CHAPTER 01: Introduction to Personality Psychology

Question 1

Features of personality that make people different from one another and that can be used to describe their characteristics are called _____.

A)differential pronouns
B)trait-descriptive adjectives
C)action-descriptive verbs
D)trait-differentiating adverbs

Answer 1

B) trait-descriptive adjectives

Question 2

If one describes Juan as possessive or Anita as friendly, he or she is using:

A)trait-descriptive adjectives.
B)inner psychological states.
C)strategies to attain goals.
D)inner qualities of personality.

Answer 2

A) trait-descriptive adjectives.

Question 3

How many trait-descriptive adjectives are there in the English language?

A)More than 500
B)More than 1,800
C)More than 5,000
D)More than 15,000

Answer 3

D) More than 15,000

Question 4

A talkative person will:

A)always talk more than a quiet person.
B)never shut up.
C)talk more than a quiet person in theatres.
D)talk more than a quiet person on average.

Answer 4

person in theatres.

D)talk more than a quiet person on average.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an essential ingredient of most psychological mechanisms?

A) Access codes
B) Decision rules
C) Inputs
D) Outputs

Answer 5

A) Access codes

Question 6

The trait of courageousness is an especially good example of:

A) an adaptive trait.
B) how traits are consistent.
C) how traits are activated only under particular conditions.
D) how traits change over time.

Answer 6

C) how traits are activated only under particular conditions.

Question 7

Personality:

A) is outside an individual.
B) is within an individual.
C) is both outside and inside an individual.
D) can be inside or outside an individual.

Answer 7

B) is within an individual.

Question 8

To say that an individual has the trait of happiness, one needs to know whether the individual:

A) is happy at a given moment.
B) is frequently happy.
C) remembers being happy.
D) makes others happy.

Answer 8

B) is frequently happy.

Question 9

Identify a true statement about personality traits.

A) They are a random collection of elements for a given person.

B) They cannot help predict differences among people.

C) They change radically from one situation to another.

D) They influence how individuals think and feel.

Answer 9

D) They influence how individuals think and feel

Question 10

In the context of person-environment interaction, which of the following is NOT included in interactions with situations?

A) Serialisations
B) Perceptions
C) Manipulations
D) Selections

Answer 10

A) Serialisations

Question 11

Melvin looked at an inkblot and saw two birds nesting. Heidi looked at the inkblot and saw a tranquil forest. Joe looked at the inkblot and saw something sexual. These three responses illustrate that _____ are an important component of person-environment interaction.

A) manipulations
B) provocations
C) perceptions
D) projections

Answer 11

C) perceptions

Question 12

Evocations are produced when:

A) different people see the same situation differently.

B) one’s characteristics unintentionally cause other people to act in a certain way.

C) one intentionally attempts to make other people act in a certain way.

D) individuals select environments to match their traits.

Answer 12

B) one’s characteristics unintentionally cause other people to act in a certain way.

Question 13

Every time Sid walks into a room, everyone laughs. However, he does not intend to make them laugh. This scenario demonstrates:

A) evocation.
B) elocution.
C) exultation.
D) emaciation.

Answer 13

A) evocation.

Question 14

Keith has a fear of heights, and he discourages his friends from bungee jumping. He quotes several incidents in which people have been seriously injured while performing the act. In the context of person-environment interaction, this scenario most likely exemplifies _____.

A) manipulation
B) perception
C) adaptation
D) evocation

Answer 14

A) manipulation

Question 15

Sheba loves to dress fashionably for office parties. Her teammates feel pressurised to match up to her dressing style. However,Sheba does not intend to make them feel pressurised; she simply loves to dress well. In the context of person-environment interaction, this scenario most likely exemplifies _____.

A)manipulation
B)perception
C)adaptation
D)evocation

Answer 15

D) evocation

Question 16

Bianca always chooses restaurants that have a quiet, subdued atmosphere.She always tries to avoid loud restaurants.In the context of person-environment interaction, this scenario illustrates _____.

A)sublimation
B)selection
C)suggestion
D)sophistication

Answer 16

B)selection

Question 17

At a psychological level, the physical environment may lead to the development of:

A) shivering mechanisms when people feel cold.
B) hunger pangs to motivate people to seek food.
C) friction mechanisms to prevent calluses on skin.
D) fear mechanisms to help people avoid environmental threats.

Answer 17

D) fear mechanisms to help people avoid environmental threats.

Question 18

In the social environment, one’s “effective environment” represents:

A) the strongest environmental cues that are found in any given environment.

B) the environmental cues that are directly related to survival in his or her immediate environment.

C) a set of cues emitted by other people in the environment.

D) the subset of environmental features that one’s psychological mechanisms direct him or her to attend and respond to.

Answer 18

D) the subset of environmental features that one’s psychological mechanisms direct him or her to attend and respond to.

Question 19

One’s intrapsychic environment is:

A)not as objectively verifiable as one’s social or physical environment.

B)often easy to verify through an analysis of dreams.

C)relatively consistent across the social environment but not the physical environment.

D)based on how others react in an environment.

Answer 19

A)not as objectively verifiable as one’s social or physical environment.

Question 20

Intrapsychic means “_____.”

A) enduring over time
B) within the mind
C) intentional influence
D) organized

Answer 20

B)within the mind

Question 21

The human nature level of personality analysis addresses how every human being is, in certain respects,_____.

A)like all others
B)like some others
C)like no others
D)somewhat like other mammals

Answer 21

A)like all others

Question 22

The individual and group differences level of personality analysis addresses how every human being is, in certain respects,_____.

A)like all others
B)like some others
C)like no others
D)somewhat like other mammals

Answer 22

B)like some others

Question 23

The individual uniqueness level of personality analysis addresses how every human is, in certain respects,_____.

A)like all others
B)like some others
C)like no others
D)somewhat like other mammals

Answer 23

C)like no others

Question 24

The ability to learn and use a language is an example of the:

A)human nature level of personality analysis.
B)individual and group differences level of personality analysis.
C)individual uniqueness level of personality analysis.
D)social psychological level of personality analysis.

Answer 24

A)human nature level of personality analysis.

Question 25

Studying how people vary in levels of anxiety, self-esteem, or worry represents the _____ approach to studying personality psychology.

A)individual differences
B)human nature
C)idiographic
D)environmental

Answer 25

A)individual differences

Question 26

Which of the following is an example of idiographic research?

A)Comparing men and women on emotionality
B)Developing a questionnaire that measures sociability
C)Writing a case study of Albert Einstein’s personality
D)Conducting a field study of helping behaviors

Answer 26

C)Writing a case study of Albert Einstein’s personality

Question 27

Which of the following is an example of nomothetic research?

A)Preparing a case study of Sigmund Freud
B)Statistically comparing freshmen and seniors on a personality inventory
C)Attempting to identify the genes related to impulsivity
D)Analyzing the correspondence of Chris Rock

Answer 27

B)Statistically comparing freshmen and seniors on a personality inventory

Question 28

A study of a single individual is an example of:

A)idiographic research.
B)nomothetic research.
C)correlational research.
D)cognitive psychology research.

Answer 28

A)idiographic research.

Question 29

Psychologists most often focus on _____ when doing research.

A)idiographic research
B)human nature
C)individual uniqueness in personality
D)group and individual differences in personality

Answer 29

D)group and individual differences in personality

Question 30

Most of the grand theories of personality address the _____ level of analysis.

A)idiographic
B)human nature
C)individual uniqueness
D)group and individual differences

Answer 30

B)human nature

Question 31

A problem with studying only the grand theories of personality is that only parts of them:

A)have stood the test of time and guide modern personality research.
B)apply to men.
C)are based on non-German populations.
D)address the human nature level of analysis.

Answer 31

A)have stood the test of time and guide modern personality research.

Question 32

Grand theories of personality are usually centred on statements about the:

A)universal core of human nature.
B)major individual differences.
C)individual uniqueness of all humans.
D)differences between the genders.

Answer 32

A)universal core of human nature.

Question 33

In modern personality psychology, grand theories:

A)guide all modern personality researches.
B)are criticised in extensive research literature.
C)are primarily of historical interest.
D)are used only in the clinical application of personality theory.

Answer 33

C)are primarily of historical interest.

Question 34

The ancient legend of the three blind men who were presented with an elephant suggests that:

A)people are like animals in some ways and all living creatures have a personality.

B)individual and group differences help in studying personality.

C)each of the different perspectives on personality is individually inadequate to describe the entire realm of human personality.

D)using ancient legends is an inadequate approach to explaining the full range of differences in human personality.

Answer 34

C)each of the different perspectives on personality is individually inadequate to describe the entire realm of human personality.

Question 35

The various views of researchers in personality stem from the fact that:

A)researchers study different domains of knowledge.

B)most views about personality psychology are incorrect.

C)one of the views is probably more accurate than others.

D)personality psychologists ignore others’ theories.

Answer 35

A)researchers study different domains of knowledge.

Question 36

A domain of knowledge is a:

A)laboratory where personality research is conducted.

B)single theory about the nature of personality.

C)specialty area of science and scholarship.

D)grand theory of personality psychology.

Answer 36

C)specialty area of science and scholarship.

Question 37

Researchers in a given domain of personality share all of these EXCEPT:

A)common methods for asking questions.
B) a foundation of known facts.
C)theoretical explanations.
D)a common laboratory space

Answer 37

D)a common laboratory space

Question 38

When different theoretical perspectives appear incompatible on the surface, one can conclude that:

A)the most recent perspectives are the most accurate.
B)the historical perspectives are the most accurate.
C)none of the perspectives is correct.
D)the contradictions may be more apparent than real.

Answer 38

D)the contradictions may be more apparent than real.

Question 39

The dispositional domain deals centrally with:

A)the ways in which individuals differ from one another.
B)the emotional consequences of dispositions.
C)the biological nature of dispositions.
D)the outer nature of dispositions

Answer 39

A)the ways in which individuals differ from one another.

Question 40

Identify a true statement about the personality psychologists working in the biological domain of knowledge about human nature.

A)They are interested in the origins of the important individual differences.

B)They are interested in the advances in behavioural genetic research.

C)They focus on the forces that often operate outside the realm of consciousness.

D)They focus on one’s experience that entails the self and self-concept.

Answer 40

B)They are interested in the advances in behavioural genetic research.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT an area of research within the biological domain of knowledge about human nature?

A)Subjective experience
B)Genetics
C)Psychophysiology
D)Evolution

Answer 41

A)Subjective experience

Question 42

A researcher who compares identical twins to fraternal twins most likely conducts his or her research within the _____ domain.

A)intrapsychic
B)biological
C)adjustment
D)cognitive-experiential

Answer 42

B)biological

Question 43

Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature deals with mental mechanisms of personality, many of which operate outside of conscious awareness?

A)The cognitive-experiential domain
B)The biological domain
C)The intrapsychic domain
D)The adjustment domain

Answer 43

C)The intrapsychic domain

Question 44

In the context of the distinct domains of knowledge about human nature, the _____ domain is most closely linked with the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud.

A)biological
B)dispositional
C)social and cultural
D)intrapsychic

Answer 44

D)intrapsychic

Question 45

Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature includes defence mechanisms, such as repression, denial, and projection?

A)The dispositional domain
B)The adjustment domain
C)The social and cultural domain
D)The intrapsychic domain

Answer 45

D)The intrapsychic domain

Question 46

Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature deals centrally with the ways in which individuals differ from one another?

A)The biological domain
B)The dispositional domain
C)The intrapsychic domain
D)The social and cultural domain

Answer 46

B)The dispositional domain

Question 47

The cognitive-experiential domain of knowledge about human nature _____.

A) deals centrally with the ways in which individuals differ from one another

B) deals with mental mechanisms of personality that operate outside of conscious awareness

C) focuses on thought processes and subjective familiarity

D) focuses on how personality is affected by the social and cultural context

Answer 47

C) focuses on thought processes and subjective familiarity

Question 48

Which of the following domains of knowledge is based on the assumption that personality is not something that merely resides within the heads, nervous systems, and genes of individuals, but it affects, and is affected by, external factors?

A)The dispositional domain
B)The social and cultural domain
C)The biological domain
D)The intrapsychic domain

Answer 48

B)The social and cultural domain

Question 49

Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature focuses on the relationship between personality and gender differences?

A)The dispositional domain
B)The adjustment domain
C)The social and cultural domain
D)The cognitive-experiential domain

Answer 49

C)The social and cultural domain

Question 50

Which of the following domains of knowledge focuses on the relationship between personality and health-related behaviours?

A)The dispositional domain
B)The adjustment domain
C)The social and cultural domain
D)The cognitive-experiential domain

Answer 50

B)The adjustment domain

Question 51

Simone, a personality researcher, is studying human longevity.Her study focuses on how an individual’s personality determines how long he or she will live.In this scenario,Simone is most likely studying the _____ of knowledge about human nature.

A)dispositional domain
B)adjustment domain
C)social and cultural domain
D)intrapsychic domain

Answer 51

B)adjustment domain

Question 52

Kevin, a personality researcher, is writing an article on human emotions.He explores aspects like whether an individual expresses his or her emotions easily. Also, he evaluates factors that make an individual emote in a particular manner.In this scenario,Kevin is most likely studying the _____ of knowledge about human nature.

A)dispositional domain
B)adjustment domain
C)social and cultural domain
D)cognitive-experiential domain

Answer 52

D)cognitive-experiential domain

Question 53

The study of personality disorders falls within the _____ domain of knowledge about human nature.

A)biological
B)social and cultural
C)adjustment
D)intrapsychic

Answer 53

C)adjustment

Question 54

Lillian is interested in understanding how borderline personality disorder affects everyday behaviour in a clinical population.She most likely will use the methods and the models of the _____ domain of knowledge about human nature in conducting her research.

A)dispositional
B)biological
C)adjustment
D)intrapsychic

Answer 54

C)adjustment

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT a purpose of a good theory?

A)To serve as a guide for researchers
B)To eliminate domains of knowledge
C)To organise known findings
D)To make predictions

Answer 55

B)To eliminate domains of knowledge

Question 56

_____ are tested by systematic observations that can be repeated by others and that yield similar conclusions, whereas _____ are based on faith, not on reliable facts and systematic observations.

A)Theories; beliefs
B)Beliefs; theories
C)Domains; approaches
D)Approaches; domains

Answer 56

A)Theories; beliefs

Question 57

Which of the following standards for evaluating personality theories guides researchers to important new discoveries?

A)Compatibility and integration across domains and levels
B)Heuristic value
C)Testability
D)Parsimony

Answer 57

B)Heuristic value

Question 58

Which of the following scientific standards for evaluating personality theories ascertains whether a theory does a good job of explaining all of the facts and observations within its
domain?

A)Parsimony
B)Heuristic value
C)Comprehensiveness
D)Compatibility and integration across domains and levels

Answer 58

C)Comprehensiveness

Question 59

Which of the following scientific standards for evaluating personality theories ascertains whether a theory contains few premises and assumptions or many premises and assumptions?

A)Parsimony
B)Heuristic value
C)Comprehensiveness
D)Testability

Answer 59

A)Parsimony

Question 60

As a standard for evaluating personality theories, compatibility and integration across domains and levels ascertains whether a personality theory:

A) is heavily based on premises and assumptions established in
another domain.

B) in one domain violates well-established principles in another domain.

C) provides precise predictions that can be tested empirically.

D) does a good job of explaining all of the facts and observations within its domain.

Answer 60

B) in one domain violates well-established principles in another domain.

Question 61

George’s theory of personality leads to the discovery of new links between cognition and brain function that were previously believed to be impossible.George’s theory has:

A) comprehensiveness.
B) heuristic value.
C) testability.
D) parsimony.

Answer 61

B) heuristic value.

Question 62

As a general rule, the testability of a theory rests with:

A )the generalisability of its predictions.
B) its compatibility with other theories.
C) the precision of its predictions.
D) its comprehensiveness.

Answer 62

C) the precision of its predictions.