Deck 11: A Cognitive Theory of Personality: George a Kellys Personal Construct Theory of Personality

Question 1

Kelly's view of the person as a scientist implies that the person as an organism is essentially

A) always trying to understand the present through an evaluation of the past.
B) always trying to understand the present through an evaluation of the present.
C) always trying to understand the past through an evaluation of the future.
D) always trying to understand the future through an evaluation of the present.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Kelly suggested that a problem with psychologists is

A) they do not assume people act on the same basis they do.
B) they believe in absolute truths.
C) they reject the value of subjective, personal knowledge.
D) all of the above.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Although Kelly did not use a conscious-unconscious construct, he did employ a construct(s) which, in may ways, resembled (resemble) Freud's notion of the unconscious. That construct(s) is (are)

A) verbal construct.
B) preverbal construct.
C) submerged construct.
D) both (b) and (c).

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The Rep Test is a useful device for getting at

A) personal meanings.
B) unconscious meanings.
C) personality traits.
D) all of the above.

Question 5

People have many different notions about what the goals of science are. Kelly felt that the goal of science is

A) the development of construct systems that are helpful in anticipating events.
B) the discovery of truth.
C) the uncovering of things heretofore unknown.
D) none of the above.

Question 6

A construct is a way of

A) perceiving the world.
B) interpreting events.
C) construing.
D) all of the above.

Question 7

For Kelly, theories are

A) part of the discovery of truth.
B) valid or invalid.
C) modifiable.
D) maintained until an inaccurate prediction.

Question 8

Structural concepts abound in personality theories--Kelly's included. What was the key structural concept behind Kelly's "man the scientist"?

A) constructive alternativism
B) cognitive differentiation
C) the construct
D) the role

Question 9

As a scientist, Kelly viewed the person as

A) basically good.
B) basically active.
C) basically evil.
D) a "tabula rasa" (blank slate).

Question 10

The concepts of range of convenience and focus of convenience suggest that

A) it is more convenient to use some theories for some things and other theories for other things.
B) theories cover a range of phenomena and work best at points within this range.
C) different theories work well with many research methods and best with some.
D) different theories work well with many assessment techniques and best with some.

Question 11

Kelly's theory advocates that a person's own personality is made up of

A) the entire construct system.
B) those parts of the construct system that relate to the self.
C) those parts of the construct system that are potentially related to the self.
D) those constructs which relate to the "self" in conjunction with those constructs which relate to the ideal self.

Question 12

According to Kelly, a dimension is formed by

A) one construct.
B) more than one construct.
C) at least three constructs.
D) dimensions are not possible.

Question 13

The value of constructs is that they

A) help us to gratify our instincts.
B) help us to impose order and regularity on the world.
C) are associated with affect and motivation.
D) all of the above.

Question 14

For Kelly, life-long values are likely to be

A) core constructs.
B) peripheral constructs.
C) motives.
D) none of the above.

Question 15

According to Kelly, to understand a construct we must know its

A) similarity pole.
B) contrast pole.
C) both (a) and (b).
D) neither (a) nor (b).

Question 16

For Kelly, the idea that people think in terms of constructs is

A) a core construct.
B) a peripheral construct.
C) a submerged construct.
D) a loose construct.

Question 17

according to Kelly, a construct is a

A) prediction about the future.
B) way of interpreting events.
C) stable trait.
D) hierarchy of drives.

Question 18

According to Kelly we are

A) free.
B) determined.
C) victims of the past or present.
D) depends on our construction of things.

Question 19

According to Kelly, a construct

A) always has two poles.
B) is not always verbal.
C) both (a) and (b).
D) neither (a) nor (b).

Question 20

According to Kelly, a theory has

A) reliability and validity.
B) loose and tight constructs.
C) a range of convenience and a focus of convenience.
D) all of the above.

Question 21

One interesting question that arises from Kelly's theory is how a person chooses for himself one end of a dichotomized construct. According to Kelly, a person chooses the alternative that

A) is most consistent with reality.
B) allows the greatest possibility for extension and definition of the construct system.
C) provides minimum potential for change.
D) leaves the person's definition of the self ambiguous.

Question 22

Prior to international crises, communications between nations in conflict tend to be

A) concrete.
B) complex.
C) preverbal.
D) submerged.

Question 23

According to Kelly,

A) we reach out to the future through the present.
B) we are uninterested in the future.
C) the past determines the future.
D) none of the above.

Question 24

A problem with the Rep Test is

A) it is not sufficiently tied to theory.
B) it does not get at preverbal constructs.
C) it is unreliable.
D) its content cannot be analyzed.

Question 25

According to Kelly, individuals seek

A) consistency.
B) certainty.
C) both (a) and (b).
D) neither (a) nor (b).

Question 26

If an anticipated event does not occur the person

A) may develop a new construct.
B) may loosen a construct.
C) may reorganize the construct system.
D) may do any of the above.

Question 27

The suggestion may be made that constructs most likely

A) facilitate experience and recall.
B) determine experience and recall.
C) are unrelated to experience and recall.
D) interfere with experience and recall.

Question 28

A critical problem for a construct system is

A) incorrect predictions.
B) inconsistent predictions.
C) both (a) and (b).
D) neither (a) nor (b).

Question 29

Studies of cognitive style and leadership suggest that

A) cognitive complexity is best.
B) cognitive simplicity is best.
C) different styles are necessary at different times.
D) no conclusions can be drawn because of the complexity of international events.

Question 30

Kelly's theory wasn't equipped to make predictions about the brain systems that underlie construct systems. What would he make of this failing? i) He would definitely get defensive and suggest that his theory is still right, because it wasn't meant to be a biological theory.
J) He would admit that the biological findings are outside of his range of convenience and that the theory itself should either be improved or abandoned.
K) He would admit that his theory is absolutely wrong in its predictions and that it should be abandoned immediately.
L) He would say that his theory is still absolutely right because some of its predictions are true.

Question 31

Which of the following constructs can be modified without serious modification of the construct system?

A) preverbal constructs.
B) core constructs.
C) subordinate constructs.
D) peripheral constructs.

Question 32

Kelly felt that people function the way they do in order to

A) expand and validate the construct system.
B) avoid pain.
C) obtain reinforcement.
D) both (a) and (b).

Question 33

Though Kelly's theory does not enable one to make predictions about the biology underlying construct systems, what might we he predict concerning the brain differences between experts and novices?

A) Experts should have more complex brain systems.
B) Novices should have more complex brain systems.
C) Experts and novices should have similarly complex brain systems.
D) Experts' and novices' brain systems should be processed by entirely different brain systems.

Question 34

Studies of cognitive complexity have suggested that

A) subjects high in cognitive complexity try to make use of inconsistent information in forming an impression.
B) subjects low in cognitive complexity try to make use of inconsistent information in forming an impression.
C) subjects high in cognitive complexity try to form a univalent impression of the person.
D) subjects low in cognitive complexity are unable to form a univalent impression of the person.

Question 35

Kelly's concept of a submerged construct is most similar to

A) Freud's repression.
B) Freud's instinct.
C) Rogers' subception.
D) none of the above.

Question 36

Beilock et al. (2008) analyzed the brain scans of hockey experts and novices as they thought about hockey and found that:
E) Experts' and novices' brains looked very similar, except that the experts had an additional brain area become more active: the premotor cortex
F) Experts' and novices' brains looked very similar, except that the novices had an additional brain area become more active: the premotor cortex
G) Experts' and novices' brains looked very similar, except that the experts had an additional brain area become more active: the prefrontal cortex h) Experts' and novices' brains looked very similar, except that the novices had an additional brain area become more active: the prefrontal cortex

Question 37

The Rep Test can be used to

A) determine content of the construct system.
B) determine complexity of the construct system.
C) determine similarity of constructs.
D) all of the above.

Question 38

James Bieri has extended Kelly's work on cognitive personality theory by working with the concept of cognitive complexity-simplicity. Among other things, his research seems to indicate that

A) cognitively simple people seem to be more accurate in their predictions of the behavior of others than cognitively complex people.
B) cognitively simple system people tend to stress differences among themselves and others.
C) a cognitively simple system differentiates highly among persons.
D) there seems to be an inverse relationship between cognitive complexity and pathology.

Question 39

Which of the following is not part of the Rep test?

A) similarity pole.
B) contrast pole.
C) person triads.
D) invitational mood.

Question 40

The constructs found on the Rep Test

A) depend on the role figures used.
B) are representative of the person's world.
C) both (a) and (b).
D) neither (a) nor (b).

Question 41

As children develop, their construct systems

A) become less complex.
B) become less differentiated.
C) become more hierarchical.
D) become more rigid.

Question 42

Fixed-role therapy encourages clients to

A) represent themselves in new ways.
B) behave in new ways.
C) construe themselves in new ways.
D) all of the above.

Question 43

In Rogers' theory, a person experienced anxiety when there was a discrepancy between experience and perception of the self. For Kelly, one experiences anxiety when

A) one is aware of imminent, comprehensive change in one's environment.
B) one recognizes events that are outside one's construct system.
C) undertaking a dangerous task.
D) one experiences invalidated constructs.

Question 44

According to Kelly, psychopathology is a

A) disordered response to anxiety.
B) disordered functioning of the construct system.
C) faulty effort to reestablish prediction.
D) all of the above.

Question 45

Research by Grice reveals that if you give individuals Kelly's REP test, you learn

A) a lot of information about them that you would not learn if you simply gave them a five-factor trait theory test.
B) the same information that you would learn about them if you simply gave them a five-factor trait theory test.
C) less information about them than you would learn if you simply gave them a five-factor trait theory test.

Question 46

Which of the following is true of Kelly's theory?

A) It is based on clinical experience.
B) It is behavioral.
C) It is based on laboratory research.
D) It uses questionnaires.

Question 47

Fixed-role therapy does not involve

A) representing yourself in a new way.
B) believing yourself to be a new person.
C) construing things in new ways.
D) All of the above are involved.

Question 48

The following quote from the text is Kelly's definition of __________. It "is the recognition that the events with which one is confronted lie outside the range of convenience of one's construct system."

A) frustration
B) invalidation
C) anxiety
D) incongruity

Question 49

In relation to psychoanalysis, Kelly rejected

A) Freud as a clinician.
B) insight and the discovery of truth.
C) both a and b.

Question 50

Kelly's view concerning psychopathology involves the concept of anxiety and, therefore, it is similar to that of

A) Freud.
B) Rogers.
C) both (a) and (b).
D) neither (a) nor (b).

Question 51

Development of the construct system is facilitated by

A) varied experiences.
B) inconsistency.
C) strict childrearing practices.
D) none of the above.

Question 52

Fixed-role therapy assumes that people

A) have unconscious motives.
B) are what they do.
C) seek self-actualization.
D) seek certainty.

Question 53

A person anticipating the entrance of a new construct into the construct system would be most likely to experience ____________, according to Kelly's system.

A) threat
B) anxiety
C) fear
D) both (a) and (b)

Question 54

For Kelly, anxiety is

A) the result of internal threat.
B) the result of invalidated constructs.
C) the result of not having constructs for a situation.
D) all of the above.

Question 55

Kelly's personal construct theory provided for viewing the person from multiple perspectives.

Question 56

Which of the following is a criticism of Kelly's theory?

A) The process of construct change is not made very explicit.
B) It has little to say about growth and development.
C) It neglects some aspects such as feelings.
D) All of the above are criticisms.

Question 57

As children develop, their construct system

A) increases in hierarchical organization.
B) increases in permeability.
C) increases in dilation.
D) all of the above.

Question 58

Development involves

A) an increased ability to take distance on self and others.
B) increased egocentricity.
C) increased use of self-relevant constructs.
D) all of the above.

Question 59

According to Kelly's system whenever people feel that a major shake-up in the construct system is about to occur, they feel

A) anxiety.
B) threat.
C) frustration.
D) fear.

Question 60

For Kelly, the response to threat may be

A) regression.
B) confusion.
C) growth-development.
D) all of the above.

Question 61

According to Kelly, people are different in their constructs but follow the same principles of construct system functioning.

Question 62

Kelly's concepts of fear, anxiety, and threat all relate to the functioning of the construct system.

Question 63

According to Kelly, scientific theories should be designed to be modified and eventually abandoned.

Question 64

Fixed-role therapy gets its power from the client "playing for keeps."

Question 65

The Rep test is a very flexible assessment technique.

Question 66

Kelly used the actualization motive to account for the activity of people.

Question 67

Kelly explained that theories have a range of convenience and a focus of convenience. What do you feel is the particular range of convenience and focus of convenience of Kelly's own theory of personality?

Question 68

For Kelly psychopathology involves maladaptive learned responses.

Question 69

Constructs are derived from observing repeated patterns of events.

Question 70

The range of convenience of a theory covers the areas to which a theory is applicable.

Question 71

According to Kelly, people seek positive reinforcement and the avoidance of pain.

Question 72

What are the advantages of Kelly's approach to personality assessment, as compared to that of the trait theorists? Conversely, what are the disadvantages of Kelly's approach to personality assessment, as compared to that of the trait theorists?

Question 73

According to Kelly, two elements are necessary to form a construct.

Question 74

For Kelly, psychopathology is a disordered response to anxiety.

Question 75

A value of the Rep Test is its clear relation to personal construct theory.

Question 76

Describe Kelly's approach to personality change and contrast it with that of Freud.

Question 77

Kelly's theory portrays people as oriented to the present.

Question 78

The Rep test assumes the presented list of roles is the basis for an adequate sampling of the person's construct system.