~~ Personality methods and applications QUIZ

Question 1

When laypersons use the term personality, they generally refer to _________, whereas when personality psychologists use the term, they generally refer to _________.

a. generic ideas about things everyone has in common; specific traits of particular people

b. specific traits of particular people; concrete concepts about personality

c. concrete concepts about personality; specific traits of particular people

d. specific traits of particular people; abstract concepts about personality

Answer 1

d. specific traits of particular people; abstract concepts about personality

Question 2

The term personality conveys a sense of _________ about an individual’s qualities.

a. diversity
b. consistency
c. complexity
d. inevitability

Answer 2

b. consistency

Question 3

In the study of personality, consistency involves looking for continuity across:

a. time.

b. similar situations.

c. situations that are relatively different from each other.

d. all of the above

Answer 3

d. all of the above

Question 4

One reason people use the term personality is to convey:

a. that no other person will behave in the same manner as another.

b. that a person’s actions in a situation are determined by genetics.

c. that a causal force within a person is influencing their behavior.

d. none of the above

Answer 4

c. that a causal force within a person is influencing their behavior.

Question 5

The personality concept helps us to:

a. understand the behavior of others.

b. predict how people will behave in certain situations.

c. understand our own behavior.

D. All of the above

Answer 5

d. all of the above

Question 6

The term personality describes a sense of:

a. personal distinctiveness.

b. internal conflict.

c. morality.

d. all of the above

Answer 6

a. personal distinctiveness.

Question 7

Which of the following did Allport say about personality?

a. It’s simply an accumulation of bits and pieces.

b. It is not inextricably tied to the physical body.

c. It is a causal force that determines behavior.

d. It is generally displayed in just one way.

Answer 7

c. It is a causal force that determines behavior.

Question 8

. Allport’s definition of personality includes all of the following points EXCEPT the idea that personality:

a. has organization.

b. is a causal force.

c. shows up in patterns.

d. is a purely psychological concept.

Answer 8

d. is a purely psychological concept.

Question 9

No two personalities are exactly alike. This is captured by the notion of:

a. genetic differences.
b. differences in socialization.
c. individual differences.
d. none of the above

Answer 9

c. individual differences.

Question 10

Intrapersonal functioning describes:

a. the dynamic organization of systems within the person.
b. the interactions between individuals within society.
c. individual differences in behavior.
d. the degree of consistency of an individual’s behavior across settings.

Answer 10

a. the dynamic organization of systems within the person.

Question 11

The idea that our behavior at a given time stems from the motives we hold at that time emphasizes the concept of:

a. individual differences.
b. internal consistency.
c. intrapersonal functioning.
d. personal distinctiveness.

Answer 11

c. intrapersonal functioning.

Question 12

A theory is a:

a. scientifically proven set of facts.
b. set of ideas that are not supported by scientific data.
c. summary statement about events.
d. layperson’s speculation about a phenomenon.

Answer 12

c. summary statement about events.

Question 13

The two basic functions of theories are to:

a. explain and modify behavior.
b. describe and modify behavior.
c. describe and explain behavior.
d. explain and predict behavior.

Answer 13

d. explain and predict behavior

Question 14

A good personality theory should be:

a. abstract.
b. testable.
c. correct.
d. all of the above

Answer 14

b. testable.

Question 15

The broader a theory is:

a. the more likely it is to be ambiguous.
b. the more likely it is to be correct.
c. the more likely it is to make clear predictions.
d. the more likely it is to deny scientific facts.

Answer 15

a. the more likely it is to be ambiguous.

Question 16

In characterizing Freud’s ideas about testability, it is most accurate to say that he:

a. insisted that his theoretical ideas be supported by research.
b. preferred that his theoretical ideas be supported by research but recognized that some
of them were untestable.
c. was not interested in whether or not his theoretical ideas were supported by research.
d. none of the above

Answer 16

c. was not interested in whether or not his theoretical ideas were supported by research.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a legitimate criticism of a psychological theory?

a. It is too parsimonious.
b. It is based on laboratory animals in artificial settings.
c. It is based on the theorists’ experiences conducting therapy.
d. It does not stimulate enthusiasm.

Answer 17

a. It is too parsimonious.

Question 18

Which of the following criteria should a good theory fit?

a. It should be parsimonious.
b. It should “feel” right.
c. It should be testable.
d. all of the above

Answer 18

d. all of the above

Question 19

A theory is parsimonious if it:

a. can predict behavior accurately.
b. contains few assumptions.
c. is testable.
d. is able to stimulate research.

Answer 19

b. contains few assumptions.

Question 20

The best theories are characterized by:

a. parsimony.
b. substantial research support.
c. intuitive appeal.
d. all of the above

Answer 20

d. all of the above

Question 21

According to William James, people prefer theories that fit their:

a. aesthetic needs.
b. emotional needs.
c. active needs.
d. all of the above

Answer 21

d. all of the above

Question 22

According to the trait perspective, _________ is a major focus.

a. what traits are most important
b. how many traits are important
c. how trait differences are expressed in behavior
d. all of the above

Answer 22

d. all of the above

Question 23

The motive perspective on personality suggests that:

a. motives are the sole determinant of behavior.
b. motives wax and wane in different contexts.
c. motives are not deeply embedded in the person.
d. motives are exclusively genetic.

Answer 23

a. motives are the sole determinant of behavior.

Question 24

The inheritance and evolution perspective:
a. is the only biological perspective on personality.
b. could suggest that aspects of personality exist because they were adaptive millennia
ago.
c. emphasizes how a parent’s social experiences will influence his or her child’s personality.
d. all of the above

Answer 24

b. could suggest that aspects of personality exist because they were adaptive millennia
ago.

Question 25

According to the biological process perspective:

a. personality is purely genetic.
b. all nervous systems function the same way.
c. nervous system processes, but not hormonal processes, influence personality.
d. both nervous system and hormonal processes influence personality.

Answer 25

b. all nervous systems function the same way.

Question 26

The view that human nature incorporates a set of internal pressures that compete and conflict with each other reflects the:

a. trait perspective.
b. dispositional perspective.
c. psychosocial perspective.
d. learning perspective.

Answer 26

a. trait perspective.

Question 27

Which of the following perspectives is most closely aligned with the psychoanalytic perspective?

a. the meta-theoretical perspective
b. the dispositional perspective
c. the phenomenological perspective
d. the psychosocial perspective

Answer 27

d. the psychosocial perspective

Question 28

The social learning perspective emphasizes:

a. constancy in personality.
b. change in personality.
c. school and peer influences on personality, but not family influences.
d. parental influences but not peer influences.

Answer 28

b. change in personality.

Question 29

According to the organismic perspective on personality:

a. sex drive has a primary influence on personality.
b. people do not have free will.
c. every person has the potential to grow into a person of value.
d. environment is less important than biology.

Answer 29

c. every person has the potential to grow into a person of value.

Question 30

The cognitive perspective suggests that:

a. mental organization influences how people think but not how they behave.
b. human nature involves deriving meaning from experiences.
c. personality does not exist.
d. all of the above

Answer 30

b. human nature involves deriving meaning from experiences.

Question 31

Which of the following is an assumption of the self-regulation perspective?

a. People are complex.
b. Personality is organized.
c. People synthesize and move toward goals.
d. all of the above

Answer 31

d. all of the above

Question 32

Newer theories in personality psychology tend to _________ than older theories.

a. explain more aspects of personality
b. explain fewer aspects of personality
c. rely more on case studies
d. be less parsimonious

Answer 32

b. explain fewer aspects of personality

Question 33

Accurate assessment of personality is necessary:

a. to conduct valid research on personality.
b. for making smart hiring decisions.
c. for treating mental illness.
d. all of the above.

Answer 33

a. to conduct valid research on personality.

Question 34

Looking inward to your own experience is called:

a. inspection.
b. self-monitoring.
c. introspection.
d. personal case study.

Answer 34

c. introspection.

Question 35

Henry Murray used the term _________ to describe efforts to understand the whole person.

a. biographical research
b. personology
c. introspection
d. macro-assessment

Answer 35

b. personology

Question 36

Which view most directly promotes the use of case studies?

a. introspection
b. cognitive
c. personology
d. correlational

Answer 36

c. personology

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT true of the case study method?

a. Case studies are rich in detail.
b. Case studies are often clinical studies.
c. Case studies can be used to generate theories.
d. Case studies are conducted in settings carefully created and controlled by the
researcher.

Answer 37

d. Case studies are conducted in settings carefully created and controlled by the
researcher.

Question 38

Experience sampling studies are similar to case studies in that they both:

a. typically involve repeated measurements.
b. typically use external observers.
c. typically require people to think back far in time.
d. all of the above

Answer 38

a. typically involve repeated measurements.

Question 39

What prevents the results of a single case study from being applied to many people?

a. lack of test-retest reliability
b. lack of generality
c. general scoring error
d. singular inconsistency

Answer 39

b. lack of generality

Question 40

Most personality research has been done:

a. in the United States or western Europe.
b. on college students.
c. on white, middle- to upper-middle-class people.
d. all of the above

Answer 40

d. all of the above

Question 41

A _________ is a dimension, along which variations exist. There are always at least two __________ along each dimension.

a. level, constructs
b. value, variables
c. variable, observations
d. variable, values

Answer 41

d. variable, values

Question 42

Psychologists describe correlations by referring to their:

a. direction and duration.
b. duration and strength.
c. direction and strength.
d. none of the above

Answer 42

c. direction and strength.

Question 43

Which of the following is one way to organize information about a correlation?

a. a scatterplot
b. a horizontal plot
c. a pie chart
d. none of the above

Answer 43

a. a scatterplot

Question 44

A scatterplot with many points in the lower right quadrant of the plot, many points in the upper left quadrant, and very few points in the other quadrants would indicate a(n):

a. positive correlation.
b. negative correlation.
c. inverse correlation.
d. none of the above

Answer 44

a. positive correlation.

Question 45

When low values on one dimension are associated with high values on another dimension, the correlation between the two variables is termed:

a. inadequate.
b. inverse.
c. qualified.
d. substantive.

Answer 45

b. inverse.

Question 46

The strength of a correlation refers to its:

a. directionality.
b. degree of accuracy in prediction.
c. positivity as opposed to negativity.
d. level of statistical significance.

Answer 46

b. degree of accuracy in prediction.

Question 47

A perfect positive correlation is indicated by an r value of:

a. 0.0
b. 1.0
c. 10.0
d. 100.0

Answer 47

b. 1.0

Question 48

Which of the following is the strongest plausible correlation coefficient?

a. 1.68
b. -.63
c. .42
d. .56

Answer 48

b. -.63

Question 49

A correlation of _________ means two variables are not related at all.

a. .5
b. .0
c. -.5
d. -1.0

Answer 49

b. .0

Question 50

Psychologists use two kinds of statistics called:

a. descriptive and rigorous.
b. descriptive and inferential.
c. inferential and significant.
d. rigorous and significant.

Answer 50

b. descriptive and inferential.

Question 51

To test whether research findings can be attributed to chance, researchers use:

a. random numbers tables.
b. descriptive statistics.
c. inferential statistics.
d. all of the above

Answer 51

c. inferential statistics.

Question 52

If a research finding is statistically significant, it:

a. is unlikely to have occurred by chance.
b. will have wide-ranging effects.
c. is important to humanity.
d. all of the above

Answer 52

a. is unlikely to have occurred by chance.

Question 53

In addition to statistical significance, psychologists often talk about the _________ significance of research results.

a. scientific
b. humanitarian
c. practical
d. therapeutic

Answer 53

c. practical

Question 54

Correlational research cannot tell us:

a. how strongly two variables go together.
b. why two variables go together.
c. whether two variables go together.
d. in what direction two variables go together.

Answer 54

b. why two variables go together.

Question 55

Why can’t correlational research tell us why two variables go together?

a. because it is conducted in laboratories instead of the real world
b. because it is not scientifically rigorous
c. because it is too experimental
d. because of the third-variable problem

Answer 55

d. because of the third-variable problem

Question 56

What type of study design allows for statements about causality?

a. case study
b. experimental
c. correlational
d. all of the above

Answer 56

b. experimental

Question 57

The independent variable is the one that is:

a. free to vary.
b. measured.
c. manipulated.
d. the outcome variable.

Answer 57

c. manipulated.

Question 58

Ensuring that all variables are constant in an experiment, except for the independent variable, is called:

a. random sampling.
b. experimental control.
c. random assignment.
d. experimental manipulation.

Answer 58

b. experimental control.

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a reason someone would use random assignment?

a. to assure that each participant has an equal chance of being in either experimental condition
b. to balance out differences between experimental groups
c. to rule out the third variable problem
d. to assure that people within each group are similar to one another

Answer 59

d. to assure that people within each group are similar to one another

Question 60

If a researcher randomly assigns subjects to two groups at the beginning of an experiment, we can assume that at that point:

a. the groups will have similar numbers of males and females.
b. the two groups will be similar with respect to IQ.
c. the two groups will be approximately equal in size.
d. all of the above

Answer 60

d. all of the above

Question 61

If you find that two groups differ from each other on the dependent measure at the end of an experiment, you are able to conclude that:

a. only one thing could have caused the difference: manipulation of the dependent variable.
b. the groups differed on the dependent measure before the study started.
c. only one thing could have caused the difference: manipulation of the independent
variable.
d. none of the above

Answer 61

c. only one thing could have caused the difference: manipulation of the independent
variable.

Question 62

Interaction effects are possible to find only in:

a. interaction studies.
b. correlational studies.
c. main effect studies.
d. multifactor studies.

Answer 62

d. multifactor studies.

Question 63

If a study categorizes subjects on the basis of some naturally-occurring difference, it is most likely a(n):

a. correlational study.
b. experimental study.
c. cross-lagged study.
d. case study.

Answer 63

a. correlational study.

Question 64

One reason that a personality psychologist might not use the experimental method is that:

a. experiments tend to be long in duration.
b. experiments cannot be used in personality research.
c. for ethical reasons certain variables can’t be manipulated.
d. all of the above

Answer 64

c. for ethical reasons certain variables can’t be manipulated.

Question 65

The factors in any given multifactor study:

a. are always personality variables.
b. are always experimental manipulations.
c. can be any combination of personality variables and experimental manipulations.
d. cannot all be experimental variables.

Answer 65

c. can be any combination of personality variables and experimental manipulations.

Question 66

Experimental personality research:

a. focuses on only one variable at a time.
b. combines experimental and individual differences.
c. tells us nothing about cause and effect.
d. none of the above

Answer 66

b. combines experimental and individual differences.

Question 67

In multifactor research, possible results fall into which two categories?

a. good and bad
b. interactive and singular
c. main effects and interactions
d. correlational and causal

Answer 67

c. main effects and interactions