Deck 4: Theoretical and Measurement Issues in Trait Psychology

Question 1

Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies situationism?

A)Roger loves to organize events at school and plan how to celebrate special occasions at home.
B)Keith is known for his dressing style both at his workplace and in informal situations.
C)Kiara is an intelligent college student and even got good grades at school.
D)Sheba is a quiet and submissive child at school and a dominating sibling at home.

Answer 1

Sheba is a quiet and submissive child at school and a dominating sibling at home.

Question 2

Walter Mischel has pointed out that personality psychologists are NOT very good at predicting:

A)the effect of important situations on most individuals.
B)how an individual will behave in particular situations.
C)how personality traits direct individuals to specific situations.
D)the effect of personality test scores on an individual.

Answer 2

how an individual will behave in particular situations.

Question 3

Kevin,a 20-year-old college student,loves to party and participate in adventure sports.He is extremely talkative and can liven up any dull moment.He is sociable and loves being the center of attention in every gathering.In the context of the three important assumptions that form the basic foundation for trait psychology,when Kevin becomes a senior citizen,he is most likely to:

A)remain socially active.
B)get involved in antisocial acts.
C)become extremely shy and moody.
D)prefer spending more time alone.

Answer 3

remain socially active.

Question 4

The process of combining the three primary colors on a color wheel is analogous to the process in which:

A)the range of a color spectrum varies with different human emotions.
B)individuals' uniqueness and diversity depend on the range of a color spectrum.
C)a few basic and primary traits are combined to recreate the unique qualities of every individual.
D)the use of color therapy over an extended period of time changes the amount of a trait in an individual.

Question 5

The concept of rank order stability suggests that:

A)traits are not stable over time within an individual.
B)trait levels in an individual may decrease with age when compared to the general population.
C)a person with a high level of a trait at a given time will have a different trait score at another time.
D)an individual's position within a group,in the context of a particular trait,remains unaffected by his or her chronological age.

Question 6

A study by Hartshorne and May (1928)found that children who cheated in games were:

A)highly likely to cheat during written exams.
B)not much likely to cheat during written exams.
C)more likely to help strangers.
D)more likely to be aggressive.

Question 7

Victor,a 35-year-old,is generally a very friendly,outgoing,and sociable person.In the context of the three important assumptions that form the basic foundation for trait psychology,trait psychologists tend to assume that he:

A)will have a greater degree of these traits in the future.
B)was probably a nonsocial,unfriendly,and withdrawn child.
C)will be friendly,outgoing,and sociable even in the future.
D)will have a lesser degree of these traits in the future.

Question 8

Most personality and social psychologists agree that actual behavior is based on:

A)constant interactions between an individual's personality and different situations.
B)stable behavior that is observed across a multitude of situations.
C)extremely strong situations that constantly change one's behavior.
D)a need to disagree.

Question 9

The idea that underlying personality traits are less important than immediate circumstances in determining behavior is known as:

A)aggregation.
B)situationism.
C)acquiescence.
D)social desirability.

Question 10

_____ challenged the idea that traits are stable across situations.

A)Raymond Cattell
B)Hans Eysenck
C)Walter Mischel
D)Randy Larson

Question 11

In the context of stability over time,identify a true statement about personality traits?

A)Stability in an underlying trait implies that the manifestation of that trait remains stable over time.
B)The traits of impulsiveness tend to intensify with age.
C)Attitudes and interests are less stable over time.
D)Personality traits that are thought to have a biological basis tend to be highly unstable over time.

Question 12

In the context of person-situation interaction,the equation B = f(P * S):

A)shows that the appearance of a trait is related to an interaction between the phenotypes and the stereotypes.
B)is a way to determine heritability estimates for behavior of personalities in different situations.
C)suggests that behavior is a function of the interaction between personality traits and situational forces.
D)indicates that behavior is primarily the result of personality and secondarily the result of situations.

Question 13

Traits are:

A)assumed to be stable over time.
B)expected to vary over time.
C)expected to be stable only if they have a biological basis.
D)expected to be stably meaningful over time.

Question 14

Of all the perspectives and strategies for studying personality,the trait approach is the most mathematically and statistically oriented due to its emphasis on:

A)psychopathology.
B)amount.
C)situational selection.
D)integrity testing.

Question 15

According to Walter Mischel,_____ are the strongest determinants of behavior.

A)situations
B)attitudes
C)traits
D)intellectual abilities

Question 16

Trait psychologists are primarily interested in:

A)determining the ways in which people are different from each other.
B)determining the ways in which human nature works.
C)understanding the uniqueness of each individual.
D)understanding the general laws of human behavior.

Question 17

In the context of person-situation interaction,behavior,or B:

A)= f(P).
B)= f(S).
C)= f(P * S).
D)= f(P + S).

Question 18

Trait psychology has sometimes been called _____ psychology.

A)social
B)differential
C)cognitive
D)developmental

Question 19

The trait perspective historically has been concerned with:

A)accurate measurement.
B)the unconscious mind.
C)the theory of evolution.
D)personality disorders.

Question 20

One result of Walter Mischel's critique of trait approaches has been:

A)an increased interest in person-situation interactions.
B)a decreased interest in person-situation interactions.
C)a decrease in the practice of aggregation.
D)a decrease in the study of personality traits.

Question 21

Andrea enjoys drawing pictures,solving complex mathematical problems,and building things.Her decision to major in architecture would best demonstrate:

A)situational selection.
B)evocation.
C)manipulation.
D)equivocation.

Question 22

Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies situational specificity?

A)Rochelle,who is usually confident,becomes extremely nervous during her first job interview.
B)Sandra,who usually has a heightened need for adventure,is excited to go on a trek with her family.
C)Simon,who usually suffers from panic attacks,evokes nervousness in his teammates before an important client presentation.
D)Peter,who is usually sociable,is excited to meet his old friends during an alumni meet.

Question 23

Which of the following might NOT explain why a person often acts in a friendly manner?

A)The person has the trait of friendliness.
B)The person is often found in social situations.
C)The person chooses to go to many parties and social events.
D)The person thinks of himself or herself as being friendly.

Question 24

The concept of aggregation:

A)does not predict performance on a specific occasion.
B)predicts performance on specific occasions.
C)predicts behavior based on traumatic events.
D)predicts a single behavior from a single measure.

Question 25

A baseball player's statistical batting average is an example of:

A)aggregation.
B)reliability.
C)validity.
D)variance.

Question 26

In the context of person-situation interaction,single measures of behavior:

A)are a good predictor of behavior across situations.
B)are a good predictor of behavior over time.
C)are rarely good measures of anything.
D)typically have face validity.

Question 27

Aggregation usually results in a:

A)more reliable measure than a single observation of behavior.
B)less reliable measure than a single observation of behavior.
C)measure that does a good job of predicting individual behavior.
D)measure that predicts group behaviors.

Question 28

Samuel is a math professor and loves his job.Students love his classes because he makes the classes interactive and innovative.Even students who score low in math show a remarkable improvement when assigned to his classes.In this scenario,the fact that Samuel naturally elicits a strong liking for math from his students exemplifies:

A)evocation.
B)a false positive.
C)aggregation.
D)a strong situation.

Question 29

_____ refers to a situation in which a person acts in a specific way under particular circumstances implying that his or her behavior is caused by the situation.

A)Faking response
B)Situational specificity
C)Extreme responding
D)Situational selection

Question 30

In the context of aggregation,which of the following assessments are better measures of traits?

A)A single observation of behavior
B)A short questionnaire
C)A long questionnaire
D)A single experiment

Question 31

In the context of person-situation interaction,individuals who use a charm tactic in order to influence others are most likely demonstrating the concept of:

A)situational selection.
B)evocation.
C)manipulation.
D)aggregation.

Question 32

Individuals' grade point average best indicates their average performance in college classes over time.This illustrates the concept of:

A)amalgamation.
B)aggregation.
C)amelioration.
D)aggrandizement.

Question 33

In a study conducted by Diener,Larsen,and Emmons (1984)in which participants had to wear pagers so that they could be signaled electronically throughout the day for six weeks,it was found that:

A)neuroticism correlated with choosing social forms of recreation.
B)extraversion correlated with choosing solitary sports,such as long-distance running or swimming.
C)the trait of need for achievement correlated with spending more time in relaxed social situations.
D)the need for order correlated with spending time in more familiar situations.

Question 34

In the context of person-situation interaction,which of the following refers to the idea that certain personality traits may elicit specific responses from the environment?

A)Situational selection
B)Evocation
C)Manipulation
D)Aggregation

Question 35

Personality has its strongest influence on behavior _____.

A)in strong situations
B)when people grow old
C)when situations are weak or ambiguous
D)when behaviors are aggregated

Question 36

Shimeath,a manager,rarely misses an opportunity to praise her team.She seems to be empathetic toward the team members personal and professional concerns.She uses small gestures of kindness and affection to influence the team effectively.In the context of person-situation interaction,this scenario most likely exemplifies:

A)a strong situation.
B)a false negative.
C)manipulation.
D)aggregation.

Question 37

_____ is the process of adding up,or averaging,several single observations,resulting in a better (i.e. ,more reliable)measure of a personality trait than a single observation of behavior.

A)Situational selection
B)Evocation
C)Manipulation
D)Aggregation

Question 38

In the context of dynamic person-situation interaction,the main difference between evocation and manipulation is that:

A)evocation is an outcome of personality but manipulation is not.
B)manipulation is an outcome of personality but evocation is not.
C)evocation is not intentional but manipulation is.
D)manipulation is not intentional but evocation is.

Question 39

The tendency to choose the situations in which one finds oneself is known as:

A)situational selection.
B)evocation.
C)manipulation.
D)aggregation.

Question 40

When there was a flood in the country of Octavia,the able citizens came forward to help the needy.They especially took care of women,elders,and young children.They made available food and clothing to the people who had been hit hard by the flood.This scenario most likely exemplifies:

A)a rank order.
B)situational selection.
C)a strong situation.
D)manipulation.

Question 41

Which of the following traits is NOT associated with successful police performance?

A)Need for adventure
B)Need to influence others
C)Self-confidence
D)Sociability

Question 42

A key issue in measuring traits is determining:

A)what causes traits.
B)how much of a particular trait a person possesses.
C)how many traits exist.
D)the ways in which traits change over time.

Question 43

Marvin,a psychologist,conducts a study in which participants are required to answer 50 questions pertaining to their general likes and dislikes.Roger,a boxer,loves watching cartoon movies and responds accordingly in the questionnaire.Marvin assumes that Roger pretends to like such movies and excludes Roger's data from his analysis.This scenario best exemplifies:

A)inter-rater reliability.
B)discriminant validity.
C)a false negative.
D)the third variable problem.

Question 44

The history of integrity testing has included all of the following EXCEPT:

A)questionnaires.
B)interrogation.
C)polygraphs.
D)rice powder.

Question 45

When seeking to distinguish between genuine and faked responses,a psychologist decides that a person who was faking was actually telling the truth resulting in _____.

A)a false positive
B)a factor analysis
C)situational selection
D)carelessness

Question 46

Who among the following continues to use polygraphs in employment screening as well as periodic honesty verification of persons in sensitive positions?

A)Fast-food chains
B)The government
C)Courtrooms
D)College students

Question 47

When seeking to distinguish between genuine and faked responses,a psychologist concludes that a truthful person is faking and rejects that person's data resulting in:

A)the directionality problem.
B)a false negative.
C)carelessness.
D)situational specificity.

Question 48

When personality questionnaires are used to make important decisions about people's lives,then there is always a possibility of _____.

A)acquiescence
B)faking
C)carelessness
D)restriction of range

Question 49

In order to select personnel for a job,a psychologist would NOT:

A)determine the special challenges of the job.
B)develop hypotheses about the kinds of personality traits best suited for the joB.
C)measure the traits of job applicants.
D)use a series of Barnum statements to assess personality.

Question 50

Polygraph machines measure:

A)distortions in honesty.
B)the truth.
C)physiological arousal.
D)self-deceptive enhancement.

Question 51

The U.S.federal government's Office of Technology Assessment discourages the use of polygraph tests in employment settings because:

A)integrity tests are an invasion of privacy.
B)polygraph tests cannot be faked.
C)polygraph tests often lead to employment discrimination.
D)polygraph tests may unfairly affect federally protected groups.

Question 52

Duplicate questions are included and spaced far apart in questionnaires to detect:

A)carelessness.
B)faking.
C)social desirability.
D)extreme responding.

Question 53

The item "Whenever I walk up stairs,I always do so on my hands" on a questionnaire assesses:

A)carelessness.
B)faking.
C)extraversion.
D)seriousness.