· Read the article Stability of Personality Traits in Adulthood: Mechanisms and Implications (Allemand, Steiger, & Hill, 2013).
· Go to the Truity (n.d.) The Big Five Personality Test (Links to an external site.), and complete the free, confidential personality test that is based on the big five theory. The results of this test may be used to aid in the completion of this assignment. Note that you do not need to register or provide personal information to obtain your results from this website.
This site lists a $29 charge to take the assessment, but that is only if you want the Premium Report. You do not have to pay anything to complete the online assessment. After you have completed the assessment, click the No, just give me my results link. This link will take you to a page that will tell you how you scored on each of the five traits in the big five theory.
In addition to the required sources, go to the Ashford University Library and research a minimum of one scholarly source on the trait model of personality (part one of the paper) and one scholarly resource on the big five theory of personality (part two of the paper).
All required and outside sources should be properly cited in your paper.
To assist you in completing the library research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process and provides some library search tips.
This assignment has two parts. In the first part,
· Provide an overview of the trait model of personality in which you identify at least one principal theory and its theorist (i.e., Allport, Cattell, or Eysenck) associated with the model. (Please note that the trait model is more than just the big five—this part of the paper should cover the general history and evolution of the model.)
· Compare and contrast the basic assumptions of the trait model and the psychodynamic model regarding the theorist’s explanations of personality development.
· Use the scholarly sources you researched for this assignment as well as this week’s required sources to support your statements.
In the second part of your paper,
· Describe each of the five traits included in the big five model:
o extroversion,
o agreeableness,
o conscientiousness,
o neuroticism, and
o openness to experience.
(This section demonstrates your understanding of the theory, so do not just copy and paste the explanations provided on the Truity website.)
· Reflect on your results from the test, on each of the five traits.
· Use the scholarly sources you researched for this assignment as well as this week’s required sources to support your statements.
The Trait Model of Personality paper
· Must be five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
· Must include a separate title page with the following:
o Title of paper
o Student’s name
o Course name and number
o Instructor’s name
o Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
· Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
· Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
o For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
· Must use at least two scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
o The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
o To assist you in completing the library research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process and provides some library search tips.
· Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.)
· Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.
Required Resources
Text
Lecci, L. B. (2015). Personality. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu
- Chapter 4: Neurobiological Models of Personality
- Chapter 8: A Trait Approach to Personality
Articles
Allemand, M., Steiger, A. E., & Hill, P. L. (2013). Stability of personality traits in adulthood: Mechanisms and implications. GeroPsych: The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(1), 5-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1024/1662-9647/a000080 (Links to an external site.)
- The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. In this article, the authors discuss the five-factor model and the stability of personality traits over time in adulthood, which will help you with The Trait Model of Personality assignment.
Hurley, D. (2013). Trait vs. fate. Discover 34(4), 48-55. Retrieved from http://discovermagazine.com
- The full-text version of this article can be found in the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. In this article, the author discusses the research done by Meaney and Szyf on the genetic effects of life experiences, including the experiences of parent and grandparents. The article will help you with the Epigenetic Influences on Personality and Behavior discussion.
Weaver, I. C. G., Cervoni, N., Champagne, F. A., D’Alessio, A. C, Sharma, S., Seckl, J. R., … Meaney, M. J. (2004). Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior. Nature Neuroscience, 7(8), 847-854. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn1276
- The full-text version of this article can be found in the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. The article describes how the licking and nursing behaviors (rated as attentive to non-attentive) impact the physiology and behavior of their offspring and will help you with the Epigenetic Influences on Epigenetic Influences on Personality and Behavior discussion.
Webster, M. (2013, January 10). The great rat mother switcheroo (Links to an external site.) [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.radiolab.org/story/261176-the-great-mother-switcheroo
- This blog post provides an easy-to-understand discussion of the epigenetic experiments discussed in the Hurley and Weaver, et al. articles and will help you with the Epigenetic Influences on Personality and Behavior discussion.
Accessibility Statement does not exist
Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)
Multimedia
Truity. (n.d.). The big five personality test (Links to an external site.) [Measurement instrument]. Retrieved from http://www.truity.com/test/big-five-personality-test
- This web resource provides an online assessment based on the big five personality theory. It is an opportunity for students to apply the theory to their own personalities to assess its value and accuracy and will help you with this week’s The Trait Model of Personality assignment.
Accessibility Statement does not exist
Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)
WNYC Studios. (2012, November 18). Inheritance (Links to an external site.) [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.radiolab.org/story/251876-inheritance/
- This podcast includes the information from The Great Rat Mother Switcheroo blog and provides an easy to understand discussion of the epigenetic experiments discussed in the two assigned articles. The podcast will help you with the Epigenetic Influences on Personality and Behavior discussion.
Accessibility Statement does not exist
Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)
Recommended Resources
Article
Susser, E., Hoek, H. W., & Brown A. (1998). Neurodevelopmental disorders after prenatal famine: The story of the Dutch famine study (Links to an external site.). American Journal of Epidemiology 147(3), 213-216. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a009439
- The authors of this article provide an overview of the Dutch Famine Study, one of the original epigenetic studies. The article may help you with the Epigenetic Influences on Personality and Behavior discussion.
Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.)
Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)
Multimedia
TEDx Talks. (2012, February 23). Epigenetics and the influence of our genes (Links to an external site.). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/JTBg6hqeuTg
- In this video, Courtney Griffin discusses the interchange of genes and environment as well as the role of epigenetics in the expression of those genes in our environment. Her presentation includes a discussion of the structure of DNA and the role of histones and epigenetics markers in human cells. This video has a transcript. The video may help you with the Epigenetic Influences on Personality and Behavior discussion.
Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.)
Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)
Web Page
University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center. (n.d.). Lick your rats (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/rats/
- This activity allows the students to explore in a game-like environment the scientific studies that have been done on mother rats. This activity contains the same content as the required readings for this week and may help you with the Epigenetic Influences on Personality and Behavior discussion.
Accessibility Statement does not exist
Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)