Assessing Individual Differences in Human Behavior: New Concepts, Methods, and Findings

"The study of personality and individual differences is beginning to assume its rightful place as one of the two pillars on which a scientific psychology rests, the other being experimental psychology. There are numeruus new developments, and this book admirably introduces the reader to many of the new ideas, methods, and concepts that promise to rejuvinate this whole area." --Hans Eysenck, Ph.D., D.Sc., University of London "This book makes a significant step in showing the variety and value of new work in differential psychology. It is a major contribution to the field." --Richard E. Snow, Ph.D., Professor of Education and Psychology, Stanford University The definitive sourcebook on individual differences assessment, this volume will prove invaluable to clinical and industrial psychologists, researchers, students, or anyone involved in adult behavioral research or assessment in vocational contexts. Contributions from nineteen leading psychologists provide an historical overview of the field, survey new methods, discuss new findings, and offer commentary on the classics in the field. This classic work rekindles interest in what is possibly the fundamental puzzle of human behavior - its variability. _Assessing Individual Differences in Human Behavior_ solidifies the role of the psychology of individual differences as the very foundation of the science of psychology and showcases the wide range of issues - theoretical and practical, substantive and methodological - that are addressed by individual differences psychology. Backed by their Minnesota training, editors David Lubinski and Rene V. Dawis bring together the most preeminent scholars in the field to explore the most significant topics under discussion as this area of study assumes increasing promise in offering solutions to many of our society's most pressing problems. Divided into five parts, the book begins with a historical overview of the psychology of individual differences by the late Leona Tyler, elder stateswoman of counseling psychology. Part 2 focuses on method, with scholars exploring such issues as the measurement of individual differences and how it can be used in test design and the problem of distinguishing between variables that are quantitative or dimensional. Part 3 focuses on what might be called traditional individual differences variables, with authors exploring gender differences ("the first variable"), occupational differences, vocational interests, leisure preferences, and personality. Part 4 concentrates on new areas of research, such as interpersonal behavior and language perception and production. In the final section, authors provide commentaries on such topics as the control of individual differences and the impact of "dust-bowl empiricism" on individual differences psychology. This landmark work underscores the critical contribution of individual differences psychology to our understanding of human behavior and should prove to be a most needed resource for students and professionals for many years to come.