Individual Differences Psychology and Trait Theory
- differences among individuals represented as 'traits' which contribute to individuality and predictability - represent historically 'robust' characteristics
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ageing and individual differences
trait expression influenced by: social demands, expectations, social values, biology, individual circumstances
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individual change
- so, 'trait-like' characteristics may be influenced by a context of age-related change
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age change
change attributable to chronological age (distance from birth)
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cohort effects
differences between groups of (similarly aged) individuals who share a common experience
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Intellectual performance and ageing
- early cross section studies were 'contaminated' by cohort effects - longitudinal studies show long periods of stability, followed by heterogenous decline BUT - decline greater on some tasks than others
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fluid intelligence
innate intellectual 'power'
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crystallised intelligence
- experience - education - wisdom
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Seattle Longitudinal Study: Schale, 1990
- 50-59: average decline affects a minority of measures and individuals - 75-79: average decline affects most measures and individuals BUT - at 80, many individuals show no decline
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Lab to life
- increasing age results in greater caution and slower performance - this allows more information to accumulate before making a decision - results in fewer errors - monitoring and caution
- 2404 primary school children assessed 1959-67 (teacher ratings) - C400 followed up 1998-2004 (postal questionnaires) - for both periods, 2 measurements taken - examine strength of correlation within and between childhood and adulthood
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Hampson & Goldberg (2006): Results
- Stability coefficients across 40 years (childhood to adulthood) greater for extraversion and conscientiousness than for openness, agreeableness and neuroticism.
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personality across the lifespan: Milojev & Sibley (2014)
- survey of nearly 3910 New
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personality across the lifespan: Milojev & Sibley (2014)
- survey of nearly 3910 New zealanders aged from 20-80 - questionnaires measuring the big 5 traits 2 years apart
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results
- rank ordering (relative position) of scores within sample relatively stable BUT levels varied by age - increasing stability 20s to 50s - decreasing stability 50+ to 80 - extraversion most stable; agreeableness least stable
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conclusion
- some traits e.g. 'n' are more "state like" than others - moderate age continuity among the big 5 traits (especially extraversion) - greater continuity in the 'component attributes' of each trait
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how else does personality change with age
- reduced emphasis on gender roles - increased emotional stability - increased caution - mostly characterised by stability
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Do we change as much as we think we do: Woodruff (1983)
- 1994: uni students tested for 'personal and social adjustment - 25 years later...1969: retested under 2 conditions - 1: complete as you remember 25 years earlier - 2: complete as you are now - "remembered" answers overestimated change
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Robins et al (2005) method:
- 290 first year undergraduates complete assessments of big 5 personality traits - 4 years later (after graduation) - asked to rate degree of change on big 5 - repeated big 5 assessment
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results
- After 4 years…”most individuals thought they had become more extraverted, more agreeable, less neurotic and more open” - Modest positive (and significant) correlations between these judgements and actual follow-up assessments
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emotional change
- disengagement theory: emotional 'blunting' with age - BUT current evidence suggests the development (with ageing) of superior emotional regulation
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Ageing and Mood: Anxiety and Depression
- ageing is associated with a change in mood, personality and in the organisation of skills - psychological change is often modest; stability is not uncommon - differences remain influential (we can change)
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Front
Individual Differences Psychology and Trait Theory
Back
- differences among individuals represented as 'traits' which contribute to individuality and predictability - represent historically 'robust' characteristics
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