Personality representation: predicting behaviour for personalised learning support

The need for personalised support systems comes from the growing number of students that are being supported within institutions with shrinking resources. Over the last decade the use of computers and the Internet within education has become more predominant. This opens up a range of possibilities in regard to spreading that resource further and more effectively. Previous attempts to create automated systems such as intelligent tutoring systems and learning companions have been criticised for being pedagogically ineffective and relying on large knowledge sources which restrict their domain of application. More recent work on adaptive hypermedia has resolved some of these issues but has been criticised for the lack of support scope, focusing on learning paths and alternative content presentation. The student model used within these systems is also of limited scope and often based on learning history or learning styles.This research examines the potential of using a personality theory as the basis for a personalisation mechanism within an educational support system. The automated support system is designed to utilise a personality based profile to predict student behaviour. This prediction is then used to select the most appropriate feedback from a selection of reflective hints for students performing lab based programming activities. The rationale for the use of personality is simply that this is the concept psychologists use for identifying individual differences and similarities which are expressed in everyday behaviour. Therefore the research has investigated how these characteristics can be modelled in order to provide a fundamental understanding of the student user and thus be able to provide tailored support. As personality is used to describe individuals across many situations and behaviours, the use of such at the core of a personalisation mechanism may overcome the issues of scope experienced by previous methods.This research poses the following question: can a representation of personality be used to predict behaviour within a software system, in such a way, as to be able to personalise support?Putting forward the central claim that it is feasible to capture and represent personality within a software system for the purpose of personalising services.The research uses a mixed methods approach including a number and combination of quantitative and qualitative methods for both investigation and determining the feasibility of this approach.The main contribution of the thesis has been the development of a set of profiling models from psychological theories, which account for both individual differences and group similarities, as a means of personalising services. These are then applied to the development of a prototype system which utilises a personality based profile. The evidence from the evaluation of the developed prototype system has demonstrated an ability to predict student behaviour with limited success and personalise support.The limitations of the evaluation study and implementation difficulties suggest that the approach taken in this research is not feasible. Further research and exploration is required –particularly in the application to a subject area outside that of programming

Narcissism, personality and personality pathology

This thesis used the methods of differential, cognitive and theoretical psychology to investigate the relationships between pathological narcissism and maladaptive personality and behaviour in general, and to attempt the beginnings of construct validation of M. Scott Peck's proposed `evil' subtype of the DSM -IV Narcissistic Personality Disorder in particular. After a review of theoretical and empirical contributions to the psychology of narcissism, two empirical studies were conducted. In the first, joint self- report survey research using 338 subjects investigated the psychometric structure of narcissism, normal and abnormal personality, and constructs theoretically related to narcissism. Item -level exploratory principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in new subscales for the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. Scale -level exploratory principal components analysis of the combined questionnaires found evidence for a five - factor structure of abnormal personality. One of the five factors was related to narcissistic will to power and low agreeableness; another was related to narcissistic self - love and extraversion. Confirmatory factor analysis of a subset of the data found fair fit for the model.The second study investigated the relationships between narcissism, compartmentalisation, splitting, attribution style and response to disconfirming feedback. No evidence was found to support the hypothesis that narcissists have compartmentalised self -concepts. Moderate test -retest and alternate -form reliability data were obtained for the card -sort task used to assess compartmentalisation. No evidence was found that narcissists use splitting to translocate unwanted self -aspects onto others. Narcissistic dominance was associated with claiming personal credit for positive outcomes, while narcissistic vulnerability was associated with self -blame for negative events. Multiple regression with interaction terms indicated that the relationship between narcissism and response to disconfirming feedback is a function of other personality traits such as neuroticism, and may have opposite effects in different personalities and circumstances. Zero -order correlations suggested significant roles for splitting, narcissistic grandiosity and idealisation, and 12 NEO -PI -R facet -level variables in response to disconfirming feedback.Peck's proposed subtype of narcissistic personality disorder is theoretically distinguished from psychopathy by the use of self- deception to defend the conscience against guilt for the consequences of one's actions, rather than the absence of conscience that characterises psychopathy. Self- deception is among the most difficult and controversial topics in philosophical psychology. Theoretical chapters approached the issue with historical and literary examples, argued that splitting may be a fundamental basis of much self -deception, offered a model of malignant narcissism within the Schematic Propositional Associative Analogue Representation Systems (SPAARS) theory, and addressed the issue in the philosophy of science of whether the proposed personality disorder is a natural or social kind

Assessing organisational trust and personality in a public organisation

This dissertation focuses on assessing organisational trust and personality in a public organisation. In this quantitative study, conducted in a South African public organisation (Gauteng province), dimensions of organisational trust were correlated with the personality dimensions (measured by combined trust and personality instrument). A cross–sectional quantitative research design was conducted on a selected sample of permanent employees from auditing and support business units (N = 350) at a public organisation. The data was collected through a web-based survey. The results revealed significant relationships between the variables. Specifically, the results revealed that credibility and work support were stronger correlated to agreeableness than the five dimensions of personality. For instance, a Pearson correlation analysis revealed that agreeableness correlated significantly and positively with credibility (r = 0.652) and work support (r = 0.626). In the same vein, conscientiousness correlated significantly and positively with trust relationship (r=0.695) and credibility (r=0.622). Additionally, a positive and substantial significant relationship was observed with the dimension openness to experience which correlated significantly and positively with trust relationship (r=0.505) and work support (r=0.503). Furthermore, the results showed that neuroticism correlated significantly and positively with credibility (r=0.590) and trust relationship (r=0.567). The results of the regression analysis further confirmed that agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience would predict organisational trust. The agreeableness dimension made the most significant predictor of organisational trust. Neuroticism dimension did not make a significant contribution to predicting organisational trust. This indicates that personality dimensions are likely to be related to higher levels of organisational trust. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was executed on the measurement models of the instruments used via SPSS AMOS version 27. As the result of confirmatory factor analysis, it was found that the personality and organisational trust dimensions factor structure showed the good fit to the data (χ2= 0.379, df = 2, p = 0.685, CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.02, NFI= 0.99, RFI= 0.98, IFI= 1.00 RMSEA = 0.00); (χ2= 1.195, df = 7, p = 0.302, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.998, NFI= 0.995, RFI= 0.989, IFI= 0.999 RMSEA = 0.29), eliminating the need of any modifications. All factor loadings were statistically significant, with highest loading on neuroticism (β = 0.86), followed by conscientiousness (β = 0.80), agreeableness (β = 0.78), openness to experience (β =0.68), credibility (β = 0.98), followed by work support (β = 0.93), team management (β = 0.93), information sharing (β = 0.91), trust relationship (β = 0.86) and interpersonal trust (β = 0.63) respectively.Centre for Industrial and Organisational PsychologyM. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology

Building Schools of Character: The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a School-Based Character Education Programme Designed to Promote Cooperative Learning and Reduce Anti-Social Behaviour

Background: The issue of behaviour management, particularly as it pertains to addressing anti-social behaviour and improving learning and life outcomes for children and adolescents in schools has become a primary topic of discussion among educational stakeholders. The current perception among educational stakeholders is that as schools and society in general continue to experience an increase in anti-social behaviour, general indiscipline is becoming the normal behavioural pattern within classrooms. This study considers the relationship between personality, behaviour, and educational outcomes rooted in a socio-cultural perspective that emphasizes the role of socially mediated learning in the development of prosocial behaviour, resilience, personality, and character adaptations that support positive life outcomes. With this in mind, the primary aim of this study focused on developing an understanding of personality, behaviour management, and pro-social development through a synthesis of psychological and educational research and theory within the framework of the socio-cultural perspectives to design a character education programme targeted at improving prosocial behaviour within schools. Therefore, the primary question of the study is: Can a holistic programme be designed, effectively implemented in schools, and facilitated by teaching staff to enhance pro-social development and decrease anti-social behaviour among school-aged children? Methods: A sequential approach was used to address the complexity of the phenomena under investigation. The cycle of enquiry developed for this investigation was based on a grounded theory perspective within an action research framework. The cycle of scientific research used for this study was an in-depth investigation that informed real-world field investigations, followed by the simultaneous collection of both quantitative and qualitative data from archival records, open-ended and semi-structured interviews, observations and surveys. This process achieved data saturation and allowed for the emergence of descriptive themes that were used to develop analytical themes so that each subsequent phase of enquiry was informed by the data. Cycle of enquiry: The first phase of the research design involved a systematic literature review that focused on the discovery and formulation of the theory underpinning the development of the educational innovation that became the central avenue of investigation This phase was directed by asking the question; What is the relationship between personality, educational outcomes, and the ability to overcome adversity, and what role can a teacher-mediated cooperative-learning programme focusing on the development of social competence, cooperative communication, restorative processes, and inclusive practice play in supporting the development of beneficial character adaptations in children? To test the initial theories that arose from the literature review, the second phase of study involved a quasi-experiment that investigated the relationship between self-concept and social competence and how these could be influenced by mediated adventure-based learning (MABL) within an outdoor education framework. This quasi-experiment used a control-group, pre-test/post-test, mixed-methods design. The second quasi-experiment investigated the role of Mediated Activity-Based Cooperative Learning (MABCL) on cooperative communication during activity-based group problem-solving challenges and task completion. Following a synthesis of the findings from the MABL and MABCL investigations and a further review of the literature, a multiple-component character education programme was designed. Following the design of the character education programme a pilot study was designed and conducted. Upon concluding the pilot study data analysis, a Random Control Trial (RCT) was designed and participant recruitment conducted. Of the 10 schools that volunteered to take part in the RCT, five were assigned to the control group and five to the experimental group. However, the RCT proved impossible to complete for a variety of reasons and therefore this investigation used a multiple case study design to conclude the cycle of research, with the five schools assigned to the experimental group becoming the cases of the study. Data collected from the multiple case studies were analysed to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the character education programme. Results: Data collected in the final cycle of research, which included 5 schools participating in a multiple case study investigation showed that a character education programme designed within a sociocultural understanding of development can have a positive effect on teacher talk, pupil on and off task behaviour and antisocial behaviour. Both qualitative and quantitative data evidenced an increase in pupil on-task behaviour during lessons and an improvement in the teachers‘ ability to focus their time on content delivery during lessons. In addition, office referrals to senior staff for inappropriate behaviour showed a statistically significant decrease following the implementation of the character education programme. Discussion: Previous research into the impact of character-education programmes has yielded neither a clear guideline regarding what character education should provide nor discussed how a character-education programme can be effectively implemented school wide to promote pro-social development among school-aged children. The data collected in this study from school staff and pupil interviews, observations, and school records indicate that following the implementation of the designed character education programme, Building Schools of Character (BSC), in five primary schools, pupil behaviour and school climate improved. This study found that a socio-culturally framed behaviour-management programme facilitated through the delivery of mediated cooperative-learning activities and designed to enhance responsibility, respect, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and honesty can have a positive impact on pupil behaviour and self-regulation. This finding, coupled with an understanding of the importance of self-regulation, suggests that future school-based behaviour-management programmes and socio-emotional learning initiatives should consider the role of mediated cooperative-learning activities in developing beneficial character adaptations that promote self-regulation and positive educational and life outcomes

A Framework for Group Context Aware Recommendation Systems

This Ph.D. thesis addresses the problem of Group Recommendation Systems (GRSs) with the aim to define a general framework to integrate in the process of generation of the recommendations for a specific group social aspects related to the interactions between group's members, to the type and the status of the social relationship within the group, and even aspect related to the personality of the group's members. The objective is the realization of techniques that permit to better model the real interactions characterizing the group decision-making process and obtain most suitable recommendations

Geographic distributions of psychological characteristics across diverse social and physical environments

Over the past decade, interest in geographical approaches to psychology has flourished and a large literature has accumulated. The emerging perspective of geographical psychology is an interdisciplinary approach to human activity that focuses on the spatial organization of psychological experiences (e.g., Rentfrow, 2010, 2014; Rentfrow, Gosling, & Potter, 2008; Rentfrow & Markus, 2016). In recent years, this view has successfully integrated research across epidemiology, political science, urban design, economics, and geography by promoting the tradition of studying behaviour in the context of physical space. In a broad sense, the goal of this thesis is to provide additional evidence of the benefits of exploring psychological phenomena using a geographical perspective. Two streams of information provide support for this position: (1) a review of the relevant literature in geographical, evolutionary, and personality psychology; (2) six peer-reviewed published studies, all co-authored by the current author, that address individual differences in personality, attachment, and romantic behaviour across cultural and geographic regions. The total composition is divided into four major sections that provide a detailed overview of geographical, evolutionary, and personality psychology before presenting prior publications and future research directions. Part I introduces the rationale for the dissertation and includes a critical review of research on geographic distributions of psychological variables. Part II covers evolutionary and personality approaches and presents three empirical studies dealing with personality patterns and romantic attachment. Part III contains a chapter on emotions in romantic relationships and three cross cultural prior publications. The work concludes with a general discussion in Part IV wherein a general model, future research directions, and limitations are considered