Theories of Personality

The purpose of this assignment is to critique a research study focusing on one of the theories of personality.

In your research critique, you will critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of the study as well as examine the validity of the methods, findings and conclusions. You must select an article from a scholarly journal.

Articles must meet the following criteria:

• Primary research – Articles should report the results of an original research study (no meta-analyses, summaries, editorials or theoretical articles).
• Refereed – Articles must come from peer-reviewed journals; you may not use articles from blogs, popular press books, magazines, textbooks or non-academic publications.
• Personality focus – Articles must examine one of the theories or measures of personality covered in our course. 

Your journal article critique should begin with an APA style reference citation for the article you have selected. Following the article, provide a brief annotation that summarizes the purpose and findings of the research study.

The majority of your journal article critique should consist of your critical analysis of the following questions:

Critique: Purpose & Research Focus

1. Is the objective of the experiment appropriate, relevant and important for psychology and/or personality theory?

Critique: Methods

2. Are the experimental methods adequately described? Were the experimental design and methods appropriate for the research question?

3. Was the target sample population appropriate for this study? Does the sample of this study allow for generalizability of results?

4. What measures were used to assess personality? Are the measurements valid and reliable? What other measures would you have liked to see included in the study?

5. Are the procedures relevant, clear and appropriate? Is there enough detail in the procedures to enable replication?

Critique: Results & Conclusions

6. Are the statistical methods appropriate for the data and research design?

7. Are the findings generalizable? To whom? What limitations exist in generalizing the findings?

8. Were there important points, issues or ideas that were left out? Are there issues that you believe deserved greater attention?

9. Are the conclusions of the study appropriate? Has the author overemphasized or under-emphasized any findings?

Conclusion: Overall Value

10. What are the key strengths and weaknesses of this study?

11. How does this research add to our understanding of personality or personality theory?

12. What is your opinion of the value of this study? Support your position.