Deck 13: Mccrae and Costas Five Factor Trait Theory

Question 1

Personality psychologists are more likely to attribute behavior to _________.

A)day to minute situation
B)enduring traits
C)cognitive displacement
D)overt emotionalism

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Trait theorists rely mostly on which method of identifying traits?

A)intuition
B)psychoanalysis
C)factor analysis
D)twin studies

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Elaborate on the five-factor model of trait personality theory.

Answer 3

A.The five-factor model is a result of an evolution of factor analysis methods that began with Allport and was continued by Cattell in the 1940s.Costa and McCrae continued their work of factor analyzing major personality inventories until they reached a core set of five personality traits.
B.Costa and McCrae agreed with Eysenck that personality traits are bipolar and follow a bell shaped distribution.Since most people tend to score near the middle of each trait,the extremes often gain the most attention.The two strongest and most ubiquitous traits are neuroticism and extroversion.Respectively,neuroticism reflects relative levels of emotionality and extraversion refers to relative levels of social gregariousness.
C.The third factor,Openness to experience,distinguishes people who prefer variety and diverse experiences from those who gain comfort in the familiar,the conventional,and the traditional.
D.The Agreeableness scale distinguishes trusting,generous and good natured people from those who are more suspicious,unfriendly,and critical of other people.
E.The fifth,and final,factor,conscientiousness,describes people who are ordered,controlled,ambitious and self-disciplined.In contrast,people who score low on this factor tend to be disorganized,negligent,lazy,and aimless,and they often lack perseverance.

Question 4

Traits generated through factor analysis may be either _____ or ______.

A)unipolar; bipolar.
B)unidimensional; multidimensional.
C)conscious; unconscious.
D)loaded; unloaded.
E)static; rotated.

Question 5

Cattell and McCrae and Costa both used an (a) _________ of gathering data.

A)deductive method
B)comparison method
C)intuition method
D)inductive method

Question 6

The advocates of the Five-Factor Theory favor the _______ rotation of factor analysis.

A)orthogonal
B)triangulated
C)oblique
D)hexagonal

Question 7

In Cattell's inductive method of research,

A)data come from hypotheses generated from clinical research.
B)hypotheses guide the collection of relevant data.
C)no preexisting biases determine the collection of data.
D)hypotheses are generated before data are factor analyzed.

Question 8

Define and explain the personality theory of McCrae and Costa and how behavior is predicted by an understanding of three central or core components.

Question 9

The total number of primary traits,both normal and pathological,that Cattell and his associates identified is about

A)2 or 3.
B)10.
C)35.
D)240.

Question 10

Which of Cattell's media of observation could NOT be used with animals such as dogs or cats?

A)L data
B)Q data
C)T data
D)None of the above can be used to measure animal behavior.

Question 11

Cattell classified traits that refer to how far or how fast one can perform a given activity as ____________ traits.

A)temperament
B)motivational
C)dynamic
D)ability

Question 12

Hans J.Eysenck insisted that only __ major factors can be discerned by a factor analytic approach.

A)3
B)5
C)16
D)18,000

Question 13

At present,most researchers who study personality traits favor the idea that _________ dominant traits emerge from the statistical techniques used to sift through volumes of test data.

A)5
B)35
C)101
D)16

Question 14

Cattell attempted to measure human personality from three directions,using L data,Q data,and T data.Which of the following is an example of T data?

A)aptitude test scores
B)an autobiography
C)a biography
D)supervisory ratings

Question 15

Explain briefly how factor analysis is used to measure personality traits.

Question 16

Personality psychologists are more likely to attribute behavior to _________.

A)day to minute situations
B)enduring traits
C)cognitive displacement
D)overt emotionalism

Question 17

Cattell extracted more traits from his data than Eysenck.This is partially explained by Cattell's

A)orthogonal (method) rotation
B)vast quantity of data collected.
C)time frame for collection of data.
D)types of subjects used to generate data.
E)use of oblique (method) rotation.

Question 18

McCrae and Costa's Five-Factor Model (FFM) can both ______ and _____ behavior.

A)forecast,foretell
B)predict,explain
C)identify,analyze
D)measure,hypothesize

Question 19

Today most researchers who study personality traits agree that __,and only __,and no fewer than __ dominant traits continue to emerge from factor analytic techniques.

A)3
B)5
C)7
D)16

Question 20

Cattell's famous personality scale is called the _______.

A)NEO-Personality Inventory
B)FIRO-B
C)MBTI
D)16 PF Scale

Question 21

The trait ______ refers to people who are hard-working,self-disciplined,ambitious and organized.

A)conscientiousness
B)extraversion
C)agreeableness
D)neuroticism

Question 22

The fifth factor of the Big Five is _______ and describes people who are ordered,controlled,organized,ambitious,achievement focused,and self-disciplined.

A)conscientiousness
B)agreeableness
C)neuroticism
D)extraversion

Question 23

In the Five-Factor theory,behavior,in part,is predicted by three core components.Which of the following is NOT a core component?

A)self-concept
B)external influences
C)characteristic adaptations
D)basic tendencies

Question 24

Individuals who score high on ____________ tend to be anxious,temperamental,emotional and vulnerable to stress-related problems.

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

Question 25

"A theory organizes findings to tell a coherent story,to bring into focus those issues and phenomena that can and should be explained".This quote can be attributed to

A)Eysenck.
B)Cattell.
C)Allport.
D)Costa and McCrae.

Question 26

The essence of basic tendencies is their basis in biology and their ______ over time and situation.

A)stability
B)unpredictability
C)variability
D)inconsistency

Question 27

personality inventory,Costa and McCrae revealed two additional trait dimensions.They are

A)openness to experience and neuroticism.
B)neuroticism and extraversion.
C)extraversion and conscientiousness.
D)agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Question 28

Costa and McCrae first solidified their long research collaboration as colleagues

A)at Columbia University under the direction of theorist Walter Mischel.
B)at the National Institutes on Aging's Gerontology Research Center.
C)and graduate students together at the University of Chicago.
D)under the direction of Raymond Cattell.

Question 29

The Five-Factor model rates _______ as a trait that reflects an affectionate,active,fun-loving and passionate person.

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

Question 30

objected to earlier personality theories as over-relying on

A)experimental evidence from laboratories.
B)factor analysis.
C)theoretical orientations.
D)clinical events and armchair speculation.

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT one of the five trait factors in the Five-Factor model?

A)psychoticism
B)conscientiousness
C)agreeableness
D)openness to experience

Question 32

McCrae and Costa agree with Eysenck that personality traits are ______ and follow the bell shaped distribution.

A)unipolar
B)dichotomous
C)unpredictable
D)bipolar

Question 33

The Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality shares origins with Eysenck's model in that

A)both emphasize individual case histories as data points.
B)both rely on taxonomies to generate research.
C)Eysenck relied heavily on the research of the FFM.
D)None of these is correct.

Question 34

The key,ideal factor that has allowed Costa and McCrae to investigate the trait-structure of personality has been

A)the re-emergence in the 1970s of traits as the most viable explanation for personality.
B)the mentoring of Walter Mischel for both researchers.
C)serendipity and good fortune.
D)the large,well-established datasets of adults at the NIH in Baltimore,
E)Maryland.

Question 35

People who score low on openness to experience tend to

A)be conventional,down-to-earth,and prefer the familiar.
B)support traditional values,and prefer a fixed lifestyle.
C)be conservative,lacking in curiosity,and need closure.
D)show all of these characteristics in their personalities.

Question 36

People who consistently seek out different and varied experiences would score high on

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

Question 37

Most of Costa and McCrae's early research was focused on 3 main trait factors that included neuroticism,extraversion,and _________.

A)psychoticism
B)introversion
C)openness to experience
D)social interest

Question 38

A _________ is a classification of things according to their natural relationships while a _______ can both predict and explain behavior.

A)theory; taxonomy
B)taxonomy; theory
C)factor analysis; theory
D)paradigm; hypothesis

Question 39

People who score in the direction of agreeableness tend to be

A)ordered,controlled,and achievement-focused.
B)good-natured,yielding,generous,and trusting.
C)anxious,temperamental,and emotionally vulnerable.
D)even-tempered,self-satisfied,and emotionally hardy.

Question 40

The Five Factors have been found across cultures and show some permanence with _____.

A)race
B)age
C)gender
D)sexual orientation

Question 41

Which biological mechanisms are rated as most influential on the basic tendencies?

A)reproductive success and mutations
B)genes,hormones,and brain structures
C)natural selection and extinction
D)social Darwinism and reproductive success

Question 42

Characteristic adaptations differ from culture to culture because

A)they fluctuate over time and context,unlike basic tendencies,which are stable and enduring.
B)external influences such as acquired skills,habits,attitudes,and relationships from interaction with the environment are more likely to cause adaptation.
C)Both of these are correct.
D)Neither of these is correct.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT an example of the four postulates for basic tendencies?

A)individuality
B)plasticity
C)structure
D)origin
E)development

Question 44

McCrae and Costa used the concept of personal myths to equate to which concept(s)?

A)distorted ego perceptions
B)self-actualization
C)self-efficacy
D)proprium

Question 45

The concept of humanity embodied by the Factor and Trait theories is best described as

A)pessimistic.
B)teleological.
C)cultural.
D)biological.

Question 46

summarize their trait model using a schematic drawing whereby peripheral components,comprised of causal,secondary influences on personality,are represented as

A)ellipses.
B)rectangles.
C)interconnecting lines.
D)None of these is correct.

Question 47

In general,research testing the Five-Factor model across cultures has revealed

A)that language differences make it too difficult to measure trait similarities.
B)that trait factor approaches are best applied to Western cultures.
C)translation problems with the tools used as insurmountable in research.
D)that traits appear to be consistent in most countries of the world.

Question 48

The Five-Factor Theory rests on a single causal influence on personality traits.What is it?

A)culture
B)biology
C)early childhood
D)unconscious dynamism

Question 49

Which term best describes the "acquired personality structures that develop as people adapt to their environments"?

A)peripheral components
B)basic tendencies
C)characteristic adaptations
D)objective biography

Question 50

The principal difference between basic tendencies and characteristic adaptations is

A)their resistance to change.
B)their separateness.
C)their flexibility.
D)their inflexibility.

Question 51

According to Costa and McCrae,maladjustment occurs when

A)characteristic adaptations become too loose,relaxed,and/or disorganized.
B)basic traits change over time in response to biological maturation.
C)adaptive responses are inconsistent with personal goals or cultural values.
D)all of these are true.

Question 52

______ is defined as "everything the person does,thinks or feels across the whole life span".

A)Self-concept
B)Basic tendency
C)Objective biography
D)Personal narrative

Question 53

The question of how we respond to opportunities and demands of the social situation or context is called

A)characteristic adaptations.
B)external influences.
C)peripheral adaptations.
D)basic tendencies.

Question 54

The major strength of the Factor and Trait approaches

A)is found in their ability to organize knowledge.
B)lies in the high level of internal consistency between the two main theories.
C)lies in the parsimony of the theory,or the fewest number of explanatory factors possible.
D)is found in all of these.

Question 55

Although factor and trait theories are difficult to rate on several dimensions for a concept of humanity,they clearly rate very high on

A)the teleological dimension.
B)the relative degrees of their pessimism.
C)genetic factors and generating research.
D)free will and guidance of practitioners.
E)unconscious influences.

Question 56

Which of the following statements would NOT be generally acceptable to factor and trait theorists?

A)Personality traits can be identified by using correlational studies.
B)Personality traits are mostly determined by environmental factors.
C)Personality traits and states can be measured by questionnaires.
D)Traits and states can be used to explain individual differences in behavior.

Question 57

Research on traits and emotion tends to support the hypothesis that

A)extraversion is related to more negative moods in the face of stressors.
B)neuroticism is related to more positive,but also more unstable,moods.
C)people's actions can subvert their predispositions to certain behaviors.
D)acting extraverted does not raise positive moods in the less extraverted.

Question 58

Which of the following statements best reflects our understanding of the stability of personality traits according to the Five-Factor model?

A)Age-related declines in agreeableness and conscientiousness become increasingly evident.
B)Basic personality traits change considerably after the age of forty.
C)Basic personality traits change very little beyond the age of thirty.
D)Adults score higher on neuroticism,extraversion,and openness to experience than college students.