Deck 1: Introduction to Personality Theory

Question 1

A __________ allows a more precise description of personality because it refers to a more focused set of characteristics.

A) variable
B) type
C) temperament
D) trait

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In comparison to traits, factors refer to more __________ characteristics.

A) socially desirable
B) specific
C) broad
D) changeable

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Like traits, factors are

A) broad.
B) quantitative.
C) qualitative.
D) developmental stages.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following kinds of questions are not addressed by personality theory?

A) questions about personality dynamics
B) questions about personality development
C) questions about personality description
D) questions about personality diffusion

Question 5

Which of the following does not describe a trait?

A) Trait scores are discontinuous variables
B) A person is given a numeric score to indicate how much of a trait the person possesses
C) There are many traits to describe everyone
D) A person can be described on every trait.

Question 6

Hippocrates, in ancient Greece, described sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic __________ of personality.

A) traits
B) types
C) dynamics
D) factors

Question 7

How can we describe personality?

A) Factors
B) Traits
C) Types
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 8

In the study of personality, including the influence of society and culture allows a better explanation of ____________ differences among people.

A) gender
B) ethnic
C) cultural
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 9

In comparison to factors, traits refer to more __________ characteristics.

A) socially desirable
B) broad
C) specific
D) changeable

Question 10

What is personality, according to your text?

A) a person's social skills
B) the reaction of a person to social forces
C) the underlying causes within the person of individual behavior and experience
D) the individual's level of adjustment or mental health

Question 11

When we ask, "How do people adjust to their life situations?" and "How does their thought affect what they do," we are asking questions about the __________ of personality.

A) description
B) dynamics
C) development
D) destiny

Question 12

Which of the following does not describe a personality type?

A) Membership to a type is all or nothing.
B) A person belongs to one and only one category.
C) There are many different types to describe everyone.
D) A person fits into only one type.

Question 13

Which of the following does not describe a factor?

A) Factor scores are continuous variables.
B) There are many factors to describe everyone.
C) A person is given a numeric score to indicate how much of a factor the person possesses.
D) A person can be described on every factor.

Question 14

Categories of people with similar characteristics are called

A) factors.
B) traits.
C) types.
D) sets.

Question 15

When we ask, "How is one person different from another?" we are asking questions about the __________ of personality.

A) description
B) dynamics
C) development
D) destiny

Question 16

Psychology attempts to understand human nature using the method of

A) science.
B) literature.
C) intuition.
D) philosophy.

Question 17

A measure in which a person is given a score on some dimension, for example, a score of 61 or 85 on a 100-point scale of "traditionality", is a __________ measure.

A) qualitative
B) quantitative
C) factorial
D) typological

Question 18

When we ask, "How do biology and experience influence a person from childhood onward?" we are asking questions about the __________ of personality.

A) description
B) dynamics
C) development
D) destiny

Question 19

Some research gives personality tests to a group of people and compares their scores. What approach does this illustrate?

A) the idiographic approach
B) the case study approach
C) the nomothetic approach
D) the clinical approach

Question 20

Writers and philosophers tell us about human nature. Why do we also need psychology?

A) Writers and philosophers ignore human motivation.
B) Psychology allows a systematic understanding of human nature.
C) Psychology is concerned with values, which writers and philosophers ignore.
D) Writers and philosophers ignore maladjusted personalities.

Question 21

A hypothesis is

A) an abstract statement telling how two theoretical constructs are related.
B) a statement saying how a theoretical construct can be measured.
C) a prediction about observations in research.
D) a proposal to change the way personality is developed, based on theoretical considerations.

Question 22

Case studies and psychobiography are examples of the __________ approach.

A) idiographic
B) eclectic
C) nomothetic
D) correlational

Question 23

One person at a time is studied using the __________ approach.

A) factor analytic
B) eclectic
C) nomothetic
D) idiographic

Question 24

Rae Carlson (1971) criticized nomothetic personality research. Which of the following is included in her criticism?

A) Researchers have failed to understand individuals as whole persons.
B) Researchers have failed to use appropriate statistics.
C) Researchers have ignored theory.
D) Researchers have studied too many different kinds of people.

Question 25

Which of the following illustrates a theoretical proposition?

A) Frustration leads to aggression.
B) Aggression includes verbal behavior (e.g., insulting someone) as well as physical behavior (e.g., hitting someone).
C) Frustration can be produced by a malfunctioning soda machine.
D) Frustration is a subjective experience.

Question 26

Which of the following is not a major issue addressed by personality theories?

A) Descriptive issues
B) Developmental issues
C) Directive issues
D) Developmental issues

Question 27

All of the following are dynamic issues addressed by personality theories except

A) Individual differences
B) Adaptation and Adjustment
C) Cognitive Processes
D) Culture

Question 28

Which of the following is not a major issue in personality theory concerning the formation and changes in personality mentioned in the text?

A) To what extent is personality influenced by heredity?
B) To what extent can personality change as a result of learning?
C) How much change in personality can actually occur in adolescence?
D) How critical are the childhood years for personality development?

Question 29

For a theoretical construct to be clearly understood, it must be:

A) verifiable
B) parsimonious
C) defined precisely
D) valuable heuristically

Question 30

A __________ is a conceptual tool for understanding certain specified phenomena.

A) theoretical construct
B) psychological test
C) theory
D) variable

Question 31

Personality __________ refers to motivation.

A) description
B) dynamics
C) development
D) measurement

Question 32

A theoretical proposition is

A) an abstract statement telling how two theoretical constructs are related.
B) a statement saying how a theoretical construct can be measured.
C) a prediction about observations in research.
D) a proposal to change the way personality is developed, based on theoretical considerations.

Question 33

Theoretical constructs are

A) obsolete in modern personality theory.
B) the concepts of a theory.
C) used only in experimental research.
D) used only in correlational research.

Question 34

Personality dynamics includes which of the following?

A) adaptation to the environment
B) cognitive processes
C) cultural influence
D) all of the above

Question 35

A hypothesis is tested by

A) logical reasoning.
B) reviewing the published literature.
C) conducting empirical research.
D) examining the results of several related studies.

Question 36

Personality theories are tested using the __________ method.

A) intuitive
B) clinical
C) scientific
D) idiographic

Question 37

Biological influences result in differences in styles of behavior and emotional reactions in infancy and afterwards. Which term best describes such differences?

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

Question 38

The statement, "High self-esteem causes social responsibility" is

A) a theoretical proposition.
B) a hypothesis.
C) an operational definition.
D) a paradigm.

Question 39

The criterion of verifiability requires that theoretical propositions be

A) true.
B) reliable.
C) testable by empirical research.
D) applicable to a variety of populations.

Question 40

Which of the following illustrates an operational definition of "shyness."

A) Shyness is caused by teasing.
B) Shyness in childhood predicts shyness in adulthood.
C) Shyness is measured by a 25-item self-report test.
D) Shyness is common in adolescence.

Question 41

A personality measure that produces consistent scores from one time to another is

A) valid.
B) useless.
C) reliable.
D) projective.

Question 42

Behavioral measures used in personality research include

A) Real life observation
B) Laboratory observation
C) Self reports
D) All the above

Question 43

A researcher decides to see how consistent a new personality test is by computing two scores. One score is the total of the odd-numbered items. The other score is the total of the even-numbered items.
What is the researcher assessing?

A) validity
B) test-retest reliability
C) alternate forms reliability
D) split-half reliability

Question 44

If a test of academic ability given to high school students is correlated with grades during the freshman year at college, the test has

A) construct validity.
B) test-retest reliability.
C) alternate forms reliability.
D) predictive validity.

Question 45

Which statement best describes personality research methods?

A) Experimental research is the best research method. Others are now obsolete.
B) Personality can only be studied by correlational methods, since it is not possible to do true experiments in this area.
C) Personality research is best done with large groups of subjects.
D) A variety of personality research methods are appropriate for personality research.

Question 46

A theory that has suggested new ideas for later theories and research, is said to have

A) applied value.
B) heuristic value.
C) parsimony.
D) empirical validity.

Question 47

Sam is taking a personality test for the second time. The first time he was simply guessing at answers. The second time, he remembers how he answered before, and answers the same way in order to be consistent. The test will probably be

A) reliable but not necessarily valid.
B) valid but not reliable.
C) neither reliable nor valid.
D) both reliable and valid.

Question 48

Theories that apply to only a narrow range of behavior are not

A) comprehensive.
B) refutable.
C) scientific.
D) empirically verifiable.

Question 49

Implicit theories of personality could be described by all but which of the following?

A) They are generally held by ordinary people.
B) They are unscientific.
C) They are not necessarily incorrect.
D) Their accuracy is guaranteed.

Question 50

Which of the following factors contributes to higher test reliability?

A) homogeneous items
B) a short test
C) changes in the personality trait
D) items that test different things

Question 51

Construct validity is present when

A) a construct can be operationally defined.
B) a test distinguishes among criterion groups.
C) several research studies confirm the usefulness of the construct.
D) good measurement has been demonstrated.

Question 52

A theory that offers practical strategies for improving human life is said to have

A) comprehensiveness.
B) applied value.
C) generalizability.
D) empirical verifiability.

Question 53

Tests, such as inkblot tests, which ask people to respond to ambiguous stimuli, are called

A) self-report measures.
B) response measures.
C) projective tests.
D) behavioral measures.

Question 54

Assessing intelligence by measuring the size of a person's head would be

A) reliable but not valid.
B) valid but not reliable.
C) neither reliable nor valid.
D) both reliable and valid.

Question 55

Direct self-report measures of personality

A) are seldom used.
B) are often reliable.
C) always measure several personality traits simultaneously.
D) are valid even when subjects intentionally give false responses.

Question 56

Personality researchers use

A) self-report measures.
B) projective tests.
C) behavioral measures.
D) all of the above

Question 57

Which of the following is not listed by the text as a criterion of a good theory?

A) comprehensiveness
B) verifiability
C) applied value
D) consistency with human values

Question 58

Which approach to reliability can be used if subjects are tested on only one occasion, using only one test?

A) test-retest reliability
B) alternate forms reliability
C) split half reliability
D) No reliability tests are possible with only one testing session.

Question 59

In using the "known groups method" to determine whether a test is valid, a researcher needs to test

A) groups of people whom he or she knows personally.
B) subjects who agree to have their names known.
C) groups with published norms on a variety of personality tests.
D) groups which can be presumed to differ on the construct being measured.

Question 60

Which statement best describes the relationship between theory and research?

A) Theory and research are separate disciplines within personality psychology.
B) Theory influences research by suggesting research ideas, but research has no impact on theory.
C) When research has become sophisticated, with good measuring instruments, theory is no longer necessary.
D) Theory and research mutually influence one another.

Question 61

The term __________ refers to a theoretical model that has been generally accepted by scientists in a field (such as personality psychology).

A) paradigm
B) construct
C) theory
D) hypothesis

Question 62

The independent variable corresponds to what a researcher thinks is the

A) cause.
B) effect.
C) third variable.
D) uncontrollable factor.

Question 63

Personality may be defined as the underlying causes within the person of individual behavior and
experience.

Question 64

Most personality research is idiographic.

Question 65

One major division among theories, sometimes called the "two disciplines" or "two cultures" of psychology, is between

A) clinical and idiographic theories.
B) scientific and humanistic approaches.
C) human and animal theories.
D) laboratory and scientific theories.

Question 66

A research study has shown that adolescents who play on sports teams are more likely to be admitted to college than those who do not play sports. From this study, we can conclude that

A) playing on sports teams causes increased success in college applications.
B) college applications cause increased participation on sports teams.
C) most college students have played sports.
D) there is a relationship between playing sports and being admitted into college

Question 67

The dependent variable corresponds to what a researcher thinks is the

A) cause.
B) effect.
C) third variable.
D) uncontrollable factor.

Question 68

A researcher is interested in testing the proposition that watching a lot of television causes increased aggressiveness among children at school. This can be tested by conducting an experiment in which the independent variable is

A) watching a lot of television.
B) being in school.
C) aggressiveness.
D) age.

Question 69

An approach that combines aspects of several different theories is called

A) eclectic.
B) heuristic.
C) nomothetic.
D) experimental.

Question 70

Psychobiography is different from case studies because psychobiography has more emphasis on

A) pathology.
B) theoretical considerations.
C) the individual.
D) experimental methods.

Question 71

__________ research examines the relationships among two or more variables.

A) Correlational
B) Experimental
C) Idiographic
D) Psychobiographical

Question 72

A personality type is broader than a personality trait.

Question 73

An intensive investigation of an individual is called a(n)

A) bibliography.
B) experiment.
C) case study.
D) psychoanalysis.

Question 74

Traits, factors, and types all describe personality?

Question 75

A researcher is interested in testing the proposition that being in a good mood causes increased cooperation among children at school. This can be tested by conducting an experiment in which the dependent variable is

A) mood.
B) being in school.
C) cooperation.
D) age.

Question 76

Correlational research

A) is used to demonstrate causal relationships among variables.
B) is seldom used in the field of personality.
C) cannot determine causality underlying observed relationships among variables.
D) includes independent and dependent variables.

Question 77

Personality types are quantitative, while traits are not quantitative.

Question 78

Which of the following procedures can determine cause-effect relationships?

A) correlational research.
B) factor analysis.
C) experimental research.
D) the case study.

Question 79

Which statement best describes the relationship between psychobiography and psychoanalytic theory?

A) Psychobiography is, by definition, based upon psychoanalytic theory.
B) In the past, psychoanalytic theory guided much psychobiography, but the field has broadened to include other theories.
C) Psychobiography is the term used for psychoanalytic case studies, when they are published in non- clinical journals.
D) Psychobiography is a therapeutic technique within psychoanalysis.

Question 80

Psychobiography is most useful for

A) clarifying theoretical statements.
B) testing cause-effect relationships.
C) devising new personality measures.
D) treating people with personality maladjustments.