Personality Flashcards
The theoretical basis of Gray’s model of personality is at the _________ level.
(a) Evolutionary.
(b) Biological.
(c) Cognitive.
(d) Gray’s model does not have a theoretical basis.
The answer was b. See Lecture 8. Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory has a biological basis (it’s based on brain systems, hypothesized to regulate sensitivity to reward and punishment).
What did Eysenck argue to be a critical component of the mechanism underlying individual differences in extraversion-introversion?
(a) Sensitivity to Reward.
(b) Sociability.
(c) Arousal.
(d) Hormonal levels.
The answer was c. See Lecture 8. Eysenck argued that differences in cortical AROUSAL explained individual differences in extraversion/introversion.
Which of the following is a major criticism of the MMPI-2?
(a) Lack of minority group members in the standardisation sample.
(b) Lack of a nationally representative CONTROL sample.
(c) The MMPI-2 scales are related to demographic variables as well as personality dimensions.
(d) Has no reversed-scored items.
The answer was c. See Lecture 8 – slide entitled “Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory”, subheading: “Weaknesses”: (1) Item overlap (many items appear on more than 1 scale - leading to artificially high correlations between the different scales), (2) response style (e.g. acquiescence – the willing to choose “True”) affects scores (could do with MORE reversed items - BUT DOESN’T HAVE NO REVERSED ITEMS), (2) many demographic variables correlate with MMPI scales (age, gender, socio-economic status, race, intelligence, education) - which has implications for interpretation (THIS IS THE ONE THAT MAPS ONTO THE CORRECT RESPONSE OPTION), (4) clinical samples are not nationally representative (BUT CONTROL SAMPLE, MENTIONED IN RESPONSE OPTION B, IS NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE).
Which of the following is the closest description of someone who scores high on the MMPI scale known as psychasthenia?
(a) They have compulsive-obsessive disorder.
(b) They exaggerate health problems.
(c) They have a sensory/motor disorder for which no organic basis can be established.
(d) They are in the early stages of a manic episode of manic-depressive disorder.
The answer was a. See Lecture 8. Psychasthenia is an old-fashioned term that roughly maps onto obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Statement 1: Cattell’s 16 PF test is an example of a comprehensive personality measure designed for normal populations.
Statement 2: The NEO-PI-R test is an example of an atheoretical comprehensive personality measure designed for normal populations.
(a) Both statements are true.
(b) Statement 1 true; Statement 2 false.
(c) Statement 1 false; Statement 2 true.
(d) Both statements are false.
The answer was a. See Lecture 8 – slide entitled “Personality test examples”. The NEO-PI-R is an example of a “Big 5” personality questionnaire, which is given in the table here. Cattell’s 16 PF is labelled “Cattell” in this table.
One of the Big Five personality traits is:
(a) Compliance.
(b) Competence.
(c) Agreeableness.
(d) Assertiveness.
The answer was c. See Lecture 8. The Big Five traits are extroversion, neuroticism, openness to experience (or culture), conscientiousness, and agreeableness.
The MMPI was designed using the ___________ approach to test construction.
(a) Content construction.
(b) Factor Analysis.
(c) Criterion groups.
(d) Theoretical.
The answer was c. See Lecture 8. The MMPI used the criterion groups approach to test construction.
According to Eysenck’s personality theory, what is the underlying basis for individual differences in neuroticism?
(a) The Behaviour Inhibition System.
(b) The Behaviour Activation System.
(c) Differences in cortical arousal.
(d) Differences in activation thresholds in the limbic system.
The answer was d. See Lecture 8. Eysenck viewed individual differences in neuroticism as being a result of differences in activation thresholds in the limbic system.
The theoretical basis of Eysenck’s personality theory is at the _________ level.
(a) Evolutionary.
(b) Biological.
(c) Cognitive.
(d) Eysenck’s model does not have a theoretical basis.
The answer was b. See Lecture 8. Eysenck “produced a detailed biologically-based theoretical model”.
The Behavioural Inhibition System has been implicated in differences in:
(a) Sensitivity to punishment.
(b) Cortical arousal.
(c) Reactivity to reward.
(d) Activation levels in the limbic system.
The answer was a. See Lecture 8. According to Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, the Behavioural Inhibition System has been implicated in individual differences in sensitivity to punishment.
