Deck 7: Physiological Approaches to Personality

Question 1

People with Type A personality show

A)lower levels of electrodermal activity.
B)higher levels of cardiovascular reactivity.
C)higher levels of electrodermal activity.
D)lower levels of cardiovascular reactivity.

Answer 1

higher levels of cardiovascular reactivity.

Question 2

Unlike Phineas Gage, Canadian brain injury patient Kent Cochrane

A)became violent and aggressive.
B)increased in his extraverted and sociable ways.
C)lived the life that he probably would have lived had he not been injured.
D)maintained his polite and easygoing nature.

Answer 2

maintained his polite and easygoing nature.

Question 3

Most physiological personality psychologists today focus on

A)body types.
B)telemetry.
C)physiological systems.
D)the four humors.

Answer 3

physiological systems.

Question 4

Most physiological psychologists would agree that

A)physiology does not change over time.
B)physiology is one cause of personality.
C)physiology is destiny.
D)physiology determines behaviour.

Question 5

A small bit of Elliot's brain that transmitted information to the higher reasoning centres of the brain was destroyed when his tumor was removed.

A)emotional
B)spatial
C)reasoning
D)memory

Question 6

Electrodermal activity measures

A)how much sweat is present on the skin.
B)cardiovascular activity.
C)actual biological substrates of personality.
D)alpha waves.

Question 7

Electrical activity in the brain is measured with

A)skin conductance.
B)cardiovascular reactivity.
C)the electrocardiogram.
D)the electroencephalogram or EEG.

Question 8

An advantage of the physiological approach to personality is that physiology

A)can be measured mechanically and reliably.
B)is the most important part of personality.
C)is easy to measure.
D)is the same for all people.

Question 9

Sensors placed on the surface of the skin can be used to measure

A)brain waves, cardiovascular measures, and electrodermal activity.
B)dopamine level.
C)telemetry.
D)neurotransmitters.

Question 10

Following his accident, Phineas Gage

A)returned to his job and led a fairly normal life.
B)died of complications due to his injury.
C)became a circus side show curiosity.
D)held a variety of farm jobs.

Question 11

Measuring the amount of electricity that passes between two electrodes placed on a person's skin measures

A)cardiovascular reactivity.
B)electrocardiogram activity.
C)electroencephalogram activity.
D)electrodermal activity.

Question 12

The increase in blood pressure observed in response to stress is an indication of

A)cardiovascular reactivity.
B)hormonal activity.
C)alpha waves.
D)skin conductance.

Question 13

Phineas Gage's personality became after his brain was penetrated by an iron rod in an accident.

A)agreeable and conscientious
B)extraordinarily conventional
C)extraverted and neurotic
D)obstinate and capricious

Question 14

After Elliot's brain tumor was removed his changed.

A)language skills
B)personality
C)intelligence
D)memories

Question 15

Which of the following best indicates cardiovascular activity?

A)Electrodermal activity
B)Skin conductance
C)Blood pressure
D)Alpha waves

Question 16

Some individuals have spontaneous electrodermal responses even when in a resting state in a quiet room. The personality traits most consistently associated with these nonspecific electrodermal responses are

A)extroversion and openness to experience.
B)impulsivity and psychoticism.
C)sensation seeking and aggression.
D)anxiety and neuroticism.

Question 17

Patient K. C.'s final brain injury had its most significant effect on his

A)intelligence.
B)language skills.
C)episodic memory.
D)spatial reasoning.

Question 18

Terry, a Type A personality, suffers from chronic cardiovascular activity. He should be careful as these behaviours may contribute to

A)cancer proneness.
B)coronary artery disease.
C)Crohn's disease.
D)chronic diabetes.

Question 19

Carlos is very competitive, hostile, impatient, and has a strong level of cardiac reactivity. Carlos most likely has a(n)personality.

A)reactive
B)mesomorphic
C)Type A
D)impulsive

Question 20

To obtain an accurate measure of cardiovascular activity researchers typically

A)measure the intervals between heartbeats.
B)measure the number of heartbeats per minute.
C)measure the average systolic blood pressure.
D)measure skin conductance between heartbeats.

Question 21

In Gray's model of personality, individuals with a reactive behavioural inhibition system are very sensitive to

A)positive emotions.
B)incentives and rewards.
C)punishment or frustration.
D)changes in MAO levels.

Question 22

According to Gray, behaviour.
Is responsive to cues for incentives, rewards, and approach

A)frontal brain asymmetry
B)dopamine
C)the behavioural activation system
D)the behavioural inhibition system

Question 23

According to Hebb's theory, there is a(n)state of arousal for every task that will lead to the highest level of performance for each individual.

A)progressive
B)marginal
C)maximal
D)optimal

Question 24

According to Eysenck, extraverts seek out social situations and stimulation as they

A)have greater impulse control when in social situations.
B)have overactive ascending reticular activating systems.
C)need the arousal of social situations.
D)have high levels of anxiety when alone.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT part of Hebb's theory about "optimal levels of arousal"?

A)A person can perform poorly because they are not sufficiently aroused.
B)A person can be too aroused to perform well.
C)A person has the same optimal level of arousal for all stimuli.
D)Different activities have different optimal levels of arousal.

Question 26

According to Eysenck, is related to low physiological arousal.

A)introversion
B)extraversion
C)the Behavioural Activation System
D)the Behavioural Inhibition System

Question 27

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)is used by psychologists to study

A)the portions of the brain that are active while performing a task.
B)how much magnetic activity can be measured on a person's skin.
C)vascular system in humans during stress.
D)assess how quickly blood flows through the bloodstream.

Question 28

A person who is sociable, outgoing, venturesome, and easily bored

A)is an extravert.
B)is an introvert.
C)has a Type A personality.
D)would score high on harm avoidance.

Question 29

The following were all findings of Russell Geen's study of introverts and extraverts EXCEPT

A)extraverts performed better when they chose their own level of arousal.
B)introverts performed better under conditions of low arousal.
C)extraverts and introverts had different levels of baseline arousal.
D)introverts preferred lower levels of arousal than extraverts.

Question 30

Eysenck's revised theory of extraversion suggests that introverts and extraverts differ in

A)their arousal response.
B)maximal level of arousal.
C)behavioural activating systems.
D)baseline level of arousal.

Question 31

Individuals with a reactive behavioural activating system may be very

A)conscientious.
B)extraverted.
C)impulsive.
D)psychopathic.

Question 32

Monica is shown some pictures with very negative content. Activity in the frontal brain would indicate that she may have the personality trait of

A)neuroticism.
B)sensation seeking.
C)quarrelsomeness.
D)extroversion.

Question 33

According to Gray, a person who scores high on extraversion and somewhat high on the neuroticism dimensions in Eysenck's model will also score high on

A)impulsivity.
B)Type A personality.
C)cardiovascular reactivity.
D)anxiety.

Question 34

According to Gray, is responsive to cues for punishment, frustration, and uncertainty resulting in a personality dimension assessing anxiety.

A)dopamine
B)the behavioural inhibition system
C)the behavioural activation system
D)frontal brain asymmetry

Question 35

Which of the following is evidence that the brain develops its own model of personality?

A)Different brain regions appear code for different personality traits.
B)When interpreting personality, the frontal cortex appears to be most active.
C)Emotional centres in the brain are consistently activated according to the traits observed in others.
D)Different people appear to use the same brain regions to code for the same personality traits.

Question 36

Gray thought that was responsible for avoidance behaviour.

A)monoamine oxidase
B)the behavioural inhibition system
C)reward dependence
D)a strong nervous system

Question 37

International research using fMRI technology has demonstrated that in order to understand other people's behaviour, the human brain does which of the following?

A)It develops its own model of human personality.
B)It incorporates information from the environment to determine situational factors.
C)It perceives information that is in line with preconceived notions about the personalities of others.
D)It uses schemas to fill in missing information.

Question 38

Which of the following physiological mechanisms is thought to control overall cortical arousal?

A)Parasympathetic nervous system
B)Behavioural inhibition system or BIS
C)Ascending reticular activating system or ARAS
D)Behavioural activation system or BAS

Question 39

Which name is most associated with the reinforcement sensitivity theory?

A)Zuckerman
B)Eysenck
C)Pavlov
D)Gray

Question 40

According to Eysenck, introverts avoid social situations because

A)they also score high on measures of anxiety.
B)they do not like people.
C)they are likely to become over aroused in social situations.
D)they have too much monoamine oxidase.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT one of the criteria for gambling disorder?

A)loss of sleep due to preoccupation with gambling
B)making repeated and unsuccessful efforts to control or stop gambling
C)the persistent need to gamble
D)a need to gamble with increasing amounts of money

Question 42

Sheri wants to get her husband, Carlos, to finish waxing the car before they go out for the evening. Being a student of Jeffery Gray's theory of personality, Sheri knows that the best way to get her impulsive husband to complete the task is to

A)go about her business because she knows Carlos will finish waxing the car on his own.
B)threaten to not make dinner if he does not complete the wax job.
C)promise to reward him with his favourite dinner if he finishes waxing the car.
D)yell at Carlos every time he starts to slack off from working on the wax job.

Question 43

In Gray's theory of personality, anxiety and impulsivity are related to

A)emotional stability and openness to experience.
B)sensation seeking and liberalism.
C)reinforcement and punishment.
D)psychoticism and extraversion.

Question 44

Research has found that tend to score lower on sensation seeking scales.

A)people who endure sensory deprivation conditions for long periods of time
B)people who enjoy skydiving
C)students who volunteer for unconventional psychology experiments
D)people who have more sexual partners

Question 45

Bored people may seek out mild stimulation to

A)reach an optimal level of arousal.
B)reduce tension in their systems.
C)invigorate their nervous systems.
D)avoid a much higher level of stimulation.

Question 46

Research suggests that problem gambling shares a similar genetic risk factor with

A)posttraumatic stress disorder.
B)anxiety disorders.
C)depression.
D)addictive disorders.

Question 47

There is a ______ correlation between scores for Zuckerman's sensation seeking scale and Eysenck's trait of extraversion.

A)moderately strong positive
B)very strong negative
C)very low positive
D)marginally negative

Question 48

Monoamine oxidase acts upon the nervous system by neurotransmission.

A)moderating
B)optimizing
C)maximizing
D)inhibiting

Question 49

According to Gray, a person who scores high on introversion and somewhat high on the neuroticism dimensions in Eysenck's model will also score high on

A)Type A personality.
B)cardiovascular reactivity.
C)anxiety.
D)impulsivity.

Question 50

Research by Dr. Clark at the Centre for Gambling Research has shown that problem gamblers may be especially motivated by

A)aversion to loss.
B)aversion to near-wins and near-losses.
C)a preference for near-losses.
D)a strong preference for wins and near-wins.

Question 51

Problem gambling has been associated with which two personality traits?

A)impulsiveness and sensation-seeking
B)sensation-seeking and extraversion
C)impulsiveness and substance use
D)impulsiveness and aggression

Question 52

The enzyme monoamine oxidase works by

A)blocking too many neurotransmitters from entering the synaptic cleft.
B)manufacturing neurotransmitters inside the neuron.
C)breaking down neurotransmitters after a nerve impulse has passed.
D)acting as a conductor to facilitate the transmission of neurotransmitters between neurons.

Question 53

If there is too little monoamine oxide present

A)the lack of oxides will damage the nervous system.
B)the neurons will fire at a slow rate, inhibiting behaviour.
C)not enough neurotransmitters will be produced in the nervous system.
D)too much transmission will take place between the nerves.

Question 54

Individuals with high scores on the behavioural activating scale perform better when they are working

A)alone on a task.
B)to obtain a reward.
C)to avoid a punishment.
D)in a group on a task.

Question 55

Hebb's theory of an optimal level of arousal was controversial as it hypothesized that individuals

A)seek out tension and stimulation as well as try to reduce tension in the body.
B)cannot maintain an optimal low arousal for significant period of time.
C)seek out higher levels of tension without a means for reducing that tension in the body.
D)are punished when the individual is not in a state of optimal arousal.

Question 56

According to Gray's theory, people in jails probably

A)lack sufficient levels of dopamine.
B)have strong behavioural inhibition systems.
C)have strong behavioural activation systems.
D)score high on measures of anxiety.

Question 57

Most of Gray's research has

A)been done on university students.
B)been done on the brains of animals.
C)used measures of electrodermal activity.
D)used questionnaires.

Question 58

Zuckerman found that people found sensory deprivation particularly unpleasant.

A)with more activation in the left hemisphere
B)who score on introversion scales
C)who were sensation seekers
D)who scored high on harm avoidance

Question 59

Canadian researchers at the Centre for Gambling Research have demonstrated that ________ receptors in the brain are associated with problem gambling.

A)neurotransmitter
B)dopamine
C)adrenaline
D)oxytocin

Question 60

tend to take more risks and engage in more exciting activities.

A)People who score high on sensation seeking
B)People with weak nervous systems
C)People who score high on introversion
D)People who score high on Type A personality

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT a trait in Cloninger's tridimensional personality model?

A)Reward dependence
B)Harm avoidance
C)Novelty seeking
D)Sensation seeking

Question 62

Who of the following associated specific neurotransmitters with personality traits?

A)Cloninger
B)Gray
C)Eysenck
D)Pavlov

Question 63

The trait of morningness-eveningness

A)remains stable over time.
B)has been studied only in North America.
C)is correlated with anxiety.
D)often changes over time.

Question 64

Initially increased levels of serotonin may result in , but over time may lead to ________.

A)low sensation seeking; high vulnerability to stress
B)high levels of depression; modal levels of euphoria
C)strong euphoric states; generally increased happiness
D)high levels of anxiety; decreased vulnerability to overreacting to stress

Question 65

A person who is deprived of time cues in his or her environment to influence behaviours or biology is said to be in time.

A)symmetrical
B)showing frontal asymmetry
C)off track
D)free running

Question 66

A study discussed in the text showed that roommates who scored similarly on the trait of ________ liked each other more than roommates who were mismatched on this trait.

A)anxiety
B)extraversion
C)morningness-eveningness
D)achievement motivation

Question 67

People who score high on the trait of are persistent and continue to work in situations in which others would likely give up.

A)novelty seeking
B)sensation seeking
C)reward dependence
D)extraversion

Question 68

Recent work in the area of genetics and personality has led researchers to conclude that

A)genes appear to exist in bipolar hairs on the chromosomes and affect behaviour in opposing ways.
B)only genes associated with neurotransmitters are responsible for the creation of personality traits.
C)there are a large number of genes involved in the creation of any single personality trait.
D)there is a one-to-one correspondence between genes and personality traits.

Question 69

According to Cloninger, the trait of novelty seeking is related to low levels of

A)norepinephrine.
B)dopamine.
C)monoamine oxidase.
D)serotonin.

Question 70

Drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft act to block the reuptake of

A)serotonin.
B)dopamine.
C)norepinephrine.
D)monoamine oxidase.

Question 71

Which of the following has been shown to fluctuate with a circadian rhythm?

A)Frontal asymmetry
B)Serotonin
C)Extraversion
D)Body temperature

Question 72

Drinking caffeinated coffee in the morning will provide a greater performance boost to this group than if they drink coffee in the evening.

A)People with a greater right-hemisphere activation
B)People scoring high on eveningness
C)People scoring high on morningness
D)People with greater left-hemisphere activation

Question 73

Monoamine oxidase

A)breaks down neurotransmitters.
B)facilitates nerve transmissions.
C)holds neurons together.
D)is linked to cardiovascular reactivity.

Question 74

According to Zuckerman, ________ have levels of monoamine oxidase.

A)extraverts; low
B)introverts; low
C)sensation seekers; low
D)sensation seekers; high

Question 75

A person with a circadian rhythm that is longer than 24 hours will score higher on ________ scales.

A)eveningness
B)morningness
C)harm avoidance
D)sensation-seeking

Question 76

The neurotransmitter _ _ is associated with feeling pleasure.

A)dopamine
B)serotonin
C)monoamine oxide
D)norepinephrine

Question 77

Which of the following neurotransmitters is involved in activating the sympathetic nervous system for fight-or-flight responses?

A)Serotonin
B)Norepinephrine
C)Dopamine
D)Monoamine oxide

Question 78

Cloninger's model of personality has much in common with all of these models of personality EXCEPT

A)Wiggins' circumplex model of personality.
B)Eysenck's three-dimensional model of personality.
C)Zuckerman's model of sensation seeking.
D)Gray's reinforcement sensitivity theory.

Question 79

Individuals who score high on harm avoidance can be described as

A)cautious, inhibited, and apprehensive.
B)shy, paranoid, and tense.
C)happy, positive, and extroverted.
D)energetic, outgoing, and optimistic.

Question 80

Which of the following traits is most related to biological rhythms?

A)Sensation seeking
B)Extraversion
C)Impulsivity
D)Morningness-eveningness