be used as well. Email discussion with the instructor and teaching assistant is strongly encouraged. (10%)

Suggested (but certainly not required) Texts

John, O.P. and Naumann, L.P. and Soto, C.J. (2008) Handbook of personality: Theory and research. Guilford Press. N.Y.

Chamorro-Premuzic, T., Von Stumm, S., and Furnham, A. (2011). The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Individual Differences, volume 1. Wiley-Blackwell.

Robins, R.W., Fraley, R. C., Krueger, R.F., (2007) Handbook of research methods in personality psychologhy. New York, N.Y. Guilford.

Some of the material will be from chapters in John or from Robins et al. as well as reprints of relevant articles. These will be distributed in class (or listed on the web syllabus). Still more material will be made available on the web. In addition, students are expected to review one particular topic in detail and should consult current journals in personality.

• Revelle, W., Wilt, J., & Condon, D. (2011). Individual differences and differential psychology: A brief history and prospect. In Chamorro- Premuzic, T., Furnham, A., and von Stumm, S., editors, Handbook of Individual Differences, chapter 1, pages 3-38. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford
• Revelle and Oehlberg (2008) Integrating experimental and observational personality research
• Wilt, J. and Revelle, W. (2016). Extraversion. In Widiger, T., editor, The Oxford Handbook of the Five Factor Model. Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y (to be emailed to class)
• Smillie, L. D., Cooper, A., Wilt, J., and Revelle, W. (2012). Do extraverts get more bang for the buck? refining the affective-reactivity hypothesis of extraversion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(2), 306-326.
• Wilt, J., Bleidorn, W., and Revelle, W. (2016). Finding a life worth living: Meaning in life and graduation from college. European Journal of Personality, DOI: 10.1002/per.2046
• Also look at the conference abstracts for the 3rd World Conference on Personality World Conference on Personality. Please read the abstracts of the program. (backup copy at local copy of program> .