Chapter 3: key terms

Question 1

Individual Differences

Answer 1

The differences in which totally distinguish one individual from another.

Question 2

Attribution theory

Answer 2

A theory where one attempts to understand the behavior of others by attributing feelings, beliefs, and intentions to them.

Question 3

Behavioral measures

Answer 3

Measuring behaviors threw the observation and test.

Question 4

Interactional Psychology

Answer 4

Psychological approach to understanding human behavior. Involves knowing something about person/situation.

Question 5

Personality

Answer 5

Characteristics that influences a persons behavior.

Question 6

Trait Theory

Answer 6

A personality theory that breaks down behavior patterns into a collection of observable traits in order to understand human behavior.

Question 7

Integrative approach

Answer 7

A broad theory that describes personality as various parts of an individuals physiological process.

Question 8

Strong situation

Answer 8

Exerts pressure for a individual to behave in a certain way, which leads to similar behavior across people.

Question 9

Locus of control

Answer 9

Is the degree to which people believe that they have control over the outcome of events in their lives, opposed to external forces beyond their control.

Question 10

General Self-efficacy

Answer 10

One’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

Question 11

Self-esteem

Answer 11

Confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect

Question 12

Self-monitoring

Answer 12

A personality trait that refers to the ability to regulate behavior to accommodate social situations.

Question 13

Positive Affect

Answer 13

Someones propensity to experience positive emotions and interact with others and life’s challenges in a positive way.

Question 14

Negative Affect

Answer 14

A persons tendency to accentuate the negative aspects of their selves, other people and the world in general .

Question 15

Protective test

Answer 15

A psychological test in which words, images, or situations are presented to a person and the responses analyzed for the unconscious expression of elements of a personality that they reveal.

Question 16

Behavioral measures

Answer 16

Personality assessments that involve analyzing an individual’s behavior in a controlled situation.

Question 17

Self-report questionnaire

Answer 17

A personality assessment that is based off of a individuals responses to a variety of questions.

Question 18

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) instrument

Answer 18

A instrument developed to measure Carl Jung’s theory of a individual differences.

Question 19

Extraversion

Answer 19

Getting energized by interactions with other people.

Question 20

Introversion

Answer 20

Getting energized by spending time alone.

Question 21

Sensing

Answer 21

Gathering info through the 5 senses and focusing on what actually exists.

Question 22

Intuition

Answer 22

Gathering info through a 6 sense and focusing on what it could be.

Question 23

Thinking

Answer 23

Making your decisions in a more logical and objective fashion.

Question 24

Feeling

Answer 24

Making decisions in a personal, value-oriented way.

Question 25

Judging

Answer 25

Preferring closure and completion in making decisions.

Question 26

Perceiving

Answer 26

To recognize, discern, envision or understand.

Question 27

Social Perception

Answer 27

The process of interpreting information about another person.

Question 28

Discounting principle

Answer 28

The assumption that a persons behavior is justified by the situation.

Question 29

Selective perception

Answer 29

Is a process in which individuals perceive what they want to while ignoring opposing viewpoints.

Question 30

Stereotype

Answer 30

A generalization about a group of people.

Question 31

First- impression

Answer 31

Forming a long lasting opinion about a person based off your initial perception.

Question 32

Projection

Answer 32

One of the most common defensive mechanisms. Overestimating the amount of people who share our own same beliefs, values and behaviors.

Question 33

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 33

Allowing the expectations we have about someone to effect our interaction with theme in such a way that those exceptions are fulfilled.

Question 34

Impression Management

Answer 34

When individuals try to control the impressions others have of them.

Question 35

Attribution theory

Answer 35

A theory that supposes that one attempts to understand the behavior of others by attributing feelings, belief, and intentions to them.

Question 36

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 36

Our tendency to explain someone’s behavior based on internal factors, such as personality or disposition.

Question 37

Self serving bias

Answer 37

Serving positive events to ones own character and negative events to external factors.