Individual Differences

Fall Semester 2002

M-W-F 10:20-11:20 Room BPB 121

Janet Davidson

A ssociate Professor

Office: 240 Bio-Psych Building

(503) 768-7648

email: davidson@lclark.edu

Office Hours (Autumn 2002):

M-W 2:00-3:00

Tue 9:30-10:30

Thur 3:30-5:00

Fri 11:30-12:30

and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION. Psychology, human behavior, and assessment practices in the United States cannot fully be understood without first understanding the field of individual differences. Throughout the term, we will cover empirical, theoretical, and applied work on cognitive and social-emotional variations in human behavior. In addition, we will examine the biological (nature) and environmental (nurture) sources of these variations. Because testing provides the foundation for research on individual differences, we will also review the theoretical, pragmatic, and ethical issues surrounding psychological assessment of human differences. Each student is expected to read a considerable amount in preparation for each class, participate extensively in class presentations and discussions, write a substantial paper on an important aspect of individual differences and evaluate the assessment techniques, research, and theories in this field of psychology. The course prerequisites are Math 115 (Elementary Functions), Psy 100 (Introduction to Psychology), Psy 111 (Statistics I), and Psy 122 (Methodology)..

COURSE GOALS. Two primary goals of this course are to (1) give you the necessary tools to evaluate information on human variation and its measurement and (2) provide you with a broad overview of current issues, theories, and empirical findings in the field of individual differences. I would like for you to learn more about human differences, in general, and yourself, in particular. By the end of the term, you should be able to:

  • Think scientifically about conceptual and practical issues related to the study of individual differences,
  • Demonstrate knowledge about the genetic and environmental factors that influence human variation,
  • Identify characteristics of intelligence and personality that differ across individuals and understand how these differences change over time,
  • Understand the principles, applications, and ethical issues surrounding psychological assessment of human variation, and
  • Evaluate the existing theories and research in the field of individual differences.

READING MATERIAL. The reading listed for a given topic should be done prior to each class. We cover a lot of material and you will not want to fall behind. The following six texts will be used extensively:

  • Funder, D.C. & Ozer, D.J. (2001). Pieces of the personality puzzle: Readings in theory and research (2nd edition). New York: Norton Publishers
  • Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic books.
  • Sternberg, R.J. (1997). Successful intelligence: How practical and creative intelligence determine success in life. New York: Simon & Schuster.
  • Sternberg, R.J. (1999). Handbook of creativity. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Winner, E. (1996). Gifted children: Myths and realities. Basic Books.
  • Wright, L. (1997). Twins and what they tell us about who we are. New York: John Wiley & Sons

Additional required reading will be given to you in a course packet or put on reserve at the library. (The two books by Robert Sternberg and the one by Howard Gardner are also on reserve at our library if you would rather not purchase them.) You are responsible for all of the information in the assigned reading, even if the material is not explicitly covered in class.

EXPECTATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS. This capstone course is intended to be a challenging 400-level seminar that offers psychology majors the opportunity to integrate several areas of psychology. As part of this capstone experience, each student is expected to demonstrate a high level of skill in critical thinking, quantitative analysis, scientific writing, and formal and informal speaking. Grades will be based on a substantial paper, an oral presentation, class participation, and two essay exams.

Paper and proposal. The paper, which should be written in APA format, will count as 30% of your grade. I will be happy to help you choose a topic and to provide comments on rough drafts. A proposal for your paper is due October 7; it counts as an additional 10% of your grade. (A handout on the proposal is in your course packet.) The paper will be due at 10:20 a.m. on December 9. If you would like comments on a draft of your paper, it should be submitted to me by December 2. You have three options for the major paper:

Option 1: Design a test that measures individual differences in some aspect of cognition or personality. This option involves describing the theoretical basis for the test, reviewing existing measures and theories about your topic, providing test items and the rationale behind them, discussing how the reliability and validity of your test should be assessed, and providing references to relevant work.

Option 2a: Conduct an experiment on some aspect of individual differences. This option involves designing and conducting an empirical investigation of variation in human information processing, social behavior, or personality. (Please see me in advance to determine whether you need to obtain approval from the Lewis & Clark Human Subjects Committee.) In the paper, you should discuss the existing research on your topic and why there is a need to extend this work (Introduction), describe your methodology (Methods Section), present your results (Results Section), explain the implications of your results, how they relate to previous work, and the strengths and weaknesses of your experiment (Discussion Section), and a list of the references that you cited (Reference Section).

Option 2b: A variation of this option is to write a grant proposal. This involves designing and describing (but not conducting) a set of at least two experiments that assess an aspect of individual differences. Your proposal should begin with a description of previous work on your topic and why it is important to extend this research (Introduction), then a description of how your set of experiments would be conducted (Methods Section), how you plan to analyze your results (brief Results Section), and end with a discussion of how your experiments would extend current knowledge of the topic (Discussion Section). All references cited in your proposal should be included in a Reference Section.

Option 3: Develop a theory that explains individual differences in an aspect of cognition or personality. This option involves presenting a review and critique of current work on the topic, providing a detailed description of your theory, and describing how your theory extends previous theories and accounts for existing data. Strengths and weaknesses of your theory should also be discussed.

Formal Oral Presentation. Five percent of your grade will be based on a 10-minute oral presentation that you will give to our class. This presentation should be based on the topic and goals of your paper. An outline of your talk should be given to me at the end of your presentation. The presentations are scheduled for November in order to help you focus on the structure and content of your research paper. If you have any qualms about public speaking, please come see me and I will help you prepare.

Participation. Ten percent of your grade will be based on meaningful participation in class discussion and activities. As part of your participation, you will occasionally be asked to lead a class discussion and turn in written responses to out of class assignments.

Exams. There will be two essay exams. The first is a take-home exam that will be due at the beginning of class on October 30. It is worth 30% of your grade. The second one will be taken in class on December 16 from 1-4 p.m. You will be given study questions one week prior to this exam and the exam will consist of a subset of the study questions. Exam 2 is worth 15% of your final grade.

Grading Scale.
A 92-100 B+ 88-89 C+ 78-79 D+ 68-69
A- 90-91 B 82-87 C 72-77 D 62-67
  B- 80-81 C- 70-71 F 0-61

MAKE-UP EXAMS AND LATE PAPERS. Make-up exams and paper extensions will be given only under extenuating circumstances and arrangements need to be made in advance. In agreement with campus policy, the final exam will be given only on the scheduled date of Monday, 12/16, from 1:00-4:00 PM..

POLICY ON ACADEMIC HONESTY. Academic integrity is an essential part of learning. Plagiarism, cheating, or the deliberate misrepresentation of information will result in a failing grade in this course and referral to our Honor Board. If you have any questions or concerns about academic honesty, please come see me or refer to your copy of Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures.

SPECIAL NEEDS. If you have been diagnosed with a learning difference and would like specific accommodations, please arrange for me to receive a "Notice of Disability" from Dale Holloway, the coordinator of Student Support Services (x7191).

OFFICE HOURS. I would like to talk with you at length and have the opportunity to get to know you better. I hope you will come see me, especially if you would like assistance in understanding the lectures or readings. No appointment is necessary to see me during my office hours; simply stop by room 240 of the Bio-Psych building. If you would like to come at other times, please call me at x7648 or talk with me after class to make an appointment.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

10/07 Paper proposal is due

10/30 Exam 1 is due at the beginning of class

11/13-11/22 Oral Presentations

12/09 Paper is due

12/16 Final exam 1-4 p.m.

COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK    

1

9/04

What are individual differences? Why are they important and why are they controversial?

     
   
How do we get individual differences?
 
 

9/06

Assessing sources of individual differences

   

Twins and what they tell us about who we are, Chapters1-3

2

9/09

Heritability of individual differences

   

Twins and what they tell us about who we are, Chapters 4-6

Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 162-166

Devlin, B., Daniels, M., & Roeder, K. (1997). The heritability of IQ. Nature, 388(31), 468-471. (It's okay to skim this one.)

 

9/11

Nature and nurture as sources of individual differences

   

Twins and what they tell us about who we are, Chapters 7-10

Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 167-170
     
   
Intellectual differences
 
  9/13 What is intelligence?
   

R.J. Sternberg (2000). The concept of intelligence. In R.J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of intelligence (pp. 3-15). (Course Packet)

Neisser, U., et al. (1996) Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns. American Psychologist, 51(2), 77-101. (Course Packet)

3

9/16

Measuring intelligence

   

Successful intelligence, Chapter 2

Steele, C.M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52(6), 613-629. Also read comments attached to this paper. (Course Packet)
 

9/18

The structure and processes of intelligence

   

Successful intelligence, Chapter 3

  9/20 The biological basis of intelligence
   

Vernon, P.A. et al. (2000). The neuropsychology and psychophysiology of human intelligence. In R.J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of human intelligence (pp. 245-264). New York: Cambridge University Press. (Course Packet)

Duncan, J., et al. (2000). A neural basis for general intelligence. Science, 289, 457-458. (Course Packet)
4 9/23

Assessment of learning differences

* Guest speaker: Dale Holloway
    Intelligence reframed, Chapters 1-4
 

9/25

Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences

    Intelligence reframed, Chapters 5-8
  9/27 Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (cont)
    Intelligence reframed, Chapters 9-12
5

9/30

Robert Sternberg's theory of successful intelligence

    Successful intelligence, Chapters 4 and 5

 

10/02

Sternberg's creative and practical intelligence

   

Successful intelligence, Chapter 6-8

  10/04 Mental retardation
    Detterman, D.K., Gabriel, L.T., & Ruthsatz, J.M. (2000). Intelligence and mental retardation. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of human intelligence (pp. 141-158). New York: Cambridge University Press. (Course Packet)

6

10/07

Mental retardation and giftedness

   

Robinson, N.M., Zigler, E., & Gallagher, J.J. (2000). Two tails of the normal curve: Similarities and differences in the study of mental retardation and giftedness. American Psychologist, 55(1), 1413-1424.(Course Packet)

Gifted children, Chapters 1-3`
 
* * *
 * PAPER PROPOSAL DUE *
     
   
Creative Differences
 
  10/09 Giftedness (cont)
    Gifted children, Chapters 5, 7, 8
 

10/11

Have a great Fall Break

7

10/14

Giftedness and society

   

Gifted children, Chapters 9-10

Handbook of creativity, Chapter 16

 

10/16

The concept of creativity

   

Handbook of creativity, Chapters 1 and 17

  10/18 Psychometric approaches to creativity
   

Handbook of creativity, Chapter 3

Examiner's Manual Remote Associates Test (Course Packet)

8

10/21

Experimental approaches to creativity

    Handbook of creativity, Chapters 4 and 10
 

10/23

What case studies tell us about creativity
 

Handbook of creativity, Chapter 11

Gruber & Wallace (2001) Creative Work: The case of Charles Darwin. Special section of American Psychologist on creativity, 56(4), 346-349. (Course Packet)
  10/25 What historiometrics tell us about creativity
    Handbook of creativity, Chapter 6

9

10/28

How does creativity develop?

   

Handbook of creativity, Chapters 9 and 20

     
   
Personality Differences
 
 

10/30

How creativity relates to personality and motivation

   

Amabile, T.M. (2001). Beyond talent: John Irving and the passionate craft of creativity. Special section of American Psychologist on creativity, 56(4), 346-349. (Course Packet)

 
* * *
 * EXAM 1 DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS *
  11/01 Leadership
   

Hogan, R., Curphy, G.J., & Hogan, J. (1994). What we know about leadership: Effectiveness and personality. American Psychologist, 49, 493-504. (Course Packet)

Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 111-119

10

11/04

Individual differences in temperment

   

Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 135-141

Rothbart, M.K., Ahadi, S.A., & Evans, D.E. (2000). Temperament and personality: Origins and outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 122-135. (Course Packet)

 

11/06

Attachment differences and their consequences

   

Main, M. (1996). Introduction to the special section on attachment and psychopathology: 2. Overview of the field of attachment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64(2), 237-243.

Cooper, M.L., Shaver, P.R., & Collins, N.L. (1998). (Attachment styles, emotion regulation, and adjustment in adolescence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1380-1397. (Course Packet)

  11/08 Who is resilient?
   

Masten, A.S. (2001). Ordinary Magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227-238. (Course Packet)

Peterson, C. (2000). The future of optimism. American Psychologist, 55(1), 44-55. (Course Packet)

11

11/11

Individual differences in emotional intelligence

   

Salovey, P., Bedell, B. T., Detweiler, J. B., & Mayer, J. D. (1999). Coping intelligently: Emotional intelligence and the coping process. In C. R. Snyder (Ed.), Coping: The psychology of what works (pp. 141-164). New York: Oxford University Press. (Course Packet)
  11/13 Oral presentations
  11/15 Oral presentations
12 11/18 Oral presentations
  11/20 Oral presentations
  11/22 Oral presentations

13

11/25

Assessing personality differences

 

Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 3-22, 45-67

  11/27 Individual differences in personality traits
    Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 73-110
 

11/29

Happy Thanksgiving

14

12/02

Individual differences in personality traits (cont)
   

Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 120-131

Judge, T. A, Heller, D., & Mount, M. K. (2002) Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology. 87(3), 530-541. (Course Packet)
 

12/04

Biological basis of personality differences

  Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 142-161, 186-204
  12/06 Cutlture and personality
    Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 355-393

15

12/09

Individual differences in feelings of happiness

   

Myers, D.G. (2000). The funds, friends, and faith of happy people. American Psychologist, 55(1), 44-55. (Course packet)

Pieces of the personality puzzle, pages 338-350

 
* * *
 * PAPER DUE *
  12/11 Conclusions and future directions
    Vaillant, G.E. (2000). Adaptive mental mechanisms: Their role in a positve psychology. American Psychologist, 55(1), 89-98. (Course Packet)
 

12/13

READING DAY

16 12/16 * * * EXAM 2 from 1-4 PM * * * *
 

 

In agreement with campus policy, this exam will be given ONLY on this scheduled date at this scheduled time.
 

Term Planner for Individual Differences
     

Week

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

1

9/02 Labor Day

9/04 First Class

9/06 Twins: chaps. 1-3

2

9/09 Twins: chaps. 4-6;

Puzzle: 162-166; Devlin, Daniels, & Roeder (1997)

9/11 Twins: chaps. 7-10 & Puzzle: 167-170

9/13 Sternberg (2000) &

Neisser et al. (1996)

3

9/16 Suc. Intell: chap. 2 & Steele (1997)

9/18 Successful Intelligence: chap. 3

9/20 Vernon (2000) &

Duncan et al. (2000)

4

9/23 Intell. Reframed:

chap. 1-4

9/25 Intell. Reframed:

chap. 5-8

9/27 Intell. Reframed:

chap. 9-12

5

9/30 Successful

Intelligence: chaps. 4 & 5

10/02 Successful

Intelligence: chaps. 6-8

10/04 Detterman et al.

(2000)

6

10/07 Proposal due

Robinson et al. (2000) & Gifted Child: chaps 1-3

10/09 Gifted Children: chaps. 5, 7, 8

10/11 Fall Break

7

10/14 Gifted Children: chaps. 9-10 & Creativity: chap. 16

10/16 Creativity: chaps, 1 & 17

10/18 Creativity: chap. 3 & Examiner's manual

8

10/21 Creativity:

chaps. 4 & 10

10/23 Creativity: chap. 11 & Gruber & Wallace (2001)

10/25 Creativity: chap. 6

9

10/28

Creativity: chap. 9 & 20

10/30 Exam 1 Due

Creativity: chap. 14 & Amabile (2001)

11/01 Hogan et al. (1994); Puzzle: 111-119

10

11/04 Puzzle: 135-141 &

Rothbart et al. (2000)

11/06 Main (1996) &

Cooper et al. (1998)

11/08 Masten (2001) &

Peterson (2000)

11

11/11 Salovey et al. (1999)

11/13 Presentations

11/15 Presentations

12

11/18 Presentations

11/20 Presentations

11/22 Presentations

13

11/25 Puzzle: 3-22, 45-67

11/27 Puzzle: 73-110

11/29 Thanksgiving

14

12/02 Puzzle: 120-131 & Judge et al. (2002)

12/04 Puzzle: 142-161 &

186-204

12/06 Puzzle: 355-393

15

12/09 Paper Due

Myers (2002) & Puzzle: 338-350

12/11 Last Class

Vaillant (2000)

12/13 Readung day

 

Our final exam is Monday, December 16, from 1:00 - 4:00 PM