Psychology 253: Laboratory Research Methods in Personality
Neil Lutsky
Department of Psychology, Carleton College
Olin 111, x4379, e-mail: nlutsky@carleton.edu
Lab Assistant: Eleanor Brown, 917.617.5164 (brownemr@carleton.edu)
Course Meeting Times: T 9:00-12:00 or T 1:00-4:00, Olin 112
Psychology 253 is intended to introduce you to
general issues in research in personality and to selected examples of
the phenomena personality psychologists study, the research questions
they pose, and the research methods they employ. Its means is to give
you hands-on experience evaluating, designing, executing, and reporting empirical
studies in personality. The list of topics and readings below
indicates what in personality we will be exploring. The requirements
for this two-credit course include the following: attendance at
laboratory sessions; completion in a timely matter of assigned
readings; participation as researchers in the design and execution of
course projects; preparation of laboratory posters or written reports
on lab projects.
Laboratory Topic, Activity, and
Reading Schedule:
- T 1/8 Course Overview; Masking Personality; Seeing
Personality Lab: What Available Attributes Indicate Personality?
Borkenau, P., & Liebler, A. (1992). Trait inferences: Sources of validity
at zero acquaintance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62,
645-657.
- T 1/15 Manifestations of the Five Factor Model Traits.
Gosling, S. D., Ko, S. J., Mannarelli, T., & Morris, M. E. (2002). A room
with a cue: Personality judgments based on offices and bedrooms. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 379-398.
- T 1/22 Naturalistic Assessment of Everyday Behavior; Research on Personality Development.
Mehl, M. R., Gosling, S. D., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2006). Personality in its naturalistic habitat: Manifestations and implicit folk theories of personality in everyday life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 862-877.
Bleidorn, W. (2012). Hitting the road to adulthood: Short-term personality development during a major life transition. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 1594-1608.
- T 1/29 Five Factor Research Project; Research on the Consistency of Behavior Across Situations.
Leikas, S., Lonnqvist, J-E., & Verkasalo, M. (2012). Persons, Situations, and Behavior: Consistency and Variability of Different Behaviors in Four Interpersonal Situations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103, 1007-1022.
- T 2/5 Positive Psychology.
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.
- T 2/12 Positive Psychology Project; Research on Mortality Salience.
Goldenberg, J. L., Hart, J., Pyszczynski, T., Warnica, G. M., Landau, M., & Thomas, L. (2006). Ambivalence toward the body: Death, neuroticism, and the flight from physical sensation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1264-1277.
- T 2/19 Positive Psychology Project.
- T 2/26 Positive Psychology Project .
- T 3/5 Closing Laboratory Meeting.
January 7, 2013