Introduction

What does it mean to have personality?

Someone with personality could be funny, passionate, daring, extroverted, aggressive, egotistical, hot-tempered, or insecure. He or she might be altruistic, humble, mellow, shy, or wary. They might even be all or any of these things at different times and in different places, depending on the situation. What does it mean to be intelligent? Can someone be smart but intelligence testing scores show differently?

Researchers have developed many ways of assessing personality and intelligence, but even if we do gain an understanding of how we are, the question of why we’re that way remains.

cool guy in shades

 

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Describe methods of assessing individual differences and theories of intelligence, including Charles Spearman’s general (g) factor, Howard Garner’s multiple intelligences, and Robert Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence Describe different types of intelligence tests, including the Flynn effect
  • Describe how intelligence may be influenced by differences in heredity and environment and by biases toward ethnic minority and socioeconomic groups
  • Explain the role of personality development in human behavior Differentiate among different personality theories, including psychoanalytic, sociocognitive, trait, and humanistic
  • Describe different measures of personality, including the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Personality Inventory (NEO-PI), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI2), and projective tests.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Psychology: Objective: 13 and 14.

 

 

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