APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

GRA 2203 Psychological Measurement and Individual Differences

Responsible for the course
Øyvind Martinsen

Department
Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The study of the individual is the cornerstone of psychology. Despite an increasing focus on the dynamics of groups, teams and organizations in research, the emphasis on the individual remains. In order to understand individual differences or the individual as part of a system, it is necessary to have extensive knowledge of individual characteristics as reflected in theories of personality, intelligence, creativity, styles and other attributes. Such theories may explain important work behavior, e.g., achievement, collaboration efforts, competition, and productivity; and generally represent the foundation for recruitment, personal development programs, and team composition. Characteristics of measurement and statistical analyses are also of central importance in this field.

Learning outcome
-' should acquire research based concepts and knowledge of psychological tests.
- ' should acquire statistical concepts necessary to evaluate tests.
- ' should acquire research based knowledge of individual difference theories.
- ' should gain knowledge on their own scores on a selection of psychological tests.
- ' should become capable of developing tests and questionnaires.
- ' should become capable of interpreting test scores.

Prerequisites
Bachelor degree qualifying for admission to the MSc Programme. Basic knowledge in statistics

Compulsory reading
Books:
Cooper, Colin. 2010. Individual differences and personality. 3rd ed. Hodder Education. (Selected chapters)

Collection of articles:
A selection of research articles will be made available before the course starts

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination.


Recommended reading
Books:
Cervone, Daniel, Lawrence A. Pervin. 2013. Personality : theory and research. 12th ed. Wiley
Sternberg, Robert J. 1990. Metaphors of mind : conceptions of the nature of intelligence. Cambridge University Press

Course outline
- Measurement and analyses of individual differences
- Questionnaire development
- Theories of personality
- Motivational dispositions
- Theories of mental abilities
- Creativity
- Leadership styles and 360 degree feedback

Computer-based tools
Demonstration of relevant software for statistical analyses. It's learning/homepage

Learning process and workload
The course is structured as a combination of lectures, discussions,and in-class activities. It requires substantial amount of preparation by the students and active involvement during class. A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.


Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/It's learning or text book

Examination
Three hours written examination.

Examination code(s)
GRA 22032 written examination accounts for 100 % of the final grade in the course GRA 2203.

Examination support materials
A bilingual dictionary.
Exam aids at written examiniations are explained under exam information in the student portal @bi. Please note use of calculator and dictionary in the section on examaids

Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught.
The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code.
Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes.
Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

Additional information
Honor Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honor code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honor code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.

Any violation of the honor code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honor code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honor code, please ask.