PSY 361 PERSONALITY RESEARCH PROJECT THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL SURVEY USE THIS DOCUMENT TO FORM YOUR HYPOTHESES DO NOT USE THIS DOCUMENT AS THE SURVEY THAT YOU ADMINISTER (YOU LL GET THE OFFICIAL SURVEY SOON)
Informed Consent To Participate In A Research Project Project Title: Investigator(s): Description of Study: Adverse Effects and Risks: Duration of Study: Confidentiality of Data: Contact Person: PSY 361 Fall 2008 Personality Study Jack Bauer This study will examine how you think and feel about yourself. You will take a collection of questionnaires that ask about your personality characteristics, personal preferences, and personal evaluations of yourself and your life. There is a possibility that you will experience negative feelings such as anxiety or personal dissatisfaction when answering some of these questions. If you feel any discomfort or distress while participating in this study, or for any other reason, you are free to terminate your participation. Contact information for the university s counseling center is provided below. The counseling services are provided as a free service to students. The study should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Your confidentiality will be protected by the separation of this informed consent form from survey responses. The survey asks for no identifying information beyond basic demographics. This study is part of a course requirement for PSY 361 Personality. The student-researcher who is administering this survey has received strict instruction on research ethics. This person is at no time to match survey responses (data) with names of participants or in any other way to decipher your responses. The student is to retain no record of your survey after this course project is completed. If you have any questions about the research project, please contact: Dr. Jack Bauer, SJ 303, (937) 229-2617, jack.bauer@udayton.edu If you have questions concerning your rights as a research participant, please contact: Dr. Greg Elvers, Chair, Research Review and Ethics Committee St. Joseph Hall, Room 312 229-2171 greg.elvers@notes.udayton.edu
Consent to Participate: I have voluntarily decided to participate in this study. The investigator named above has adequately answered any and all questions I have about this study, the procedures involved, and my participation. I understand that the investigator named above will be available to answer any questions about research procedures throughout this study. I also understand that I may voluntarily terminate my participation in this study at any time and still receive full credit. I also understand that the investigator named above may terminate my participation in this study if s/he feels this to be in my best interest. In addition, I certify that I am 18 (eighteen) years of age or older. Signature of Student Student s Name (printed) Date Signature of Witness Date
INSTRUCTIONS Thank you for your participation. Please use the answer form to respond to the following questions.
TIPI Brief Big 5 Traits Here are a number of personality traits that may or may not apply to you. Please write a number next to each statement to indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with that statement. You should rate the extent to which the pair of traits applies to you, even if one characteristic applies more strongly than the other. Disagree Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Agree Agree strongly moderately a little agree nor a little moderately strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I see myself as: 1. Extraverted, enthusiastic. 2. Critical, quarrelsome. 3. Dependable, self-disciplined. 4. Anxious, easily upset. 5. Open to new experiences, complex. 6. Reserved, quiet. 7. Sympathetic, warm. 8. Disorganized, careless. 9. Calm, emotionally stable. 10. Conventional, uncreative.
AGQ-R Achievement Goals For each of the following items, please answer the extent to which you agree with the following items. Please be as accurate and as honest as you can. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 1. My aim is to completely master the material presented in this class. 2. I am striving to do well compared to other students. 3. My goal is to learn as much as possible. 4. My aim is to perform well relative to other students. 5. My aim is to avoid learning less than I possibly could. 6. My goal is to avoid performing poorly compared to others. 7. I am striving to understand the content of this course as thoroughly as possible. 8. My goal is to perform better than the other students. 9. My goal is to avoid learning less than it is possible to learn. 10. I am striving to avoid performing worse than others. 11. I am striving to avoid an incomplete understanding of the course material. 12. My aim is to avoid doing worse than other students.
GMI Growth Motivation Index Please rate how often you do the following things on a scale of 1 to 7. Please consider each item individually. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Never Periodically Always 1. I try to form my personal goals in life around my deeper interests. 2. I strive to make my relationships better in the future. 3. I choose classes/tasks from which I can gain knowledge, even if I am not guaranteed a good outcome in the end. 4. I make efforts to help other people who might be at some disadvantage. 5. I ask myself "what if " questions that place me in others shoes, such as "What would I think or feel in this situation if I were of a different race or ethnicity?" 6. I strive to change things about myself that I don t like. 7. When bad or troubling things happen in my life, I usually do not ask why and instead try to forget about it. 8. I spend time thinking about how to deepen my interpersonal relationships. 9. I try to create a work life (now or in the future) that is personally challenging and meaningful. 10. I actively seek new perspectives on how to live my life, even if these new perspectives mean I ve been wrong. 11. I m motivated to get a job of high social status even if it is not so interesting. 12. When I think of my major goals in life, I consider whether they might benefit others. 13. I ask my friends what they think and feel about current issues so that I can understand other points of view. 14. I strive to create a happy and meaningful life. 15. Money is a concern of highest importance when I make major life decisions. 16. I read material that is entertaining rather than challenging. 17. I seek new experiences as a way to know myself and others better, not just to feel excitement. 18. I consciously think about how I fit into my society and culture, how they have influenced me, and what I might contribute to them. 19. I actively work to manage and communicate my feelings better. 20. It s important for me to have a romantic partner who makes me look good to other people.
SWLS Satisfaction with Life Scale, modified for academic life and love life Below are 15 statements that you may agree or disagree with. Using the 5-point scale below, indicate your agreement with each item. 1 2 3 4 5 Neutral Definitely Disagree Definitely Agree Academic Life: 1. In most ways my academic life is close to my ideal. 2. The conditions of my academic life are excellent. 3. I am satisfied with my academic life. 4. So far I have gotten the important things I want in my academic life. 5. If I could live my academic life over, I would change almost nothing. Love Life: 6. In most ways my love life is close to my ideal. 7. The conditions of my love life are excellent. 8. I am satisfied with my love life. 9. So far I have gotten the important things I want in my love life. 10. If I could live my love life over, I would change almost nothing. Life in General: 11. In most ways my life is close to my ideal. 12. The conditions of my life are excellent. 13. I am satisfied with my life. 14. So far I have gotten the important things I want in life. 15. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
MLQ Meaning in Life Questionnaire Please take a moment to think about what makes your life feel important to you. Please respond to the following statements as truthfully and accurately as you can, and also please remember that these are very subjective questions and that there are no right or wrong answers. Please answer according to the scale below: Absolutely Mostly Somewhat Can t Say Somewhat Mostly Absolutely Untrue Untrue Untrue True or True True True False 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1. I understand my life s meaning. 2. I am looking for something that makes my life feel meaningful. 3. I am always looking to find my life s purpose. 4. My life has a clear sense of purpose. 5. I have a good sense of what makes my life meaningful. 6. I have discovered a satisfying life purpose. 7. I am always searching for something that makes my life feel significant. 8. I am seeking a purpose or mission for my life. 9. My life has no clear purpose. 10. I am searching for meaning in my life.
SES Self-Esteem Scale On the items below, indicate the degree to which each statement represents your personal reactions or feelings. Marking 5 would indicate that the statement is definitely true of your personal reactions. Marking 1 would indicate that the statement is definitely untrue of your reactions 1 2 3 4 5 Neutral Not at all Like me 1. I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on an equal basis with others. 2. I feel that I have a number of good qualities. 3. All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure. 4. I am able to do things as well as most other people. 5. I feel I do not have much to be proud of. 6. I take on a positive attitude toward myself. 7. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself. 8. I wish I could have more respect for myself. 9. I certainly feel useless at times. 10. At times I think I am no good at all. Very much Like me
CASW Contingencies of Academic Self-Worth Please respond to each of the following statements by marking your answer on the scantron form using the following scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. If you haven t experienced the situation described in a particular statement, please answer how you think you would feel if that situation occurred. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Neutral Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 1. My opinion about myself isn t tied to how well I do in school. 2. Doing well in school gives me a sense of self-respect. 3. I feel better about myself when I know I m doing well academically. 4. My self-esteem is influenced by my academic performance. 5. I feel bad about myself whenever my academic performance is lacking.
LGS Loyola Generativity Scale Instructions. For each of the following statements, please indicate how often the statement applies to you by marking either a 0, 1, 2, or 3, in the space in front. Mark 0 if the statement never applies to you. Mark 1 if the statement only occasionally or seldom applies to you. Mark 2 if the statement applies to you fairly often. Mark 3 if the statement applies to you very often or nearly always. 1. I try to pass along the knowledge I have gained through my experiences. 2. I do not feel that other people need me. 3. I think I would like the work of a teacher. 4. I feel as though I have made a difference to many people. 5. I do not volunteer to work for a charity. 6. I have made and created things that have had an impact on other people. 7. I try to be creative in most things that I do. 8. I think that I will be remembered for a long time after I die. 9. I believe that society cannot be responsible for providing food and shelter for all homeless people. 10. Others would say that I have made unique contributions to society. 11. If I were unable to have children of my own, I would like to adopt children. 12. I have important skills that I try to teach others. 13. I feel that I have done nothing that will survive after I die. 14. In general, my actions do not have a positive effect on other people. 15. I feel as though I have done nothing of worth to contribute to others. 16. I have made many commitments to many different kinds of people, groups, and activities in my life. 17. Other people say that I am a very productive person. 18. I have a responsibility to improve the neighborhood in which I live. 19. People come to me for advice. 20. I feel as though my contributions will exist after I die.
Please check the one option in each category that best describes you Your sex: Male Female Your age: 19 or younger 20 21 22 23+ Your year in college: Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Your ethnicity: European-American (non-hispanic) Hispanic-American African-American Asian-American (non-middle-east) Middle-East-American Other: Your religion: Catholicism Protestantism Judaism Islam Buddhism Hinduism Other: Your major: Psychology Physical Sciences Engineering Education Social Sciences (other than Psychology) Arts & Humanities Business Health & Sport Sciences Your GPA: < 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.5 2.9 3.0 3.4 3.5+ If you were to vote in the presidential election right now, for whom would you vote? Obama/Biden McCain/Palin
DEBRIEFING Information about the Study This study asks questions about well-being, meaning-making, broad personality traits (like extraversion and openness to experience), self-esteem, and motivation for personal growth and various forms of achievement. This study has no particular hypothesis, as the studentresearchers who are taking PSY 361 Personality are to generate their own hypotheses, collect data, and report their findings. However, the measures in this study are suitable for addressing many contemporary questions in personality psychology, such as: How do motivations for specific kinds of personal growth (say learning/conceptual exploration v. meaningful relationships) relate to happiness and meaning-making? Happiness and meaning in life are two ways people tend to define a good life, yet happiness and complexity of meaning-making typically have no relation: People who can think complexly about their lives are just as likely to be happy as not. Another question that can be addressed from this survey is: Do people who focus on mastering a particular set of personally meaningful skills have higher levels of wellbeing and self-esteem than people who focus on performing well for the sake of gaining others approval, whether in the form of good grades or a prestigious job down the road? Research suggests this is the case. This study can help explain why in terms of personality characteristics like growth motivation and other meaning-making orientations. By participating in this study and studies like these, you are contributing to the field of psychology s understanding of how personality works. In addition, you have contributed to the education of the student-researcher who administered this survey for you. With your help, students in this class are receiving hands-on experience with almost all phases of the process of survey research, which is essential to the field of personality psychology. References Bauer, J. J., & McAdams, D. P. (2004). Growth goals, maturity, and well-being. Developmental Psychology, 40, 114-127. Bauer, J. J., McAdams, D. P., & Sakaeda, A. R. (2005). Interpreting the good life: Growth memories in the lives of mature, happy people. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 203-217. Assurance of Privacy We are studying general principles of behavior and are not evaluating you personally in any way. The responses you have given will be kept confidential and only identified by a participant number in the data set along with other participants numbers. Contact Information If you have any questions about the research project, please contact: Dr. Jack Bauer, 229-2617, Department of Psychology, St. Joseph Hall, Room 303. Email: jack.bauer@udayton.edu. If you have questions concerning your rights as a research participant, please contact: Dr. Greg Elvers, Chair, Research Review and Ethics Committee, 229-2171, St. Joseph Hall, Room 312. Email: greg.elvers@notes.udayton.edu If any of the content in this experiment has caused any discomfort or distress and you would like to seek professional counseling, please contact the University of Dayton Counseling Center, Gosiger Hall, 937-229-3141.
Thanks and Credit Thank you for your participation and cooperation. This study would not have been possible without willing participants and you are greatly appreciated.