Toward a more inclusive integration of evolutionary biology and personality psychology.

Discusses D. M. Buss's (see record 1985-28068-001) failure to recognize the work of W. McDougall (1921) and his lack of consideration of the psychology of the self-concept in Buss's analysis of how contemporary work in sociobiology and behavior genetics might be useful in the effort to integrate the currently fragmented state of personality psychology. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social psychology and personality: Toward a convergence.

Argues that social and personality psychology are becoming increasingly characterized by greater receptiveness to the other's theoretical assumptions, concern with similar problems and the development of similar solutions to those problems, and the tendency of members of one specialty to adopt the methodologies typically identified with the other. Three recent developments are reviewed to substantiate this claim. Several cases are presented that demonstrate the increasing willingness of social psychologists to treat situational and personality perspectives as equally valid approaches to understanding social behavior. Several social-psychological constructs are described, each of which had been first operationalized via experimental manipulations and then later reconceptualized as an individual-difference variable. Interactionism is seen as a logical bridge between the differing orientations of personality and social psychology, and the current enthusiasm over this approach is one that is shared by many in both disciplines. A 3rd area of convergence becomes evident from an examination of the close parallels in the recent histories of attitudes and traits—dispositional concepts that play a central role in social and personality psychology, respectively. Especially notable is the fact that some of the recent strategies for improving trait–behavior consistencies are techniques that have been shown to strengthen attitude–behavior links as well. (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a viable theory of individual differences.

This article deals with 2 metatheoretic issues: (a) the problem of making scientific inferences and (b) the problem of the conceptual framework. Inability to overcome inductive uncertainty lies at the core of the debates concerning the interpretation of factors and how they are organized. Failure to embed factors in a viable, process-oriented conceptual framework has also obstructed progress. Theoretical structures based on the information-processing paradigm and invariant factors are the most promising extant approaches. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a broader conception of human intelligence.

Argues that the typical psychometric model of human intelligence is limited because the database fails to take account of the many manifestations of intelligent behavior that are displayed in the world outside the testing room. It is contended that data for factor-analytic studies of intelligence are generally restricted to scores on academic tests that employ only the multiple-choice format and are administered under standard conditions. A review of research studies involving tests that simulate real-world problem situations suggests that the cognitive processes involved in taking a test are influenced not only by test format but also by the situation or setting in which the test is administered and by such personal characteristics as the examinee's level of expertise. It is proposed that the structure of intelligence of the future may not be a static model, but one that varies as subjects change and as circumstances are altered. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-knowledge of an amnesic patient: Toward a neuropsychology of personality and social psychology.

Presents the case of W. J., an 18-yr old female who, as a result of a head injury, temporarily lost access to her episodic memory. W. J. was asked both during her amnesia and following its resolution to make trait judgments about herself. Because her responses when she could access episodic memories were consistent with her responses when she could not, the authors conclude that the loss of episodic memory did not greatly affect the availability of her trait self-knowledge. The authors discuss how neuropsychological evidence can contribute to theorizing about personality and social processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evolutionary psychology and the search for sex differences.

Comments on D. M. Buss' (see record 1995-21138-001) comment on A. H. Eagly's (See PA, Vol 82:21141) discussion comparing the sexes in scientific research. The author disagrees with Buss' use of the paternity hypothesis as the evolutionary basis for human gender differences. The author believes that feminist theory provides a more parsimonious theoretical perspective for most observed gender differences in human behavior and argues that a focus on gender differences, rather than gender overlap, is not representative of current theories about evolutionary adaptation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical psychology and evolutionary psychology: Toward a dialogue.

The growth of evolutionary psychology as a theoretical framework for the study of human behavior has been spectacular. However, evolutionary psychology has been largely ignored by clinical psychology. This article is an attempt to encourage greater dialogue between the two. First, some of the major principles of evolutionary psychology are outlined, followed by consideration of some of the criticisms that have been made of this approach. Second, an attempt is made to trace the influence of evolutionary theory on the history and development of clinical psychology. Third, the authors describe how an evolutionary perspective has enhanced the understanding and study of autism and depression. Finally, some implications of an evolutionary perspective for etiological theory, assessment, treatment, and ethics are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The individual differences tradition in counseling psychology.

Counseling psychology developed in the 1950s out of applied psychology, which at that time was the application of the psychology of individual differences. The present article traces this historical development, from individual differences psychology through psychological testing, vocational counseling, and student personnel work, to counseling psychology. The individual differences tradition in counseling psychology research and practice is described, and the ways in which individual differences psychology has influenced counseling psychology and how, in turn, counseling psychology has contributed to the psychology of individual differences are discussed. The article concludes with speculations on the future relationship between the 2 fields. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The metamorphosis of clinical psychology: Toward a new charter as human services psychology.

Contends that the traditional conceptions of clinical psychology (CP) as centering around the treatment of individuals suffering from mental health problems are no longer adequate. The concept of human services psychology, defined as a sector of professional psychology concerned with the promotion of human well-being through the acquisition and application of psychological knowledge about the treatment and prevention of psychological and physical disorders is proposed as an alternative capable of representing both training and practice in contemporary CP and related professional specialities. A biopsychosocial model of human behavior would be the basis for a generic professional program that would be functionally rather than categorically based at the doctoral level. Such a program, based on a systems orientation, has been established at the author's university. It is suggested that human services psychology graduates will be able to confront racism, sexism, delinquency, the effects of poverty, and other social ills in an effective and cost-efficient way. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Statewide differences in personality: Toward a psychological geography of the United States.

There is overwhelming evidence from research in the regional sciences that the attitudes, values, and behaviors of Americans are geographically clustered. Psychologists, however, have historically had little to say about regional differences. This article aims to redress that neglect. In so doing, I provide evidence that there are statewide personality differences across the United States, offer potential explanations for those differences, and show that regional personality differences are linked to a variety of important social indicators. I also explain how a regional perspective can inform research in a variety of areas in psychology and suggest ways in which researchers can study regional differences in their own work. Ultimately, this work is intended to raise awareness in psychology about the value that a regional perspective can add to theory and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a theory of individual differences and leadership: Understanding the motivation to lead.

A broad, integrative theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between individual differences and various leader behaviors is presented; it proposes a new individual-differences construct called the motivation to lead (MTL). A large-scale study using 3 samples in different occupational and cultural contexts shows 3 factors underlying MTL, namely, affective-identity, noncalculative, and social-normative MTL. A parsimonious model of antecedents to MTL is developed through hierarchical regression modeling and is cross-validated using confirmatory latent variable modeling. MTL is shown to provide incremental validity over other predictors such as general cognitive ability, values, personality, and attitudes in the prediction of 2 behavioral measures of leadership potential. Findings are discussed with reference to the theoretical framework proposed for understanding individual differences in leader behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ego development and individual differences in personality

The relation between individual differences in personality and differences in developmental maturity was studied by relating observations of personality by multiple, independent judges to level of ego development. The personality characteristics of longitudinally followed Ss (104 at age 14; 98 at age 23) were evaluated by the California Adult Q-Set (CAQ); ego level was evaluated by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development (SCT). A priori personality dimensions--consisting of CAQ items for which a common developmental pathway was expected--were constructed and related to the SCT: (a) Ego-resiliency and interpersonal integrity were associated with increasing ego development, (b) conformity was associated with the Conformist level and, unexpectedly, to the Conscientious level, (c) need regulation was associated with the Conscientious level, and (d) self-ease and expressiveness-playfulness were not associated with ego level.     

Toward a psychology of science.

Proposes that philosophy of science and psychology can interact to produce a fruitful new discipline, the psychology of science. The ability of psychology to analyze science as both a task and a unique form of cognition is discussed. Recent theories on the interaction between psychology, science, and philosophy of science are presented, and K. Popper's analysis of induction and its minor role in scientific thought processes is criticized. (38 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in scalability: An alternative conception of consistency for personality theory and measurement.

A scalability approach to the assessment of individual differences in consistency is proposed. For a given trait, a person is scalable to the extent that his or her behavior parallels the evocativeness or difficulty level of situations or test items. Scalability can be assessed on a wide variety of data sets; measures of scalability are not formally entailed by traditional summary measures. In an empirical investigation, several measures of scalability are found to be reliable and to contribute uniquely, although modestly, to prediction. In light of both theoretical and empirical considerations, continued investigation of the scalability method is warranted; measures of scalability may fill a unique role in basic personality research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a humanistic biology.

Discusses the overlooked, neglected, or misinterpreted questions in the move toward a humanized philosophy of biology. The "use of selected good specimens (superior specimens) as biological assays for studying the best capability that the human species has" is proposed for discussion and research. The "growing-tip statistics," a new research design involving the most important and active genetic period in a growing organism, is espoused. The relationship between humanistic biology and the good society, and the question of who is and what characterizes the good specimen as the good chooser for the whole species are examined. The advantages of Taoistic vs. classical objectivity for "particular" situations and purposes are presented. Finally the problems to be faced in humanistic psychology especially to make the "Good Person" and the "Good Society" are considered. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Away from a unisex psychology: individual differences in visual sensory and perceptual processes

Four tests of visual perception were given to twenty-five men and twenty-five women. These were a test of acuity, threshold for four field positions, visual persistence, and a measure of comfortable brightness. Subjects also completed five personality questionnaires. In most measures, differences were found to be related to sex rather than to personality factors. In fact, the analyses performed suggest that persenality tests do not measure equivalent processes in men and women. Correlational anaylsis showed all visual functions to be independent of one another with the exception of photopic acuity and scotopic threshold, which were highly correlated. Two new findings on the visual system emerged which have not been reported elsewhere: (i) Four distinct dark adaptation curves were produced, and have been labeled as exponential, flat-exponential, linear, and plateau. All subjects fell into one of these categories and showed a consistent trend to exhibit these curves for all field positions. (ii) Highly significant differences were found in sensitivity for the four visual fields, the upper field was superior, followed by the right, then left, with the lower visual field considerably poorer.     

Age differences in the nature and origin of individual differences in memory: a behavior genetic analysis

Acrylonitrile (ACN) exposure is associated with tumors in rat brain, Zymbal gland, and mammary gland. Adducts affecting base pairing were formed in isolated DNA exposed in vitro to the ACN metabolite cyanoethylene oxide (CNEO). DNA from liver, which is not a cancer target organ in ACN-exposed rats, contained low levels of 7-(2-oxoethyl)guanine, and adduct believed not to interfere with base pairing. No adducts have been detected in brain DNA from ACN-exposed rats, suggesting that brain tumors may have arisen by mechanisms other than ACN-DNA reactivity. Genotoxicity assays of ACN have indicated no particular carcinogenic mechanism. Positive reverse mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium HisG46 base substitution tester strains by ACN is attributable to CNEO. Other in vitro genotoxicity test assays of ACN have yielded mixed results, without consistent effect of metabolic activation. Some positive genotoxicity data for ACN appear to result from artifacts or from non-DNA-reactive mechanisms. In vivo micronucleus, chromosome aberration, and autoradiographic unscheduled DNA synthesis assays were negative for ACN. The comparative genotoxicity of vinyl chloride and ACN indicates that despite other similarities, they cause rodent tumors by different mechanisms. Also, they absence of ACN-DNA adduct formation in the rat brain suggests the operation of epigenetic mechanisms.