Personality and Theory. Dimensions of a Concept of Humanity

Question 1

is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior.

Answer 1

personality

Question 2

these contribute to individual differences in behavior, consistency of behavior over time, and
stability of behavior across situations.

Answer 2

Traits

Question 3

are unique qualities of an individual that include such attributes as temperament, physique, and intelligence.

Answer 3

Characteristics

Question 4

is a set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses

Answer 4

scientific theory

Question 5

term for the nature of knowledge

Answer 5

epistemology

Question 6

criteria for a useful theory:

Answer 6

• can generate meaningful hypotheses
• possess internal consistency
• could serve to integrate several observations
• should be testable
• should be stated with sufficient precision and logical consistency to permit scientists to deduce clearly stated hypotheses

Question 7

is the branch of
study concerned with observation and classification of data and with the verification
of general laws through the testing of hypotheses

Answer 7

Science

Question 8

is an educated guess or prediction specific enough for its validity to be tested through the use of the scientific method.

Answer 8

hypothesis

Question 9

is a classification of things according to their natural relationships

Answer 9

taxonomy

Question 10

a definition that defines units in terms of observable events or behaviors that can be measured

Answer 10

operational definition

Question 11

When two theories are equal in their ability to generate research, be falsified, give
meaning to data, guide the practitioner, and be self-consistent, the simpler one is preferred

Answer 11

law of PARSIMONY

Question 12

holds that behavior is a function of past experiences

Answer 12

causality

Question 13

is an explanation of behavior in terms of future goals or
purposes

Answer 13

teleology

Question 14

is the degree to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure.
Personality psychologists are primarily concerned with two types of validity—construct validity and predictive validity.

Answer 14

Validity

Question 15

is the extent to which an instrument measures some hypothetical construct

Answer 15

Construct validity

Question 16

Three important types of construct validity are

Answer 16

convergent validity, divergent validity, and discriminant validity

Question 17

the extent that a test
predicts some future behavior

Answer 17

predictive validity

Question 18

the ______ of a measuring instrument is the extent to which it yields consistent results

Answer 18

reliability