Question 1

Which trait describes people who are psychologically well adjusted and tend to be religious?

Accepted Answer

Honesty-humility is a trait associated with psychological well-being and is often found in individuals who are religious, reflecting traits like sincerity, fairness, and modesty.

Question 2

Which choice does NOT describe a reason that the typological approach to personality traits is less valid than trait-based approaches?

Accepted Answer

Typological approaches to personality, which categorize people into distinct types, can indeed summarize multiple traits under a broad label, which is not inherently a reason for being less valid than trait-based approaches. Trait-based approaches focus on a continuum of personality characteristics rather than discrete types.

Question 3

When compared to personality types, personality traits are ________ at predicting behavior.

Accepted Answer

Personality traits are considered better at predicting behavior because they provide a more nuanced and detailed description of individual differences in behavior patterns, unlike personality types which categorize individuals into broad, distinct categories. Traits offer a spectrum of characteristics, allowing for a more precise prediction of behavior.

Question 4

Though some researchers disagree, after over 60 years of research, most personality psychologists think there are how many essential personality factors?

Accepted Answer

Most personality psychologists agree on the Five-Factor Model, also known as the Big Five, which identifies five essential personality factors: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Question 5

According to the text, which three personality types are the MOST replicable?

Accepted Answer

The well-adjusted, undercontrolled, and overcontrolled personality types are the most replicable across different studies, indicating a consistent finding in personality research.

Question 6

The ________ approach to personality usually assumes that all people can be characterized by points on a continuous score of measurement; the ________ approach to personality suggests that people might differ in kind more than in degree.

Accepted Answer

The trait approach to personality posits that individuals can be described based on their position on a continuum for various personality characteristics. In contrast, the typological approach suggests that there are distinct types of personalities, implying qualitative differences among people rather than just quantitative differences in traits.

Question 7

Chan tends to be disorganized, irresponsible, and unable to handle criticism well. What is the best description of Chan's personality?

Accepted Answer

Chan's traits of being disorganized and irresponsible indicate low conscientiousness, while being unable to handle criticism well suggests high neuroticism.

Question 8

According to the text, why is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator particularly popular?

Accepted Answer

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is particularly popular because its vague questions give the impression that it offers deep insight into one's personality, making it appealing to individuals seeking to understand themselves better.

Question 9

The Big Five are believed to be orthogonal factors of personality. What does orthogonal mean?

Accepted Answer

Orthogonal means that the factors are independent of each other, so a person's score on one factor does not predict their score on any of the other factors.

Question 10

What is the best summary of the current state of knowledge about personality types?

Accepted Answer

Personality types, while not significantly enhancing the predictive power of individual trait measures, can still be valuable in educational contexts and in developing theories. The typological approach to personality, though not as robust as the trait approach for prediction, is not deemed completely useless.

Question 11

In the factor analysis approach to personality, a "factor" can be best described as a personality

Accepted Answer

A factor in the context of factor analysis in personality psychology refers to a trait, which is a dimension of personality that clusters together a variety of behaviors and attitudes. Factor analysis helps identify these underlying traits by analyzing correlations among various personality measures.

Question 12

Which of the following does NOT describe a reason that people gravitate to the typological approach in contrast to the trait approach?

Accepted Answer

The typological approach does not have as much empirical support as the trait approach. The trait approach is more widely supported by empirical research, making B incorrect in the context of reasons why people might prefer the typological approach.

Question 13

Which of the following descriptions best characterizes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

Accepted Answer

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a widely used personality assessment tool in corporate settings, designed to categorize individuals into one of 16 personality types based on their preferences in four dichotomies. It is known for its length and its application in understanding employee personalities and improving team dynamics, rather than assessing adjustment levels or the Big Five personality traits.

Question 14

According to the lexical hypothesis,

Accepted Answer

The lexical hypothesis suggests that the most significant and universally experienced aspects of human life will become encoded into the languages of the world, hence important personality traits are likely to be represented across different cultures and languages.

Question 15

Someone who scores high on extraversion likely ________, whereas someone who scores high on agreeableness likely ________.

Accepted Answer

Extraversion is associated with sensitivity to rewards and seeking out social interactions, while agreeableness is linked to being cooperative, compassionate, and generally psychologically well-adjusted.

Question 16

Ciara is an advertiser who is interested in labeling consumers in terms of their spending habits and shopping behavior to efficiently target groups of people for different products. What approach to personality should Ciara use in her assessment?

Accepted Answer

The typological approach to personality is best suited for Ciara's needs because it involves categorizing people into distinct types or groups based on specific characteristics, such as their spending habits and shopping behavior. This approach allows for efficient targeting of different groups with tailored marketing strategies.

Question 17

Carlos is interested in understanding everything there is to know about a person, and he is developing a lengthy personality measure to achieve this. What approach is Carlos taking to study personality?

Accepted Answer

Carlos is taking a many-trait approach by developing a lengthy personality measure to understand everything about a person, indicating he is interested in how multiple traits combine to form the personality.

Question 18

Which of the following characteristics is NOT associated with conscientiousness?

Accepted Answer

Conscientiousness, a personality trait characterized by organization, dependability, and discipline, does not directly correlate with high IQ. While conscientious individuals may achieve academically and professionally due to their work ethic and persistence, high IQ is more closely related to cognitive abilities than personality traits.

Question 19

According to your text, what is one important use of personality types?

Accepted Answer

Personality types help in summarizing an individual's characteristics across various traits, providing a simplified overview of their personality. This is useful in understanding and categorizing human behavior in a broad sense.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

Accepted Answer

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is often criticized for its lack of reliability and empirical support, but it is not typically criticized for being time-consuming to score and interpret.

Quiz 6: Traits and Types: the Big Five and Beyond