Synopses & Reviews
Why, and precisely how, do we differ from one another? Does parenting affect children's abilities and personalities, or are they largely genetically determined? If personality and intelligence can be assessed, how exactly do psychometric tests work? And just how useful is the information they provide?
"Individual Differences" offers an integrated and objective presentation of this fascinating field. At once accessible, engaging and completely up-to-date, it covers the psychology of human personality, ability, mood and motivation. The author shows how psychological tests can be used to measure individual differences, and provides sufficient background in psychometric theory (including factor analysis and item-response theory) to enable the reader to understand how psychological tests are constructed, evaluated and used. Specifically designed for psychology students taking a course on personality or individual differences, the text contains self-assessment exercises (and answers) in each chapter.
Table of Contents
Section A: Theories of individual differences - Introduction to individual differences
Kelly and Rogers
Freud's psychoanalytical theory
An evaluation of Freud's theories
Trait theories of personality
Biological and social bases of personality
The structure and the measurement of abilities
Ability processes
Environmental and genetic determinants of personality and ability
Mood states and motivational states
Section B: Assessment of individual differences - Measuring individual differences
Personality through introspection: testing the theories of Kelly and Rogers
The reliability and validity of psychological tests
Factor analysis-1
Performing and interpreting factor analysis
Item response theory
Problems with tests
Constructing a reliable test
Measuring mood and motivation
Conclusions
Appendix.