Deck 16: Personality and Individual Differences

Question 1

A __________ is a person's relatively stable disposition to behave in a certain way.

A) style
B) personality
C) temperament
D) trait

Answer 1

trait

Question 2

In the 1930s,Gordon Allport and H.S.Odbert became two of the first theorists to attempt to identify the basic human personality traits by creating a 'trait dictionary'.About how many trait descriptors were included in that book?

A) 246
B) 1,280
C) 9,700
D) 18,000

Answer 2

18,000

Question 3

Based on his research and his re-working of Allport's list of 18,000 personality descriptors,Raymond Cattell identified __________ different personality traits.

A) 16
B) 35
C) 70
D) 225

Answer 3

16

Question 4

Which personality assessment tool is based on the theory of Raymond Cattell?

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

Question 5

Raymond Cattell,attempting to transform the first published list of personality descriptors,used a statistical technique called __________,which identifies correlations and common clusters in a larger group.These clusters were used to define Cattell's theory of 16 personality traits.

A) structural equation modeling
B) factor analysis
C) binomial linear regression
D) canonical correlations

Question 6

Which of the following is the most accurate statement regarding the relationship between states and traits?

A) A person's state is made up of a combination of traits.
B) A trait can determine the likelihood that someone enters into a temporary state.
C) A person's trait is made up of a combination of states.
D) A state can determine the likelihood that someone enters into a temporary trait.

Question 7

A __________ is a person's transient disposition to behave in a certain way.

A) trait
B) reaction
C) state
D) personality

Question 8

The idiographic approach is to the __________ as the nomothetic approach is to the __________.

A) positive; negative
B) whole, part
C) adult; child
D) individual; group

Question 9

The __________ approach to studying personality is a method of interpreting data that is person-oriented and focuses on how the unique parts of a person's personality form a consistent whole.

A) individualistic
B) nomothetic
C) idiosynchratic
D) idiographic

Question 10

If you are describing your best friend to another person,you might rattle off a list of qualities to describe that individual.These qualities,or __________,are the building blocks of what we understand to be an individual's personality.

A) attributes
B) traits
C) features
D) quirks

Question 11

Which of the following researchers proposed a theory of personality that is based on the existence of certain traits?

A) Carl Jung
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Margaret Mahler
D) Hans Eysenck and Jeffrey Gray

Question 12

Which personality theorist contributed to the publication of a list of over nearly 18,000 words found in the dictionary that could be used to describe people's personality traits?

A) Raymond Cattell
B) Gordon Allport
C) Hans Eysenck
D) Jeffrey Gray

Question 13

The __________ approach to studying personality is a method of interpreting personality data that is variable-centered and focuses on finding consistent patterns of relationships among individuals' traits.

A) idiographic
B) nomothetic
C) collectivist
D) individualistic

Question 14

Raymond Cattell is to ___ personality traits as Hans Eysenck is to ___ personality traits.

A) 16; 2
B) 18,000; 5
C) 5; 12
D) Unlimited; 0

Question 15

Dr.Sapperson is interested in conducting research that helps to clarify general principles and theories of behavior.His experiment will involve the gathering of data from many participants so that he can make general statements about groups,rather than individual observations about one person.Dr.Sapperson's research is based in the __________ approach.

A) idiographic
B) collectivist
C) group
D) nomothetic

Question 16

A __________ theory states that a set of meaningful and distinct personality dimensions can be used to describe how people differ from one another.

A) psychodynamic
B) biological
C) sociocognitive
D) trait

Question 17

Gordon Allport's extensive list of personality trait descriptors was condensed in the first well-known trait theory.This new list of sixteen traits was theorized by __________ in the 1960s.

A) H.S. Odbert
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Robert McCrae
D) Raymond Cattell

Question 18

Janine is talking to her friend Rob."You should really meet my friend Christie," she says."She's such a nice person.She's outgoing,smart,a little quirky,and really fun to be around." These qualities that Janine is listing paint a picture of Christie's __________ for Rob.

A) intellect
B) personality
C) temperament
D) social skills

Question 19

__________ is the style in which a person interacts with the world,particularly with other people.

A) Expression
B) Temperament
C) Attachment
D) Personality

Question 20

_________ are considered to be lasting,while __________ are more transient,or temporary.

A) Idiographic traits; nomothetic states
B) States; traits
C) Traits; states
D) Nomothetic states; idiographic traits

Question 21

In terms of the five-factor model of personality,an individual who is grouchy and difficult to get along with,who is also stubborn and refuses to try new things would be described as:

A) low in extraversion and high on emotional instability
B) low on agreeableness and low on extraversion
C) low in conscientiousness and low on emotional instability
D) low on openness to experience and low on agreeableness

Question 22

Which researchers popularized the "big five" theory of personality?

A) Eysenck and Cattell
B) Costa and McCrae
C) Gray and Hall
D) Allport and Odbert

Question 23

Hans Eysenck believed that one of our basic personality traits,our level of outgoingness,is mediated by sensitivity in the __________ of the brain.

A) basal ganglia
B) reticular formation
C) left cerebral hemisphere
D) gray matter

Question 24

Marietta is always on-time for class,makes sure to do her reading the night before so that she will be ready for the class lectures and discussions,and writes her papers and assignments well ahead of the due dates so that she can bring them to the teacher's office hours to make sure that she has done a good job before submitting her work.Which of the following factors from the Big Five theory would Marietta score highly on?

A) Agreeableness
B) Emotional stability
C) Extraversion
D) Conscientiousness

Question 25

The __________ system is a part of the brain that stimulates approach behavior in response to the anticipation of a reward.

A) reticular activating
B) cerebellar inhibition
C) medullar mediating
D) behavioral activating

Question 26

Which of the following is an accurate limitation of all personality questionnaires?

A) The questions are more difficult for children to answer, and thus they cause us to overpathologize kids.
B) The questions tend to be racially biased in favor of white individuals.
C) The questions tend to be transparent, so it is possible to present yourself differently than you actually are.
D) The questions favor male respondents and handicap female respondents.

Question 27

According to Jeffrey Gray,a personality researcher who explored the theories of Hans Eysenck,there are two basic brain systems that mediate the two personality dimensions of Eysenck's theory.What are they?

A) The brainstem and the language acquisition device (LAD)
B) The reticular activating system (RAS) and the neuronal inhibiting system (NIS)
C) The presynaptic stimulating module (PESM) and the postsynaptic stimulating module (POSM)
D) The behavioral activating system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS)

Question 28

The __________ paradox is the observation that personality ratings are consistent across time and among different observers,but that behavior ratings are not.

A) reliability
B) nomothetic
C) consistency
D) neuropersonality

Question 29

Which of the following personality traits is contained in the five-factor model?

A) behavioral activation/behavioral inhibition
B) consciousness/unconsciousness
C) altruism/selfishness
D) conscientiousness/ undirectedness

Question 30

It is estimated that genetic factors account for about ___% of individual differences for most personality traits,including the Big Five.

A) 50
B) 75
C) 90
D) 0

Question 31

Some studies have suggested that our personalities become _______ as we grow older.

A) more fluid
B) more stable
C) more mature
D) more difficult to maintain

Question 32

Which of the following set of personality traits did psychologist Hans Eysenck believe existed?

A) Agreeableness vs disagreeableness and openness to experience vs rigidity
B) Emotional stability vs instability and introversion vs extroversion
C) Shyness vs sociability and conscientiousness vs unreliability
D) Consciousness vs unconsciousness and neuroticism vs agreeableness

Question 33

For what purpose was the MMPI originally developed?

A) To identify children with learning disabilities
B) To identify individuals with emotional disorders
C) To provide employee screenings
D) To determine college placements

Question 34

What is the difference between a personality 'test' and a personality 'inventory'?

A) A test is a paper-and-pencil type of measure, while an inventory involves a conversation with a trained professional
B) An inventory is given in a clinical setting, while a test is given in a counseling setting.
C) A test measures personalities along dimensions that are considered "right and wrong," while an inventory makes no such judgments about an individual's personality.
D) An inventory is longer and more scientifically rigorous than a test.

Question 35

The most widely used and researched of all personality inventories is the __________.

A) California Personality Inventory (CPI)
B) Thematic Apperceptive Personality Profile Screening (TAPPS)
C) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
D) NEO-Personality Inventory - Revised (NEO-PI-R)

Question 36

Each of the five factors of personality proposed in the "Big Five" model consists of ___ facets,each of which correlate with one another.

A) 1
B) 4
C) 6
D) 12

Question 37

A personality __________ is a long,scientifically rigorous instrument that asks about many different behaviors and assesses several traits at once.

A) inventory
B) test
C) questionnaire
D) assessor

Question 38

What has research found about the heritability of traits identified by trait theories?

A) Traits only show heritability for family members who are raised in the same household. Otherwise there is no type of research that can investigate personality heritability.
B) Traits only show heritability for identical twins, since they are genetic clones. Relatives without the exact same genetic heritage show no real personality heritability.
C) Traits tend to be heritable, as demonstrated by the fact that the closer two people are genetically, the greater their trait similarity.
D) Personality is 90% genetic, so those who don't want to turn into their own parents are out of luck.

Question 39

The validity of a personality inventory refers to

A) the ability of the inventory to separate those with good personalities from those with bad personalities.
B) the level to which the inventory is able to label people as suffering from a psychiatric disease.
C) the degree to which the scores for each trait correlate with the corresponding aspect of the person's actual behaviors.
D) the degree to which the scores produced by one inventory agree with the scores produced on another inventory.

Question 40

__________ describes the extent to which a trait is able to be passed on genetically.

A) Lineage
B) Heritability
C) Chromosomal dispersion
D) Familiality

Question 41

What is the purpose of a defense mechanism from the psychodynamic perspective?

A) To make sure that we make rational decisions that are based on reason and logic.
B) To make sure that people who are negative and can have a negative effect on our lives are kept outside of our consciousness.
C) To keep unpleasant thoughts and motivations in our unconscious mind.
D) To keep us from developing psychological pathologies that can cause problems in our lives.

Question 42

Sigmund Freud is the original theorist whose work influenced the __________ perspective of personality development.

A) trait
B) psychodevelopmental
C) sociocognitive
D) psychodynamic

Question 43

One graphical representation of Freud's theory of the mind presents his ideas as being akin to a(n)__________.

A) glass of water
B) iceberg
C) multi-level building
D) volcano

Question 44

__________ is a focus on one particular erogenous zone of the body.

A) The defense mechanism of sublimation
B) Fixation
C) Obsessive-compulsive disorder
D) The Oedipus complex

Question 45

The __________ is the part of the psyche that tries to identify the basic drive that the id wants to fulfill and to come up with a realistic plan for satisfying that drive.

A) id
B) ego
C) superego
D) defense mechanism

Question 46

The __________ theory of personality focuses on the interaction of mental,often unconscious,forces.

A) interpersonal
B) intrapersonal
C) trait
D) psychodynamic

Question 47

According to Freud,the personality develops over the course of ___ psychosexual stages.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5

Question 48

Larika's friends tried to get her to go out on Friday night,but she simply refused."I have so much studying to do,and the house is a mess,and I really want to get my laundry done so I don't have to worry about it this weekend," she protested.Her friends,disappointed that Larika's __________ was preventing her from going out and having fun,had to hit the town without her!

A) superego
B) ego
C) id
D) fixation

Question 49

The method of psychological treatment that was developed by Sigmund Freud is called __________,and requires a patient to talk with a trained therapist who listens to and interprets each word.

A) behavioral counterconditioning
B) psychoanalysis
C) rational emotive therapy
D) person-centered therapy

Question 50

Which of the three major systems of the personality operates on the pleasure principle,according to the theory of the psychodynamic perspective?

A) The hedonist
B) The id
C) The ego
D) The superego

Question 51

One criticism of the trait perspective of personality is the _________ controversy,which focuses on the question of whether individual behaviors are more influenced by contextual factors than by personality traits.

A) diathesis-stress
B) genetic-environment interplay
C) person-situation
D) nature vs nurture

Question 52

How do genes influence our personality? One model that attempts to explain this relationship says that genes,in fact,influence our __________ - the characteristics and traits with which we are born - and those in turn influence the way we behave.

A) attachment
B) developmental schedule
C) temperament
D) psychosocial hallmarks

Question 53

If the id acts like a child,then the __________ acts like a parent.

A) archetype
B) superego
C) defense mechanism
D) unconscious

Question 54

Which of the three interacting systems of the personality is concerned with moral behavior and operating according to standards of right and wrong?

A) The superego id
B) The id
C) The ego
D) The reaction formation

Question 55

The concept that unconscious processes underlie all conscious thoughts and actions is called psychic __________.

A) determinism
B) predestination
C) influence
D) reaction formation

Question 56

Which of the following is one of the three interacting systems of the mind,according to Freud?

A) The id
B) The collective unconscious
C) The archetype
D) The inferiority complex

Question 57

Maybe you remember the classic Saturday morning cartoons - you know the ones with the animals that sometimes fought and sometimes got along? Do you remember the one where a character would have to decide between good and bad choices,and there would be an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other? In psychodynamic theory,the force that balances the needs of the angel and the devil is called the

A) superego
B) id
C) ego
D) preconscious

Question 58

If the id operates according to the pleasure principle,then the ego operates according to the __________ principle.

A) morality
B) conscious
C) reality
D) unconscious

Question 59

The __________ is the part of the psyche that tries to satisfy a person's basic drives and survival instincts.

A) reaction formation
B) ego
C) superego
D) id

Question 60

Young Desirae is always asking her mother for things."Mommy,can I have a cookie?" "Mommy,can I have a new toy?" "Mommy,can I have a drink of water?" "Mommy,I want to stay up late." The fact that Desirae is not at all interested in what her Mommy wants,and instead focuses only on her own pleasure needs,suggests that she operates mostly from the __________ component of her personality.

A) ego
B) id
C) egocentric
D) superego

Question 61

Alfred Adler developed the idea of the __________ complex,which suggests that people strive for perfection and mastery throughout adulthood in order to compensate for perceived physical and mental shortcomings rooted in childhood.

A) angst-driven
B) adolescent
C) psychosocial
D) inferiority

Question 62

Which of the following is not one of the ways that people deal with their anxiety,according to theorist Karen Horney?

A) By becoming submissive
B) By becoming aggressive
C) By becoming codependent
D) By becoming detached

Question 63

If you were to go into a specialist's office for a personality assessment and she showed you some cards with pictures on them asking you to tell her a story about each picture,you would be taking the ___________ test.

A) Rorschach Inkblot
B) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
C) Thematic Apperception
D) California Personality

Question 64

According to Carl Rogers and the humanistic theory of personality,which of the following is the crucial ingredient to helping people become their "real" selves?

A) unconditional positive regard
B) sympathy
C) genuineness
D) empathy

Question 65

The defense mechanism whereby a person changes a wish into its more acceptable opposite is called __________.

A) reaction formation
B) counterfunctioning
C) repression
D) reversing

Question 66

Which of the following was a psychodynamic theorist?

A) Carl Rogers
B) Raymond Cattell
C) Walter Mischel
D) Alfred Adler

Question 67

Which of the following is a component of the humanistic theory of personality?

A) Archetypes
B) Traits
C) Projection
D) Self-theory

Question 68

When Maria was born,her 5-year old sister became intensely jealous of all of the attention that was directed to the baby.She tried to be a good big sister,but as each day went on she became more and more resentful of the new sister.Maria,who had long-since been toilet trained,suddenly began wetting her bed again.A psychodynamic theorist would explain this as an example of the defense mechanism called __________.

A) identification
B) projection
C) regression
D) rationalization

Question 69

Which theorist introduced the concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypes?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) Carl Jung
C) Karl Menninger
D) Alfred Adler

Question 70

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)was developed by __________.

A) Karen Horney
B) Julian Rotter
C) Henry Murray
D) Alfred Adler

Question 71

__________ theories of personality emphasize people's conscious understanding of themselves and their abilities to attain self-fulfillment.

A) Humanistic
B) Emotive
C) Affective
D) Cognitive

Question 72

"No matter what you do,no matter where you go,you will always be my son and I will always love you," Carter's mother told him as he set off to make his way in the world.Based on this parting statement,we can assume that Carter has been raised with what Carl Rogers calls

A) unconditional positive regard
B) conditions of worth
C) learned helplessness
D) healthy defense mechanisms

Question 73

A(n)__________ is a particular image,such as mother as caretaker and nurturer,that is persistent across time and cultures.

A) reacted formation
B) afterimage
C) archetype
D) icon

Question 74

Xavier had a particularly bad day at work.His boss yelled at him for something that was not his fault,his customers decided to hire a different firm,and to make it worse he got stuck in horrible rush-hour traffic on the way home.When Xavier got home,he went into his basement and wailed on a punching bag for an hour.This "venting" of his pent up rage and hostility onto a more appropriate target is called __________.

A) projection
B) sublimation
C) displacement
D) regression

Question 75

The __________ inkblot test presents a series of ambiguous inkblots,and the subject is instructed to say whatever comes to mind when viewing these images.

A) Rotter
B) Rorschach
C) Adler
D) Jungian

Question 76

Which of the following statements regarding the utility and usefulness of Freudian theory is the most accurate?

A) It has been entirely dismissed from legitimate science because of its obvious bias against women.
B) The research into Freud's theories has unequivocally supported his work, so although many find his theories distasteful and downright insulting, there is no evidence that his theories were wrong!
C) Even in more tolerant times like those in which we find ourselves, Freud's blending of the concepts of sex and children is intolerable, and thus his theories are no longer considered valuable.
D) Freud's theories endure because experts continue to see merit in many of their foundational concepts.

Question 77

One criticism of the Rorschach inkblot test is that

A) it only used black and white inkblots.
B) it is too brief and requires no real training to administer.
C) it seems like an unreliable and subjective way to assess the unconscious mind.
D) it is too outdated and does not reflect the personalities of the 21?? century.

Question 78

A Freudian __________ is an error in speech that represents the surfacing of repressed memories and thoughts.

A) mnemonic
B) anachronism
C) acronym
D) slip

Question 79

According to Carl Jung,all people share access to a shared pool of stored memories and images that are common to all human beings.This storehouse is called the __________ unconscious.

A) unified
B) psychosocial
C) social
D) collective

Question 80

In the movie "Girl,Interrupted," Susanna Kaysen was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.In one particularly riveting scene,she gives a dialogue about how she is uncertain who she is,who she wants to be,and where she wants to go with her life.From a humanistic perspective,Susanna is having difficulty determining her __________.

A) self-concept
B) self theory
C) self regard
D) self defenses