202 Reaction questions - October 26, 2004

Work on these questions when you are done with your quiz. The answers are due in your discussion section this week. Please write legibly and use proper spelling and grammar, including complete sentences! Please do your own work.

1. What are some reasons why Freud's work is dismissed today? What are some of the important legacies of Freud's work that are part of popular culture today?

2. If we all talk about "personality" in everyday conversations without any confusion about what we mean, why are many aspects of personality (its dimensions, its ability to predict behavior, its origins, even its existence) still causing so much debate among researchers?

3. Suppose you are given the task of creating an instrument designed to find people with a "Presidential [as in U.S. President] personality." How would you measure this construct? What are some steps you might take in creating a valid measure?