Deck 11: Factor Analytic, Genetic and Evolutionary Theories Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Personality Traits, Genetic and Evolutionary Developments

Question 1

The statistical procedure that Cattell used to find relationships among traits is

A) trait analysis.
B) criterion analysis.
C) factor analysis.
D) analysis of variance.

Answer 1

 C

Question 2

According to Cattell,the study of source traits is important because

A) source traits lead to the biological sources of behavior.
B) source traits allow us to make behavioral predictions.
C) we can use the findings to effect change for those traits.
D) such research is the first step in controlling deviant behavior.

Answer 2

 B

Question 3

Which step in the process of factor analysis is most objective?

A) Deciding which variables to study
B) Extracting the factors
C) Interpreting the factors
D) Labeling the factors

Answer 3

 B

Question 4

The more ________ an attribute is,the better we are able to use it to predict a person's behavior in a given situation.

A) broad
B) specific
C) prevalent
D) uncommon

Question 5

Dr.Henderson is a psychologist conducting empirical research on personality variables.She asks participants to complete questionnaires that measure 100 different personality characteristics.Then she uses a statistical procedure in which she examines correlations among the 100 personality variables,with the assumption that if some of them cluster together,they may tap into the same underlying characteristic.The statistical procedure Dr.Henderson uses is known as

A) multiple regression.
B) the t-test.
C) factor analysis.
D) analysis of variance.

Question 6

In the nature versus nurture controversy,most contemporary theorists believe that

A) all personality traits are determined solely by environmental factors.
B) all personality traits are determined solely by biological factors.
C) some personality traits are determined solely by biological factors, and all others are determined entirely by environmental factors.
D) heredity and the environment both affect each other in a complex way in the development of personality traits.

Question 7

Which of the following assessment tools was developed to measure the Big Five?

A) Cattell 16PF
B) Eysenck Personality Inventory
C) NEO-PI-R
D) Rogers's Q-Sort Test

Question 8

Which statement is LEAST likely to be made by a theorist who subscribes to the Five-Factor Model?

A) Each personality trait is allocated a different region in the brain.
B) Personality characteristics are the product of internal mechanisms.
C) Personality differences have a genetic basis.
D) Personality traits are stable over time.

Question 9

Which of the following is true regarding measures of the Big Five?

A) The NEO-PI-R was written by Cattell.
B) The NEO-FFI is a short version of the NEO-PI-R.
C) To date, no questionnaire has been developed specifically to measure the Big Five.
D) The DSM-5 is a new questionnaire being developed to measure the Big Five.

Question 10

As part of her graduate dissertation,Nadine gives a group of personality tests to fourth-graders.Included among these tests is a measure of popularity that she herself authored.Factor analysis of her data yields two factors: extraversion and creativity.Nadine then finds that her popularity measure had a high positive correlation with the extraversion factor and a high negative correlation with the creativity factor.What do the results mean?

A) The popularity measure is strongly related to both extraversion and creativity.
B) The popularity measure is strongly related to creativity but not to extraversion.
C) The popularity measure is strongly related to extraversion but not to creativity.
D) The popularity measure is unrelated to either extraversion or creativity.

Question 11

What distinguishes source traits from surface traits?

A) Source traits refer to overt behaviors; surface traits are the underlying variables.
B) Source traits are psychological; surface traits are physical.
C) Source traits are much more numerous than surface traits.
D) Source traits allow for prediction; surface traits are merely descriptive.

Question 12

Which of the following is one of the Big Five personality factors?

A) Anxiety
B) Egotism
C) Openness
D) Creativity

Question 13

With regard to personality,Cattell emphasized the ability to

A) control
B) predict
C) explain
D) describe

Question 14

Cattell's best known and widely used assessment test is the

A) TAT.
B) NEO-PI-R.
C) MMPI-2.
D) 16PF.

Question 15

What is the acronym for the Big Five?

A) COAST
B) OCEAN
C) OUNCE
D) COUNT

Question 16

One difference between the Big Five and the Five-Factor Model is that

A) only the Five-Factor Model was derived through the use of factor analysis.
B) the Big Five is based on experimental studies, whereas the Five-Factor Model is based on language studies.
C) the Big Five simply provides a description of the factors, whereas the Five-Factor Model provides an interpretation of the factors.
D) the Big Five suggests that factor differences are due to genetics and are stable over time; the Five-Factor Model makes no such claims.

Question 17

How did an analysis of language provide support for the Big Five?

A) It demonstrated that people describe one another in terms of a common set of five factors.
B) It disproved the lexical hypothesis.
C) It proved that the five factors are valid only in a limited range of cultures.
D) It uncovered the underlying causal traits of people's behavior.

Question 18

Syntality is Cattell's term for dimensions that permit us to assess the personality of

A) individuals of ethnic background.
B) infants and children.
C) groups and institutions.
D) lower species.

Question 19

Cattell defined personality as

A) the enduring internal characteristics of an individual.
B) observable behavior and the observable precedents and consequences of this behavior.
C) that which permits prediction of what an individual will do.
D) libidinal drive.

Question 20

Which of the following is true according to Five-Factor Theory?

A) Core components of the personality system have nothing to do with biological factors such as genes or brain structure.
B) Characteristic adaptations are unaffected by external influences.
C) One's basic tendency for openness is biologically rooted and stable, but how one characteristically expresses it can change over time.
D) The various components of personality are static processes that interact with one another in only one predictable way throughout the person's lifetime.

Question 21

Dr.Wilson is a psychologist who asserts that psychologists would benefit by adapting the Five-Factor Model in their understanding of certain mental disorders.Which of the following is most likely to be true with regard to Dr.Wilson's beliefs?

A) Dr. Wilson believes that normal people are qualitatively, rather than quantitatively, different from abnormal people.
B) Dr. Wilson agrees with the prevailing DSM-IV-TR method of describing mental disorders.
C) Dr. Wilson's belief is without empirical support.
D) Dr. Wilson's belief is consistent with the dimensional approach to psychopathology.

Question 22

On the NEO-PI-R,Martina scores high on Extraversion,while Steve scores low on Extraversion.According to the research on the Five-Factor Model and types of psychological treatment (e.g.,Funder & Sneed,1993),

A) group therapy may be a better fit for Martina than for Steve.
B) both Martina and Steve are likely to fail in psychotherapy.
C) neither Martina nor Steve will benefit from psychoanalysis.
D) hypnosis is likely to benefit both Martina and Steve.

Question 23

McCrae and Costa (1997) compared data from studies that used six translations of the NEO-PI-R.What was one of the translated languages?

A) Chinese
B) French
C) Hindi
D) Italian

Question 24

How are fraternal twins different from identical twins?

A) Fraternal twins develop from one egg; identical twins develop from two eggs.
B) Fraternal twins are monozygotic; identical twins are dizygotic.
C) Fraternal twins have all the same genes; identical twins do not have all the same genes.
D) Differences between identical twins are due to the environment; differences between fraternal twins may be due to either environment or genes.

Question 25

A 1969 study by ________ created tremendous controversy because of its suggestion that IQ score differences between Blacks and Whites are due to genetics.

A) Cattell
B) Erlenmeyer and Jarvik
C) Heston
D) Jensen

Question 26

Relative to the current DSM-IV-TR system of classifying mental disorders,the Five-Factor Model suggests

A) a continuum between normality and abnormality.
B) a larger number of diagnoses in the mood disorders category.
C) a larger number of diagnoses in the psychotic disorders category.
D) that people with disorders are qualitatively rather than quantitatively different from those without disorders.

Question 27

Dr.Rodriguez,a psychologist,believes that people with psychological disorders simply have more or less of the characteristics we all have rather than some unique or foreign characteristic in their personality.Which of the following statements is also most likely to be true with regard to Dr.Rodriguez?

A) Dr. Rodriguez is critical of diagnostic applications of the Five-Factor Model.
B) Dr. Rodriguez is critical of the continuum-based approach to disorders.
C) Dr. Rodriguez is critical of the manner in which Allport distinguished neurotic and healthy personalities.
D) Dr. Rodriguez is critical of group psychotherapy.

Question 28

Questionnaires measuring the Big Five have been particularly helpful in providing diagnostic information for which category of DSM-IV-TR disorders?

A) Anxiety disorders
B) Mood disorders
C) Eating disorders
D) Personality disorders

Question 29

Costa and McCrae are factor analytic personality theorists who

A) originated the Five-Factor Model of personality but have since abandoned it as discredited.
B) have conducted research that supports the use of the Five-Factor Model as a clinical diagnostic tool.
C) have not yet conducted research on the applicability of the Five-Factor Model in non-English-speaking cultures.
D) suggested that the Five-Factor Model is not stable when used to assess maturational changes in personality across the life span.

Question 30

Which of the following is true regarding work motivation and the Big Five personality traits?

A) Agreeableness has not been strongly linked with work motivation.
B) Openness has been associated with extrinsic motivation and the need for work in non-creative fields that are high in autonomy.
C) Intrinsic motivation is associated with job security benefits and relationships with colleagues.
D) Those who score high on neuroticism respond best to intrinsic motivation, stressing the importance of earning money more than job satisfaction.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about twin studies of behavioral genetics is true?

A) Monozygotic twins are genetically identical.
B) Dizygotic twins are genetically identical.
C) Fraternal twins are genetically identical.
D) The epigenetic characteristics of identical twins are identical.

Question 32

The human genome project,which was essentially completed in 2003,showed that ___ percent of DNA sequences in the human genome is shared by all people.

A) )1
B) 40
C) 65
D) 99.9

Question 33

Which of the following situations best illustrates that the environment can contribute more to a trait than heredity?

A) A child whose birth mother was emotionally stable shares the mood swings of his adoptive mother.
B) A biological father and son are both disorganized.
C) Fraternal twins share the same offbeat sense of humor.
D) Identical twins who were raised apart are both extraverted.

Question 34

The Big Five personality traits have been linked with emotional intelligence and psychological well-being.Which statement is false with regard to the Big Five and these factors?

A) Psychological well-being is comprised of subjective well-being and satisfaction with life.
B) Agreeableness and openness are associated with positive experiences in social and achievement environments.
C) Extraversion influences positive affect and neuroticism influences negative affect.
D) Emotional intelligence influences how the Big Five traits influence well-being.

Question 35

What is the significance of the finding that some traits are genetically based?

A) Heredity is the sole determinant of genetically based traits.
B) The environment cannot affect genetically based traits.
C) Heredity places limits on one's potential.
D) The presence of genetically based traits makes equality in society unfeasible.

Question 36

Adler's "social interest," Horney's "moving toward," and Erikson's "basic trust" can all be seen as aspects of which factor?

A) Agreeableness
B) Conscientiousness
C) Openness
D) Neuroticism

Question 37

A genotype

A) is the genetic makeup of an individual.
B) is an individual's observable appearance, which represents the interaction of genes and environment.
C) changes drastically throughout the life span.
D) of one person is identical to the genotype of all of that person's siblings.

Question 38

Tom has antisocial personality disorder.According to recent correlational research (e.g.,Miller & Lyman,2003),which of the following results is most likely from a measurement of Tom's Big Five personality traits?

A) Low Agreeableness
B) Low Neuroticism
C) High Conscientiousness
D) Low Extraversion

Question 39

Which of the following is true regarding cross-cultural studies of the Big Five?

A) The Big Five is not been psychometrically supported in data from non-English-speaking countries.
B) McCrae and Costa's 1997 data analysis of the NEO-PI-R concluded that personality trait structure may be universal.
C) The Personality Profiles of Culture Project concluded that the Big Five are valid descriptors of personality in only about half of the cultures studied.
D) When personality trait structure is studied in non-Western countries, researchers typically uncover eight to ten basic personality factors rather than uncovering the Big Five personality factors.

Question 40

Which of the following questions best summarizes the recent research on the relationship between the Big Five and DSM-IV-TR disorders?

A) To what extent is perceived psychopathology actually a byproduct of cultural differences?
B) Does psychopathology represent a qualitative or quantitative difference from normality?
C) Into how many different disorders should the mood disorders category of DSM-IV-TR be subdivided?
D) Precisely how many basic personality traits does each individual possess?

Question 41

Dr.Phong is a psychologist who strongly endorses the notion that individuals often display certain behavioral patterns because those patterns have proven to solve specific problems in the survival and mating processes of the human species.Dr.Phong is best described as a(n) _________ psychologist.

A) psychoanalytic
B) personality
C) evolutionary
D) cognitive

Question 42

Explain how the statistical method of factor analysis can facilitate the study of personality.

Question 43

Cattell's rigorous methodology and emphasis on validating data make his theory an outstanding example of which kind of theory?

A) Artistic
B) Ethical
C) Philosophical
D) Scientific

Question 44

Describe the differences among the Big Five,the Five-Factor Model,and the Five-Factor Theory.

Question 45

Define behavioral genetics and distinguish between genotype and phenotype.

Question 46

Recently developed techniques such as functional neuroimaging

A) have strengthened the relationship between anxiety-related personality traits and genetic mechanisms.
B) have demonstrated a pervasive disconnect between extraversion and genetics.
C) cannot be applied to studies of personality and genetics as of yet.
D) have been used to identify unknown genetic differences between monozygotic twins.

Question 47

In the coming years,QTL mapping techniques should allow us to

A) begin to map the genes of the mouse.
B) no longer rely on DNA testing to identify behavior-related genes.
C) trace most behaviors to single genes.
D) use genetic markers as direct indicators of genotypes.

Question 48

Discuss applications of the Big Five.

Question 49

Distinguish between source and surface traits.Give examples of each.

Question 50

Explain the concept of heritability.

Question 51

Explain how twin studies contribute to behavioral genetics.

Question 52

Discuss how evolutionary psychology influences personality theory.

Question 53

Discuss how the Big Five originated from the study of language and from the study of personality questionnaires and ratings.

Question 54

Cite Cattell's definition of personality and compare his approach with those of other theorists.

Question 55

Discuss applications of genetic research.

Question 56

Identify and describe the traits that comprise the Big Five.

Question 57

Which of the following statements regarding genes,the brain,and personality is false?

A) The BDNF gene is associated with negative emotionality and impaired memory processes.
B) Better white matter integrity has been associated with the traits of openness and agreeableness.
C) White matter integrity is decreased and inferior in individuals with personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder.
D) The BDNF gene significantly influences white matter integrity in healthy patients as well as those diagnosed with personality disorders.

Question 58

Evolutionary psychologists explain altruistic behavior according to a theory known as

A) beyondism.
B) inclusive fitness.
C) parental investment theory.
D) scientism.

Question 59

Cattell made a distinction between source traits and surface traits.In contemporary life,are people attracted to each other (for example,romantic relationships,friendships) on the basis of source traits or surface traits? What is the importance of this issue?

Question 60

Evaluate factor analytic trait theories in terms of their function as philosophy,science,and art.

Question 61

Evolutionary personality theorists explain problems such as alcoholism and obesity as being based on behaviors that were once beneficial for survival,but they cause problems when they are taken to extremes in more modern societies.In your opinion,what would be the effect of this theory becoming popular among the general public,including those who have these problems?

Question 62

The application of the Five-Factor Model to psychopathology (for example,personality disorders) suggests that people with disorders possess the same personality "ingredients" as those without disorders.If our society adopted this viewpoint (that abnormal people are quantitatively,not qualitatively,different from normal people),what would be the implications? In your opinion,why has our society adopted the qualitative viewpoint in the first place?

Question 63

To what extent do you agree that the idea of survival of the fittest has applied to psychological as well as physical variables in the evolution of humans?

Question 64

To what extent do you believe that the Big Five personality dimensions,as identified by Costa and McCrae,fully capture the range of personality traits? In your opinion,does the Five-Factor Model fail to account for important aspects of personality?