Deck 4: Personality Traits,Situations,and Behavior

Question 1

The trait approach is based on empirical research that is mostly from ________.

A) correlational studies
B) experimental studies
C) case studies
D) archival studies

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to Kluckhohn and Murray,"Every man is in certain respects (a)like all other men,(b)like some other men,(c)like no other man." Which section of this quote most closely reflects what trait psychologists study?

A) "like all other men"
B) "like some other men"
C) "like no other man"
D) all of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A fundamental problem for the trait approach is that ________.

A) individual differences cannot be measured reliably
B) situations do not affect behavior
C) people are inconsistent
D) correlational methods do not clearly indicate effect size

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following terms describes the notion that people act differently in different situations?

A) inconsistency
B) consistency
C) emotional instability
D) stability

Question 5

Mischel originally argued that personality coefficients seldom exceed ________,whereas subsequent situationists raised that estimate to ________.

A) .30; .40
B) .20; .50
C) .10; .30
D) .10; .40

Question 6

A correlation coefficient is a(n)________ and mathematically ranges between ________.

A) effect size; .30 and .40
B) probability; 1 and 100
C) effect size; -1 and +1
D) significance test; zero and infinity

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT part of the situationist argument?

A) Personality trait measures do not predict behavior very well.
B) Situations are more important than traits for determining behavior.
C) Everyday intuitions that people have about personality are wrong.
D) Persons and situations interact to predict behavior.

Question 8

The trait approach focuses exclusively on ________.

A) the measurement of absolute levels of traits
B) aspects of personality that are the same in all people
C) physical dimensions
D) individual differences

Question 9

Situationism is the position that ________.

A) situations do not influence behavior
B) situations are less important than personality traits in determining behavior
C) the ability of personality traits to predict behavior is severely limited
D) trait words are more than mere descriptions of situations

Question 10

Which of the following was NOT one of the types of data that Mischel compared to one another?

A) S data and B data
B) S data and S data
C) I data and B data
D) B data and B data

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a reason that older people believe their personalities are more consistent than those of younger people?

A) Their social roles are more stable.
B) They are more mature.
C) They have more wealth accumulated.
D) They have more responsibilities.

Question 12

In his book,Personality and Assessment,Mischel argues that ________.

A) traits are the only factors that influence human behavior
B) situations do not reliably predict consistent behavioral trends
C) behavior is too inconsistent to predict using broad personality traits
D) personality traits transcend the immediate situation and moment, and they provide the most consistent guide to a person's actions

Question 13

The situationist argument holds that ________.

A) a thorough review of the literature reveals that there is a limit to how well one can predict behavior from personality
B) situations are more important than personality traits for determining behavior
C) our everyday intuitions about people are fundamentally flawed
D) all of the above

Question 14

Which of the following psychologists is often credited with starting the person-situation debate?

A) Gordon Allport
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Walter Mischel
D) Henry Murray

Question 15

Personality trait measurements are typically made on a(n)________ scale.

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) ratio
D) quasi-nominal

Question 16

In his book,Personality and Assessment,Mischel argued that behavior can be most accurately predicted from ________.

A) situations
B) personality variables
C) motivations
D) goals

Question 17

According to situationists,the upper limit of personality coefficients is estimated as ________.

A) .10 to .20
B) .30 to .40
C) .50 to .60
D) .70 to .80

Question 18

Walter Mischel and his 1968 book Personality and Assessment are noteworthy because this work ________.

A) provides the most cogent argument for why trait theory and psychodynamic theory should be integrated
B) is credited with starting the person-situation debate by claiming that traits are not as important as situational factors in behavioral prediction
C) provides the first published defense of trait theory against the situationist critique
D) is the first modern research to begin to scientifically validate some of Freud's claims about the unconscious

Question 19

According to the text,which of the following characteristics is positively associated with personality consistency?

A) openness to experience
B) neuroticism
C) general mental health
D) need for cognition

Question 20

Individuals in which age group are likely to have the greatest amount of stability in their personality traits?

A) school-age children
B) adolescents
C) young adults between the ages of 20 and 30
D) adults between the ages of 50 and 70

Question 21

When a researcher examines the association between behaviors at a party on Friday night and how many times someone volunteers to answer questions in class on Monday,she is looking at the association between ________ and ________.

A) I data; B data
B) S data; I data
C) B data; B data
D) B data; I data

Question 22

Which of the following is true about predicting future behaviors?

A) Specific behaviors are generally pretty easy to predict.
B) Specific behaviors are better predicted than aggregated behaviors.
C) Aggregated behaviors are better predicted than specific behaviors.
D) Aggregated behaviors aren't usually very accurate when predicting future behaviors.

Question 23

According to the text,the purpose of personality traits is to predict ________.

A) specific behavioral manifestations
B) behavior in the long term
C) I data but not B data
D) S data but not I data

Question 24

According to the analogy drawn in the text between situational effects on behavior and Scud missiles,situations ________.

A) can overshadow individual differences in all cases
B) never seem to affect behavior
C) seem to have inconsistent effects
D) seem to bring out individual differences in all people

Question 25

Someone who is ________ is likely to express his or her personality consistently from one situation to the next.

A) low in self-monitoring
B) high in self-monitoring
C) low in self-efficacy
D) high in self-efficacy

Question 26

Which of the following characteristics seems to predict increased consistency?

A) sociability
B) neuroticism
C) preference for consistency
D) none of these attributes

Question 27

Funder and Ozer (1983)examined the results of three classic social psychological studies.They converted the results to effect sizes and found that the effects were equivalent to correlations in the range of ________ (in absolute value).

A) .10 to .20
B) .30 to .40
C) .61 to .75
D) .70 to .97

Question 28

Which of the following was NOT a study that Funder and Ozer reviewed in their work calculating the size of the situation coefficient?

A) the forced compliance task that illustrated cognitive dissonance
B) the bystander intervention effect that illustrated situational factors on helping behavior
C) the reduction in intrinsic motivation that occurs when children are given rewards
D) the position of the learner in Milgram's experiments on obedience

Question 29

One response to Mischel's critique asserts that a fair review of the research on the predictability of behavior from personality traits indicates that ________.

A) behavior can never be reliably predicted from personality variables
B) the predictability of behavior from personality traits is better than is sometimes acknowledged
C) the predictability of behavior from situations is worse than the predictability from personality
D) Mischel was right that personality traits are unpredictable from behavior

Question 30

Which of the following behaviors would be the easiest to predict accurately?

A) Mary will smile at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow.
B) At a party on Friday, Susan will talk to at least 10 people.
C) David will generally be on time for work most days next week.
D) None of the above; each of these behaviors would be equally easy to predict.

Question 31

Which reason describes why averaged (aggregated)behaviors are more strongly related to personality traits than individual behaviors?

A) Random variations tend to cancel out when aggregated.
B) Random variations tend to multiply when aggregated.
C) Trait variation is mostly random when aggregated.
D) Trait variation is mostly specific when aggregated.

Question 32

Which of the following is the best example of a situationist argument?

A) Melinda's talkativeness is related to her optimism.
B) Knowing Robert's extraversion doesn't really let us predict his behavior.
C) Knowing Sanjay's neuroticism means we know how anxious he usually is.
D) Suri's conscientiousness changes depending on the time of day.

Question 33

A situationist would interpret a correlation of around .30 ________.

A) as an example of a very small effect size
B) as an example of a medium effect size
C) as an example of a large effect size
D) by using a Binomial Effect Size Display

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT one of the responses to the situationist argument?

A) Personality researchers argued that Mischel's literature review was selective.
B) Personality researchers searched for certain kinds of people who were more consistent than others.
C) Personality researchers started to think more carefully about the importance of a correlation of .40.
D) Personality researchers worked harder to find single traits that could strongly predict single responses at a particular point in time.

Question 35

In order to improve personality research,researchers can ________.

A) check for factors that predict consistency
B) predict behavioral trends rather than single acts
C) measure behavior in real life
D) all of the above

Question 36

One difficulty in searching for variables that might predict consistency is that ________.

A) it is hard to think of variables that would predict differences in consistency
B) such research is too time-consuming to conduct
C) only one variable seems to predict consistency
D) the effects of such variables are subtle and are sometimes difficult to detect

Question 37

A recent review of the entire literature on social psychology concluded that the situational effect was about ________.

A) .10
B) .20
C) .40
D) .50

Question 38

Which of the following would be an example of trying to improve the predictability of behavior from personality traits by taking into account the possibility that some people are more consistent than others?

A) measuring how frequently you are late to work using a daily diary report of your everyday behavior
B) collecting information about your responses to stressful work situations
C) trying to predict how warm and friendly you will act when you meet your in-laws next Monday
D) determining if the behavior of high self-monitors is less predictable than that of low self-monitors

Question 39

According to recent research,individuals high in ________ might actually be more consistent.

A) self-control
B) consistency seeking
C) preference for consistency
D) extraversion

Question 40

How long was Mischel's review of the personality literature in Personality and Assessment?

A) about half of the book
B) about three quarters of the book
C) about 16 pages
D) only about 2 pages

Question 41

In Leikas,Lönnqvist,and Verkasalo (2012),participants interacted with trained actors.What was one of the major conclusions from this study?

A) Behaviors with more situation variance had less person variance.
B) Behaviors with less situation variance had less person variance.
C) Situations didn't vary that much.
D) People didn't vary that much.

Question 42

A social psychologist focused on statistical significance is concerned with ________,whereas a personality researcher focused on effect sizes is concerned with ________.

A) documenting the existence of an effect; quantifying the size of an effect
B) quantifying the size of an effect; documenting the existence of an effect
C) squaring correlations; Binomial Effect Size Displays
D) process; outcome

Question 43

Funder and Colvin (1991)brought participants to the lab for two interactions with different people.Which of the following results shows the power of the situation?

A) Participants who spoke loudly at session 1 also spoke loudly at session 2.
B) Participants who kept partners at a distance also behaved in a fearful manner.
C) Participants smiled frequently and spoke in a loud voice more than expected.
D) Participants were more relaxed at session 2 than session 1.

Question 44

The large number of trait terms in the English language indicates that ________.

A) we need an abundance of trait terms to distinguish between different types of people
B) personality traits are an important part of our culture
C) when it comes to personality, one size does not fit all
D) all of the above

Question 45

Political liberalism is associated with what trait?

A) openness to experience
B) neuroticism
C) extraversion
D) conscientiousness

Question 46

Happiness is associated with what trait?

A) openness to experience
B) self-monitoring
C) extraversion
D) conscientiousness

Question 47

Funder and Ozer (1983)converted the results of three classic social psychological studies to effect sizes.After comparing those effect sizes with those typically obtained by personality psychologists,Funder and Ozer concluded that ________.

A) situational variables, like personality variables, cannot predict behavior
B) both situational and personality variables are important determinants of behavior
C) the upper limit for a situation coefficient is only .20
D) the three studies were so fundamentally flawed that they do not allow us to conclude anything about the predictability of behavior from situational variables

Question 48

In Leikas,Lönnqvist,and Verkasalo (2012),participants interacted with trained actors.The number of times a participant gestured depended mostly on his or her own characteristics.Which of the following reflects the correct interpretation of this result?

A) The amount of variability explained by the person was small.
B) The amount of variability explained by the person was large.
C) The amount of variability explained by the situation was small.
D) The amount of variability explained by the situation was large.

Question 49

Attractiveness is associated with what trait?

A) openness to experience
B) self-monitoring
C) extraversion
D) conscientiousness

Question 50

The traditional practice in evaluating the degree to which behavior is affected by the situation has been to ________.

A) square the correlation coefficient for the relationship between behavior and some aspect of the situation
B) determine the percentage of variance accounted for by personality, subtract that from 100 percent, and then assign that value to the situation
C) multiply the variance in the behavioral measure by 2
D) add the variance in the behavioral measure to the variance for the situational variable

Question 51

Which of the following conclusions does Funder draw about the role of persons vs.situations in affecting behavior?

A) Situations matter more than persons, because people tend to be inconsistent.
B) Situations have an important influence on behavior, but people also tend to be consistent.
C) Situations matter, but only under particular conditions, because people tend to be inconsistent.
D) Situations have a minimal influence on behavior, because people tend to be consistent.

Question 52

Peer acceptance is associated with what trait?

A) openness to experience
B) self-monitoring
C) extraversion
D) conscientiousness

Question 53

Historically,personality psychologists have concentrated on ________ to evaluate the effects of personality variables,whereas social psychologists have concentrated on ________ to evaluate the effects of situational variables.

A) variance; standard deviations
B) standard deviations; variance
C) effect size; statistical significance
D) statistical significance; effect size

Question 54

Which conclusion follows from Funder's analysis of the person-situation debate?

A) Personality doesn't usually predict behavior.
B) Person perceptions are largely incorrect.
C) One behavioral response does not fit all people in every situation..
D) People don't really act differently from each other.

Question 55

Good coping is positively associated with what trait?

A) emotional stability
B) conscientiousness
C) agreeableness
D) openness to experience

Question 56

The avoidance of drug abuse is associated with what trait?

A) openness to experience
B) neuroticism
C) extraversion
D) conscientiousness

Question 57

Which definition best describes the meaning of a cross-situational consistency coefficient of r = .70?

A) Behaviors in one situation strongly predict behaviors in another situation.
B) Behaviors in one situation weakly predict behaviors in another situation.
C) Behaviors in one situation are the opposite of behaviors in a different situation.
D) Behavior is the mediator between personality and the situation.

Question 58

Funder notes that the person who is most talkative at a party is also likely to be the most talkative at the department of motor vehicles (DMV).Which of the following terms describes this principle?

A) absolute consistency
B) relative consistency
C) absolute change
D) relative change

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT one of Funder's conclusions?

A) Most situational coefficients are actually between .30 and .40.
B) Situational coefficients are similar in size to personality coefficients.
C) Both situational variables and personality variables have an effect on behavior.
D) It is difficult to translate experimental results into effect sizes.

Question 60

In Leikas,Lönnqvist,and Verkasalo (2012),participants interacted with trained actors.The number of times a participant gazed into the eyes of his or her partner depended a lot on the behavior of the partner.Which of the following reflects the correct interpretation of this result?

A) The amount of variability explained by the person was small.
B) The amount of variability explained by the person was large.
C) The amount of variability explained by the situation was small.
D) The amount of variability explained by the situation was large.

Question 61

Match the correct term with each definition.
a.Relative consistency
b.Situationism
c.The "personality coefficient"
d.Aggregation
e.Interactionism
f.BESD
r = .30 to .40

Question 62

A long life is associated with what trait?

A) openness to experience
B) self-monitoring
C) neuroticism
D) conscientiousness

Question 63

Which of the following statements does NOT reflect the influence of values that contribute to
A situationist vs.a pro-personality position?

A) People are both flexibly adaptive to situations and consistent in personal style.
B) Attributing behavior to the situation absolves people from blame.
C) Attributing actions to personality implies that people are responsible for their circumstances.
D) People are free to do what they want, so they are responsible for their actions.

Question 64

Match the position or person who would most endorse each argument..
a.Situationist critique
b.Walter Mischel
c.Pro-personality response
d.David Funder
e.Henry Murray
A correlation of .30 leaves 84 percent of the variance "unexplained."

Question 65

Citizenship behavior at work is predicted by which trait?

A) neuroticism
B) self-monitoring
C) extraversion
D) conscientiousness

Question 66

Match the correct term with each definition.
a.Relative consistency
b.Situationism
c.The "personality coefficient"
d.Aggregation
e.Interactionism
f.BESD
The situation is more important than the person in determining behavior.

Question 67

Sally found that neither caffeine nor extraversion individually predicted problem solving; however,she found that they both worked together to predict problem solving.This is an example of what kind of an effect?

A) a true interaction
B) a suppressor
C) an evocation
D) a true mediation

Question 68

Match the correct term with each definition.
a.Relative consistency
b.Situationism
c.The "personality coefficient"
d.Aggregation
e.Interactionism
f.BESD
Correlations are higher when behaviors are averaged.

Question 69

Which of the following describes social psychologist Roger Brown's views on the importance of personality?

A) He first believed situations were important but later changed his mind.
B) He first believed traits were important but later changed his mind.
C) He first believed traits were unimportant but later recognized their importance.
D) He first believed situations were unimportant but later recognized their importance.

Question 70

Which of the following does NOT describe a type of person-situation interaction?

A) People generally prefer situations that are pleasant.
B) People choose the situations they occupy.
C) People change the situations they occupy.
D) People react differently to the same situation.

Question 71

Match the position or person who would most endorse each argument..
a.Situationist critique
b.Walter Mischel
c.Pro-personality response
d.David Funder
e.Henry Murray
The BESD shows that r = .30 implies 65% predictive accuracy.

Question 72

Match the position or person who would most endorse each argument..
a.Situationist critique
b.Walter Mischel
c.Pro-personality response
d.David Funder
e.Henry Murray
You may travel the world,but your personality is the baggage you will always have with you.

Question 73

Based on recent research,what activity might signal a major concern when selecting a stockbroker?

A) evidence that the broker loses big money at poker games
B) few pictures of loved ones in the office
C) modest earnings during the recession
D) a messy and sloppy appearance

Question 74

Match the position or person who would most endorse each argument..
a.Situationist critique
b.Walter Mischel
c.Pro-personality response
d.David Funder
e.Henry Murray
Some people are more consistent than others.

Question 75

Research regarding the person-situation debate indicates that ________ are relevant to how people will act under specific circumstances and that ________ are better for describing how people act in general.

A) S data; I data
B) S data; B data
C) personality traits; situational variables
D) situational variables; personality traits

Question 76

Based on recent research,what is likely to happen when an aggressive person plays a competitive multiplayer video game?

A) The aggressive person will be less aggressive.
B) The aggressive person will evoke aggression from the other players.
C) The aggressive person will frequently win.
D) There is no ability to predict how the aggressive person will behave in this context.

Question 77

Match the correct term with each definition.
a.Relative consistency
b.Situationism
c.The "personality coefficient"
d.Aggregation
e.Interactionism
f.BESD
The most friendly person at a party is probably also the most friendly in class.

Question 78

Match the correct term with each definition.
a.Relative consistency
b.Situationism
c.The "personality coefficient"
d.Aggregation
e.Interactionism
f.BESD
The effect of a person variable may depend on the situation.

Question 79

Match the position or person who would most endorse each argument..
a.Situationist critique
b.Walter Mischel
c.Pro-personality response
d.David Funder
e.Henry Murray
A correlation of .30 to .40 is very small.

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT an example of interactionism?

A) An extraverted person chooses to live in a bigger, faster paced city.
B) An agreeable person is generally a good team player.
C) A neurotic person expects to be socially excluded, which makes others stay away from him.
D) A conscientious person reacts differently to feedback from her boss.