Knowra Individual differences Individual differences Individual differences are stable or recurring ways people vary in traits, abilities, behavior, or development. They include variation within a population as well as differences between individuals.
Trait theory : An approach that explains consistent patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior through enduring personal characteristics. Trait theory treats recurring personal variation as measurable dimensions.
Intelligence quotient : A standardized score summarizing performance on a set of cognitive tasks relative to an age-based norm group. IQ is a prominent example of quantifying differences in cognitive ability.
Nomothetic and idiographic approaches : Two approaches to psychology: nomothetic methods seek general patterns, while idiographic methods study individual cases. They contrast population-wide regularities with the organization of a particular person's characteristics.
Francis Galton : An English polymath who pioneered statistical methods for studying human variation and heredity in the nineteenth century. Galton helped establish quantitative study of differences among people, alongside deeply problematic eugenic advocacy.
General intelligence factor : A statistical factor, commonly called g, used to explain positive correlations among performance on different cognitive tasks. Its meaning and explanatory scope remain contested despite its robust statistical pattern.
Psychometrics : The science of measuring psychological characteristics, including abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. Its methods turn differences among people into scores while estimating measurement error.
Personality assessment : The systematic measurement of personality characteristics using questionnaires, interviews, or behavioral methods. It applies individual-differences methods to patterns of personality.
Nature versus nurture : A framing of how genetic inheritance and environmental experience contribute to human characteristics. Individual variation is shaped by both influences, rather than a simple either-or choice.
Charles Spearman : A British psychologist who proposed a general intelligence factor and developed statistical methods including factor analysis. His work made covariance among mental abilities central to individual-differences research.
Person–situation debate : A debate over whether behavior is better explained by enduring personal characteristics or by situational context. It asks how reliably traits predict behavior across changing circumstances.
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