Deck 1: The Study of the Person

Question 1

Personality is an individual's characteristic patterns of

A) behavior.
B) emotion.
C) thought.
D) All of the answer options are correct.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which subfield of psychology uses personality psychology to understand vocational interests and occupational success and leadership?

A) social
B) cultural
C) developmental
D) organizational

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Advocates of any particular basic approach to personality historically

A) claimed that their approach explains everything worth explaining.
B) admitted that other approaches have their good points.
C) proudly asserted that they have deliberately limited what they have chosen to look at.
D) claimed that approaches cannot be compared with each other.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Personality psychologists adhering to the ________ approach try to understand people by way of psychic energy, the workings of the unconscious mind, and the nature and resolution of internal mental conflict.

A) psychoanalytic
B) trait
C) cognitive
D) phenomenological

Question 5

Which of the following MOST closely represents a focal topic of the biological approach to personality?

A) understanding mental conflicts
B) measuring and conceptualizing individual differences
C) understanding the heritability of behavior and personality
D) applying principles of behaviorism and social observation

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT part of the psychological triad?

A) behavior
B) thoughts
C) psychological health
D) feelings

Question 7

Personality psychology shares with clinical psychology

A) an emphasis on mental disorders and the treatment of psychological problems.
B) a common obligation to try to understand the whole person.
C) a requirement that psychologists be licensed.
D) the fact that both personality psychologists and clinical psychologists are usually in private practice rather than employed by universities.

Question 8

The personality paradigm that focuses on rewards and punishments is known as the ________ paradigm.

A) trait
B) behaviorist
C) phenomenological
D) psychoanalytic

Question 9

Which of the following MOST closely represents a focal topic of the phenomenological approach to personality?

A) understanding mental conflicts
B) measuring and conceptualizing individual differences
C) discovering how conscious awareness produces uniquely human characteristics
D) applying principles of behaviorism and social observation

Question 10

In observing human behavior, it is impossible to

A) understand everything about a person all at once.
B) choose to limit what you look at in a person.
C) find patterns across different kinds of observation.
D) make any real progress toward solving the personality puzzle.

Question 11

Which part of the psychological triad corresponds to cognitions about the self?

A) thoughts
B) traits
C) behaviors
D) disorders

Question 12

The purpose of a basic approach (or paradigm) is to

A) expand the range of data you consider.
B) integrate diverse perspectives.
C) limit inquiry to certain kinds of observations and patterns.
D) resolve contradictions in data.

Question 13

Which of the following MOST closely represents a focal topic of the psychoanalytic approach to personality?

A) understanding mental conflicts
B) measuring and conceptualizing individual differences
C) discovering how conscious awareness produces uniquely human characteristics
D) applying principles of behaviorism and social observation

Question 14

The phenomenological approach leads to which two directions of research?

A) humanistic and cross-cultural perspectives on personality
B) humanistic and social-learning perspectives on personality
C) cross-cultural and cognitive perspectives on personality
D) trait and cross-cultural perspectives on personality

Question 15

Personality psychology and clinical psychology overlap most often when approaching which topic?

A) personality processes
B) personality disorders
C) personality development
D) None of the answer options is correct.

Question 16

The unique mandate of personality psychologists is to attempt to

A) identify and measure individual differences in ability and behavior.
B) determine the effect of the social environment on behavior.
C) explain whole, functioning persons and real-life concerns.
D) prevent or treat psychological personality disorders.

Question 17

Psychologists following the phenomenological approach

A) focus on the workings of the unconscious mind and the resolution of internal mental conflict.
B) study how overt behavior is affected by rewards and punishments.
C) build theoretical models of how people process information.
D) are concerned with our conscious experience of the world and the consequences of having free will.

Question 18

________ theories of personality apply the insights and methods derived from the study of perception, memory, and thought to the study of personality.

A) Psychoanalytic
B) Trait
C) Cognitive
D) Phenomenological

Question 19

Personality psychologists who adhere to the ________ approach try to understand people by way of identifying, conceptualizing, and measuring the ways in which people differ psychologically from one another.

A) psychoanalytic
B) trait
C) cognitive
D) phenomenological

Question 20

Which of the following MOST closely represents a focal topic of the trait approach to personality?

A) understanding mental conflicts
B) measuring and conceptualizing individual differences
C) understanding the mind in terms of biological mechanisms
D) applying principles of behaviorism and social observation

Question 21

A major advantage of personality psychology is that it focuses on the whole person and real-life concerns, yet this can often lead to overinclusive and unfocused research. Which of the following is a major theme of your textbook that speaks to this conflict?

A) The personality puzzle will never be solved.
B) The One Big Theory (OBT) can account for everything in personality.
C) Great strengths are usually great weaknesses.
D) A single basic approach must be chosen on the basis of rigorous data analysis.

Question 22

What is a major advantage of using a basic approach to study personality psychology?

A) It is the only approach that uses the scientific method.
B) It focuses on the unconscious mind.
C) It uses One Big Theory.
D) It is a systematic way to study specific patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Question 23

Why haven't personality psychologists combined all paradigms into One Big Theory?

A) A theory that tries to explain everything would probably not provide the best explanation for any one thing.
B) The manageability of research programs would be lost.
C) The different basic approaches to psychology address the same sets of questions.
D) Applying principles of behaviorism helps reduce negative behaviors, making the cognitive approach the best one.

Question 24

Which of the following is an expression of Funder's First Law?

A) People vary in terms of their trait levels.
B) There are no perfect indicators of personality.
C) Characteristics that are strengths in one sense are weaknesses in other ways.
D) Individual differences should not be put into the "error" term in statistical analysis.

Question 25

What does Funder mean when he says that personality is coherent?

A) The personality of one person depends on the personality of those around him or her.
B) Clinical psychology is the most dominant subfield.
C) Strengths are often weaknesses and vice versa.
D) Each aspect of one's personality depends on the other parts.

Question 26

Funder writes that there are good reasons why personality psychologists have distinct theories versus One Big Theory. Which is NOT one of those reasons?

A) One Big Theory would undermine the smaller theories.
B) There is a trade-off between breadth and depth in theories.
C) There is, for now, no accepted One Big Theory.
D) Each theory offers a different perspective on personality.

Question 27

The trait approach, the behaviorist approach, and the psychoanalytic approach

A) are irreconcilable and contradictory views of human psychology.
B) are all part of the One Big Theory (OBT).
C) all address the biological basis of human psychology.
D) address different sets of questions about human psychology.

Question 28

Which of the following MOST closely represents a focal topic of the learning and cognitive approaches to personality?

A) understanding mental conflicts
B) measuring and conceptualizing individual differences
C) discovering how conscious awareness produces uniquely human characteristics
D) applying principles of behaviorism and social observation

Question 29

According to Funder, in what way do personality psychologists appreciate individual differences?

A) They categorize and label people; that is, they pigeonhole them.
B) They appreciate rich individual differences because the person is the starting point of personality psychology.
C) They psychoanalyze people, because there are important differences in the unconscious.
D) They focus on how similar people behave in different situations.

Question 30

The task of an employer who attempts to identify dependable, conscientious, and hard-working job applicants is similar to the task of the ________ psychologist, who attempts to identify and assess individual differences.

A) psychoanalytic
B) trait
C) cognitive
D) behavioral

Question 31

Match the personality approach with the most applicable research question.


-How do rewards affect social behavior?

A)Applied
B)Biological
C)Learning
D)Phenomenological
E)Psychoanalytic
F)Trait

Question 32

What is one of personality psychology's biggest advantages over other areas of psychology?

A) It uses more rigorous methods.
B) It appreciates the uniqueness of the individual.
C) It created the One Big Theory to explain whole persons.
D) It focuses on the two most important aspects of the psychological triad.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic approaches to personality?

A) psychoanalytic
B) learning
C) assessment
D) phenomenological

Question 34

One critique of personality psychology is that it "pigeonholes" people. What does pigeonholing someone mean?

A) psychoanalyzing people
B) prescribing medication
C) statistically analyzing results
D) categorizing and labeling people

Question 35

Is narcissism always a bad trait?

A) No, narcissists are highly persuasive and often make competent leaders.
B) No, narcissists sometimes act kindly toward others.
C) No, narcissists are rigid in their ethical thinking.
D) Yes, it is associated with negative outcomes like exploitativeness.

Question 36

Personality psychology emphasizes how people are ________, whereas subfields such as cognitive and social psychology emphasize how people are ________.

A) similar to each other; different from each other
B) different from each other; similar to each other
C) essentially good; essentially bad
D) motivated by unconscious forces; motivated by conscious forces

Question 37

What is the largest and most dominant approach in personality psychology today?

A) learning and cognitive
B) trait
C) psychoanalytic
D) biological

Question 38

Jeff suspects that his roommate's sexist jokes may indicate that his roommate has some hidden, unconscious hostility toward women or that he feels very insecure around women. Jeff's analysis suggests a ________ approach to personality.

A) psychoanalytic
B) trait
C) phenomenological
D) behaviorist

Question 39

One reason why behaviorism is so effective at changing behavior is that it ignores the possibility of

A) social interactions.
B) free will.
C) cognitive mechanisms.
D) evolution.

Question 40

According to the text, personality's greatest strength, understanding whole persons, is also its greatest weakness. Which term describes this fundamental observation?

A) pigeonholing
B) psychological triad
C) One Big Theory
D) Funder's First Law

Question 41

Define Funder's First Law and come up with your own example to illustrate it.

Question 42

Match the personality approach with the most applicable research question.


-How does unconscious conflict affect well-being?

A)Applied
B)Biological
C)Learning
D)Phenomenological
E)Psychoanalytic
F)Trait

Question 43

Match the personality approach with the most applicable research question.


-How do people from individualist cultures differ from others?

A)Applied
B)Biological
C)Learning
D)Phenomenological
E)Psychoanalytic
F)Trait

Question 44

Explain why Funder believes that the basic approaches to personality are complementary and not competing explanations for understanding the psychological triad.

Question 45

Match the personality approach with the most applicable research question.


-What characteristics of individuals predict health?

A)Applied
B)Biological
C)Learning
D)Phenomenological
E)Psychoanalytic
F)Trait

Question 46

Explain the idea of the One Big Theory. Identify the disadvantages of establishing such a theory.

Question 47

Match the most relevant term with each definition.


-A framework that can predict everything about human behavior

A)Psychological triad
B)Funder's First Law
C)Pigeonholing
D)One Big Theory
E)Paradigm
F)Funder's Second Law

Question 48

Match the most relevant term with each definition.


-Thoughts, feelings, and behavior

A)Psychological triad
B)Funder's First Law
C)Pigeonholing
D)One Big Theory
E)Paradigm
F)Funder's Second Law

Question 49

Match the most relevant term with each definition.


-A basic approach to personality

A)Psychological triad
B)Funder's First Law
C)Pigeonholing
D)One Big Theory
E)Paradigm
F)Funder's Second Law

Question 50

Match the personality approach with the most applicable research question.


-Are there differences in neurotransmitter expression between people?

A)Applied
B)Biological
C)Learning
D)Phenomenological
E)Psychoanalytic
F)Trait

Question 51

Funder argues that a basic approach that is good for explaining some elements of personality is usually poor at explaining other elements of personality. Provide an example of an aspect of personality that is well explained by one basic approach but not the others. Then identify limitations in that basic approach by pointing to other aspects of personality that are better explained by a different approach.

Question 52

Match the most relevant term with each definition.


-Labeling and categorizing people

A)Psychological triad
B)Funder's First Law
C)Pigeonholing
D)One Big Theory
E)Paradigm
F)Funder's Second Law

Question 53

Identify and describe the basic approaches to personality outlined in Chapter 1. Why is it useful to have a basic approach?

Question 54

Match the most relevant term with each definition.


-Great strengths are often great weaknesses.

A)Psychological triad
B)Funder's First Law
C)Pigeonholing
D)One Big Theory
E)Paradigm
F)Funder's Second Law

Question 55

Your text states that personality psychology is both the largest as well as the smallest subfield of psychology. Explain what this means.