Currents of Psychology

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1 Currents of Psychology Issue: 63, July 2012 Beulah Lee Alex Taneda The Effects of Time on Personality Abstract: This experiment observed how personality changes over time. The researchers hypothesized that if students were given two personality tests based on the MBTI- one in October and one in June- the results would differ; the E, S, and F functions would become more developed, while the J/P function would remain relatively unchanged. To test this hypothesis, grade 8 students were given the personality tests as stated above, and then their results were analyzed. The data proved the researchers hypothesis as all four functions behaved in the predicted manner. Introduction: One of the most debated concepts of psychology is the issue of stability versus change and whether human beings are capable of transforming the quiddity of their person. Do humans change, or do they simply adapt to different circumstances within the parameters of their preexisting personality traits? The adolescent years for most are a tumultuous time of self-discovery. Many students enter secondary school with certain characteristics and graduate with opposing qualities, thus making it an ideal time to analyze personalities and how they evolve. The researchers are two students from Walnut Grove Secondary School: Beulah Lee and Alex Taneda. They hope to discover more about personality alterations through experimentation with personality tests. The evaluation that will be administered to the subjects is the online 16 Personalities Test, which is based on the renowned Myers-Briggs assessment developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers. It is centered on eight cognitive functions that are the extremes of four personality aspect spectrums: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (1), Intuition (N) or Sensing (S), Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and Perceiving (P) or Judging (J). The experimenters believe that if subjects are given the same test- once in October and once in June of their grade 8 scholastic year- then their results will differ; the E, S, and F functions will become more developed, and the J/P function will be static. Method: In order to prove or disprove their hypothesis, the researchers will first talk to several grade 8 English teachers at Walnut Grove Secondary School by the first week of October to get their permission to use some of their classes as the subjects of this experiment. After having obtained the permission of four teachers, they will go into those four grade 8 classes: two on October 5 and two more on October 6. The 16 Personalities test will be administered in the last 15 minutes of the class. Students will complete the tests on their phones or other electronic devices and then fill out their percentages for each function and their overall personality type on pre-prepared survey sheets. Students without Internet-accessible electronic devices will be loaned an ipad. The researchers will then organize all their data on spreadsheets recording the students' names as well as their results from the personality test. This process will be repeated once more injune. Once all the data has been amassed and organized, the researchers will

2 compare the two sets of data and look for trends in how the results changed over the course of the year. Results: As predicted, the two personality tests produced significantly different results. The function percentages from the first test reflected the international MBTI averages with 48% Extraversion, 49% Introversion, 65% Sensing, 35% Intuition, 41% Thinking, 59% Feeling, 54% Judging, and 46% Perceiving. This data is represented on the left side of Figure 1.0. However, the students scored quite dissimilarly on the second test with 67% Extraversion, 33% Introversion, 79% Sensing, 21% Intuition, 38% Thinking, 63% Feeling, 52% Judging, and 48% Perceiving: which can be viewed on the right side of Figure 1.0. The most notable change is the 19% increase in the Extraversion function, followed by the 14% increase in the Sensing function. The researchers correctly predicted that students would became more extraverted over the course of the year, because of the increase in the number of people they are exposed to every day, as well as the various school extracurriculars and events that they can attend.they also believed that upon entering high school, students would be frequently encouraged to become more pragmatic, critical thinkers by their teachers and peers, which would develop their S function. Individuals who are more Sensing are described as factual and realistic, which is a reasonable modification that would occur after leaving the more idealistic and optimistic elementary school environment. The researchers had also anticipated a remarkable increase in the Feeling function due to the sudden hormonal changes that many adolescents experience during puberty, but the change that did take place was less pronounced than expected. As for the Judging and Perceiving spectrum, these are overall lifestyle preferences, so the experimenters correctly predicted that they would be quite stagnant. All of the experimentation was carried out without any major problems, although a few students who took the first test in October did not take the second test in June because they were absent. The researchers do recognize the fact that some students may have had other factors influencing the change in their personality test results: anything from their emotions that day, to the weather, could have potentially altered how the students answered the questions. However, enough of the students demonstrated the changes that were predicted to prove the hypothesis nonetheless. Figure 1.0

3 Conclusion: The researchers hypothesis was proved through the experiment they conducted on the grade 8 students of Walnut Grove Secondary School. The changes in the students personality functions matched those that were predicted by the hypothesis. This does not necessarily prove a personality theory on a universal level as there are many other factors that could have influenced the garnered results. It is recommended that further studies be carried out on larger sample sizes in different geographical locations and cultures.

4 Issue: 111, July 2016 Currents of Psychology The Effects of Time on Personality Replicated Beulah Lee Alex Taneda Dr. Devon Mark, Psychology Research Associate Dr. Sunita Crutch, Psychology Research Associate Abstract: This experiment observed how personality changes can vary over time and depending on the school. Researchers hypothesized that if an earlier psychology experiment surrounding personality types was replicated at a different, private Christian high school, the results would differ: while the new subjects E and N functions would become more developed, their F and J functions would instead become less developed. To test this hypothesis, grade eight students were given the personality tests as stated above, and then their results were analyzed and compared. The data proved the researchers hypothesis as all four functions behaved differently than those of the subjects at Walnut Grove Secondary School. Introduction: Stability versus change is one of the biggest controversies in modern psychology. Some believe that personalities change over time due to their environment: culture, experiences and interactions with others are what shape a person. Others argue that personality seen in infancy stagnates and persists throughout an entire lifetime. The examiners of this study are of the opinion that personality can easily be defined by one s environment. During the first year of high school, which is a crucial point of development for children transitioning into adolescents, students are highly susceptible to suggestion. A study in 2012, conducted by students from Walnut Grove Secondary, Beulah Lee and Alex Taneda used the online 16 Personalities Test to measure how the personality types of grade eight students changed over the course of the year. The study was based on the renowned Myers-Briggs test, used to examine the eight cognitive functions: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (1), Intuition (N) or Sensing (S), Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and Perceiving (P) or Judging (J). Both students, Alex Taneda and Beulah Lee hypothesised that the E, S, and F functions will become more developed, and the J/P function will be static. Researchers Dr.Mark and Dr. Crutch aimed to replicate the 2012 Walnut Grove Secondary School study at Pacific Academy, and in doing so, prove that personality changes vary depending on an individual s environment. They hypothesised that while the cognitive functions of the students at Pacific Academy will indeed change in some way, the change will not follow the same pattern as the results of the 2012 experiment. More specifically, the E and N cognitive functions will become more developed as the F and J functions become less developed. Method: In order to prove or disprove their hypothesis, the researchers will first talk to several grade 8 English teachers at Pacific Academy during the first week of October and get their permission to use some of their classes as the subjects for this experiment. After having obtained

5 the permission of four teachers, they will go into those four grade 8 classes: two on October 5 and two more on October 6. The 16 Personalities test will be administered in the last 15 minutes of the class. Students will complete the tests on their phones or other electronic devices and then fill out their percentages for each function and their overall personality type on pre-prepared survey sheets. Students without Internet-accessible electronic devices will be loaned an ipad. The researchers will then organize all their data on spreadsheets recording the students' names as well as their results from the personality test. This process will be repeated once more in June. Once all the data has been amassed and organized, the researchers will compare the two sets of data and look for trends in how the results changed over the course of the year. Results: Analysis of the results demonstrate inconsistencies between the 2012 experiment at Walnut Grove Secondary School and the 2016 experiment at Pacific Academy. In both studies, 120 grade eight students were examined, each taking the same MBTI personality test, once in October and once in June. During the experiment at Pacific Academy, two students were absent on the day of the second test. As a result, the researchers decided to exclude them from the study entirely. At Walnut Grove, examiners described a 19% increase in the extroversion function, a 14% increase in the sensing function, a 3% decrease in the thought function, and a 2% decrease in the judging function. Results of this experiment can be viewed in figure 1.0. Comparatively, from October to June, subjects at Pacific Academy demonstrated a 4% increase in the extroversion function, a 13% decrease in the sensing function, a 9% decrease in the thought function, and an 11% increase in the judging function. Results from this experiment can be viewed in figure 2.0. Although there are similarities between the two sets of results, such as increases in the extraversion and thought functions, there are too many discrepancies to say that the results match. For example, even though both schools demonstrate increases in extraversion, Walnut Grove increased by nineteen percent compared to Pacific Academy, which increased by only four percent. Moreover, the results of the two schools sensing and judging functions vary inversely: while one school s results show an increase, the other shows a decrease. Figure 1.0

6 Figure 2.0

7 Conclusion: Results of the 2016 experiment at Pacific Academy differ from those of the 2012 Walnut Grove Secondary School experiment, thus proving the experimenters hypothesis. To explain why these differences occurred, the experimenters considered the differences between the experiments themselves. Some of the most obvious differences between the experiments include: Religious views Teaching staff Class/school size Time difference School culture/involvement The experimenters believe that some of the differences between the two schools would have enough of an impact on the subjects to affect the experiment s results. For example, the larger population at Walnut Grove Secondary School could lead to more socialization, and in turn, more extraversion. Different teaching staff and styles could impact how students make decisions, along with their thinking and feeling cognitive functions. There is also the possibility of compounding variables affecting the results: fifteen minutes might not have left enough time for subjects to reflect before answering, they could misinterpret the test questions, discuss questions and answers with their peers, or simply answer dishonestly in hopes of achieving a certain result. For further study, the experimenters suggest researching the inconsistencies with supplemental studies and experiments. It is possible that the time gap between the two experiments could have caused discrepancies in the results; by performing the same test coincidentally at Walnut Grove Secondary School and at Pacific Academy, this theory would be proven or disproven. By replicating this experiment at a different public high school, one could determine if the religious aspect of Pacific Academy impacted the results.

8 Works Cited Martin, Charles R. "Sensing or Intuition." Myers & Briggs. The Myers & Briggs Foundation, Web. 27 Sept Martin, Charles R. "Extraversion or Introversion." Myers & Briggs. The Myers & Briggs Foundation, Web. 27 Sept Martin, Charles R. "Thinking or Feeling." Myers & Briggs. The Myers & Briggs Foundation, Web. 27 Sept Martin, Charles R. "Judging or Perceiving." Myers & Briggs. The Myers & Briggs Foundation, Web. 27 Sept Roberts, Lela. "Descriptions of the 8 Letters." Understanding the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Blogger, June Web. 2 Oct Renton, S. Myers and Briggs Revised Vancouver High Schools Publishing, Tandoro, F. High School and Personality Change Seattle Refined Review, Zeka, M. and Broeker. Personality Broeker Publishing, 2010.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Interpretive Report

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Interpretive Report Report prepared for TURTLE MAN January 27, 2010 CPP, Inc. 800-624-1765 www.cpp.com Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Copyright 1988, 1998, 2005 by Peter B. Myers and Katharine D. Myers. All rights reserved.