Syllabus for

PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY

G. Scott Acton
Rochester Institute of Technology

 
This course is a survey of descriptive and causal aspects of individual differences in personality traits and intelligence. Some preliminary attention will be given to the theories of Freud, Skinner, and Rogers, after which we will launch into a detailed coverage Eysenck's survey of the field. Students should gain a good understanding of how the methods and findings of correlational and experimental research contribute to the study of personality from a natural science approach.
 

Prospectus

Alternative Representations

Grading

Final Exam

Discussion Forum

 

 

Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis (September 8)

Nye, R. D. (2000). Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis. In Three psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner, and Rogers (6th ed., pp. 7-46). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

 

B. F. Skinner and Radical Behaviorism (September 10)

Nye, R. D. (2000). B. F. Skinner and radical behaviorism. In Three psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner, and Rogers (6th ed., pp. 47-96). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

 

Carl Rogers and Humanistic Phenomenology (September 15)

Nye, R. D. (2000). Carl Rogers and humanistic phenomenology. In Three psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner, and Rogers (6th ed., pp. 97-132). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Nye, R. D. (2000). Comparisons, contrasts, criticisms, and concluding comments. In Three psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner, and Rogers (6th ed., pp. 133-160). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

 

Alternative Representations (September 17)

This class session will focus on how to use alternative representations to improve study skills.

 

Midterm Exam (September 22)

Take midterm exam.

 

The Scientific Description of Personality (September 24)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). The scientific description of personality. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 3-41). New York: Plenum.

 

The Development of a Paradigm (September 29)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). The development of a paradigm. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 42-85). New York: Plenum.

 

The Universality of P, E, and N (October 1)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). The universality of P, E, and N. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 86-117). New York: Plenum.

 

Alternative Systems of Personality Description (October 6)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Alternative systems of personality description. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 118-158). New York: Plenum.

 

An Introduction to the Five-Factor Model and Its Applications (October 8)

Goldberg, L. R. (1993). The structure of phenotypic personality traits. American Psychologist, 48, 26-34.

McCrae, R. R., & John, O. P. (1992). An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. Journal of Personality, 60, 175-215.

 

Are Five Factors Basic? (October 13)

Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992a). Four ways five factors are basic. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 653-665.

Eysenck, H. J. (1992a). Four ways five factors are not basic. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 667-673.

Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992b). Reply to Eysenck. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 861-865.

Eysenck, H. J. (1992b). A reply to Costa and McCrae. P or A and C--The role of theory. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 867-868.

 

APA Style Tips and Writing Hints (October 15)

This class session will focus on how to write a theoretical or review paper in APA style. Everyone should read these APA Style Tips and Grammatical Hints and this article on How to Write a Review Article. Your papers will be graded partially on adherence to the principles contained in these documents, such as rigid parallelism and omitting needless words.

 

The Cognitive Dimension: Intelligence as a Component of Personality (October 20)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). The cognitive dimension: Intelligence as a component of personality. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 159-183). New York: Plenum.

 

The g Factor: The Science of Mental Ability (October 22)

Gottfredson, L. S. (1997). Mainstream science on intelligence: An editorial with 52 signatories, history, and bibliography. Intelligence, 24, 13-23.

Jensen, A. R. (1999). The g factor: The science of mental ability. Psycoloquy, 10(023).

Acton, G. S., & Schroeder, D. H. (2001). Sensory discrimination as related to general intelligence. Intelligence, 29, 263-271.

Email the instructor your paper title (<= 15 words), abstract (<= 960 characters), outline (in complete sentences with at least two levels), and references (at least 13 in APA style) by 3 p.m.

 

Theories of Personality and Performance (October 27)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Theories of personality and performance. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 191-216). New York: Plenum.

Gray, J. A. (1981). A critique of Eysenck's theory of personality. In H. J. Eysenck (Ed.), A model for personality (pp. 246-277). Berlin: Springer.

 

Peer-Review (October 29)

Bring rough draft of paper for peer-review. Review papers of peers.

 

Turn in Peer Reviews (November 1)

Turn in peer reviews. These should be submitted to the instructor by email by 6 p.m.

 

The Psychophysiology of Personality (November 3)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). The psychophysiology of personality. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 217-236). New York: Plenum.

 

Extraversion, Arousal, and Performance (November 5)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Extraversion, arousal, and performance. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 237-288). New York: Plenum.

Turn in final draft of paper.

 

Neuroticism, Anxiety, and Performance (November 10)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Neuroticism, anxiety, and performance. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 289-310). New York: Plenum.

 

Social Behavior (November 12)

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Social behavior. In Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach (pp. 311-346). New York: Plenum.

Acton, G. S. (2003). Measurement of impulsivity in a hierarchical model of personality traits: Implications for substance use. Substance Use & Misuse, 38, 67-83.

 

Peer Commentaries (November 17)

Turn in peer commentaries on other students' papers. These should be submitted to the instructor by email by 6 p.m.

 

Final Exam (November 19)

Take final exam.

 

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