Deck 8: The Biological Viewpoint: Behavioral Genetics and Psychophysiological Perspectives on Personality

Question 1

Janet says that she has been shy all her life and believes that she was born shy. Janet's statement reflects the _____ perspective of the biological viewpoint of personality.

A) neurological
B) neoteric
C) native
D) nature
E) nurture

Answer 1

nature

Question 2

Josh says his shyness is caused by the fact that his parents moved several times during his childhood and he was always the "new kid in school." Josh's statement reflects the _____ perspective of the biological viewpoint of personality.

A) nature
B) nurture
C) native
D) neurological
E) neologistic

Answer 2

nurture

Question 3

The ability of your immune system to recognize new types of proteins and attack those that are harmful is an example of learning that occurs within the body at the cellular level that does not involve the brain. This form of learning illustrates:

A) The evolution of biointeractionism
B) How nurture can influence nature
C) How nature can serve to override the autoimmune system
D) How nature can serve to influence nurture
E) The nature-nurture paradox in reverse

Answer 3

How nature can serve to influence nurture

Question 4

Originally, individuals from a tribe living in the lower part of the valley made the connection between eating brown oranges with getting sick to their stomachs. These individuals told their offspring not to eat the brown oranges, and they told their offspring the same information, Over many generations, the sight and smell of brown oranges now triggers a nauseous reaction that seems to be part of the biological makeup of these individuals. This form of learning illustrates:

A) How nurture can influence nature
B) The evolution of biointeractionism
C) How nature can serve to influence nurture
D) The nature-nurture paradox in reverse
E) How nature can serve to override the autoimmune system

Question 5

Steve examines the birth records of seven generations of his family for both his mother's and father's relatives. He records the height of each individual within both sides of his family to calculate a mathematical estimate to determine which side of his family has more of their height determined by their genetic makeup. Steve's efforts represent an attempt at estimating the _____ of height in the different branches of his family tree.

A) expressiveness
B) maturation
C) adaptiveness
D) index
E) heredity

Question 6

Estimates of heredity are best considered for:

A) A specific individual
B) A small group of individuals
C) A large group of individuals
D) Subset of a group of individuals

Question 7

While an individual born blind will never be a famous racecar driver, such an individual can still be a famous writer, musician, or psychologist. Such a statement reflects:

A) Biological humanism
B) Physiological phenomenology
C) Genetic determinism
D) Neurological structuralism
E) Visual destiny

Question 8

David was born with a deformed left hand. He never played organized baseball, but he did develop his knowledge of the game enough to be a manager for the local farm team. This illustrates the role biological factors play in:

A) Determining the range of possibilities for personality and behavior
B) Fixing the psychological possibilities for individual differences in personality
C) Establishing the index of biological expression (IBE)
D) Creating the basis for calculating the Nature/Nurture Quotient (N2Q)
E) c & d

Question 9

The logic of the biological viewpoint of personality is to:

A) Replace psychological factors with neurological explanations for behavior
B) Consider how biological factors interact with physiological and neurological factors
C) Consider how biological factors interact with and complement psychological and environmental factors
D) Examine critically environmental factors of development
E) Promote the evolutionary approach to personality

Question 10

Alice is very self-conscious because she is 23 years old and 6 feet 4 inches tall. To deal with her self-consciousness, she joined a dating service that specializes in tall people. Since joining the dating service, Alice's self-consciousness has dropped and her self-confidence in social situations has increased. This example illustrates the:

A) Nature-nurture controversy
B) Biological-environmental controversy
C) Evolutionary perspective
D) Biosocial interaction

Question 11

_____ psychology attempts to identify critical biological factors in the expression and explanation of an individual's personality.

A) Constitutional
B) Biographical
C) Neonatal
D) Neurosocial

Question 12

_____ were believed by the early Greeks and Romans to be body fluids associated with different personalities and temperaments.

A) Hormones
B) Humors
C) Humanas
D) Homies

Question 13

People with too much blood were said to have a _____ personality, which meant that they were hopeful and excitable.

A) melancholic
B) choleric
C) phlegmatic
D) sanguine

Question 14

Romantica, the depressed and sad Roman writer of tragic love poems, was said to have too much _____ in his system.

A) black bile
B) yellow bile
C) phlegm
D) blood

Question 15

In a story he was writing for his fiction writing class Jon tells of Hostilus, the Greek God of War, who had a _____ temperament characterized by anger and irritability.

A) melancholic
B) choleric
C) phlegmatic
D) sanguine

Question 16

As the myth goes, the original "strong-and-silent type" male actor was a Greek actor named Carelessius, who was noted for his _____ temperament, characterized by calmness and apathy.

A) melancholic
B) choleric
C) phlegmatic
D) sanguine

Question 17

It was noted that individuals with the personality of introversion were more likely to have _____ blood type than individuals with a characteristically emotional personality.

A) O
B) AB
C) B
D) A

Question 18

In a cross-cultural comparison of blood types, it was noted that those countries classified as emotional (i.e., high neuroticism scores) had a higher percentage of individuals with _____ blood type than countries scoring low on neuroticism.

A) O
B) AB
C) B
D) A

Question 19

A writer describes one of her main characters in a murder mystery in the following manner: "From her narrow, deep-set eyes and hard jaw, the detective could see that his suspect had the emotionless personality of a hungry animal that could kill you in an instant." In this description, she is using _____, a method Aristotle used to study personality.

A) facialogy
B) phrenology
C) somatotyping
D) physiognomy

Question 20

At a carnival, an individual says that he can guess your personality and intelligence by feeling the bumps on your head. Such a claim is based on the study of:

A) Physiognomy
B) Physiology
C) Psychophysics
D) Phrenology

Question 21

People in the business of promoting diet products would be most interested in contacting individuals who are high along the _____ dimension.

A) endomorphy
B) ectomorphy
C) biomorphy
D) somomorphy

Question 22

People in the business of promoting exercise equipment would be most interested in contacting individuals who are high along the _____ dimension.

A) ectomorphy
B) cerebrotonia
C) athletomorphy
D) mesomorphy

Question 23

People in the business of making clothes for thin, angular people would be most interested in contacting individuals who are high along the _____ dimension.

A) endomorphy
B) ectomorphy
C) mesomorphy
D) phylomorphic

Question 24

Sheldon used _____ ratings to classify individuals into 343 possible body types.

A) biotypes
B) somatype
C) archotypes
D) duratypes

Question 25

People who are in the business of marketing food magazines and cook books would be most interested in contacting individuals who are high in the temperament of:

A) Cerebrotonia
B) Somatotonia
C) Viscerotonia
D) Gastrotonia

Question 26

People who are in the business of marketing body-building and adventure magazines would be most interested in contacting individuals who are high in the temperament of:

A) Biotonia
B) Somatotonia
C) Endotonia
D) Cerebrotonia

Question 27

Alice works as a firefighter, volunteers as a smoke jumper, and likes to engage in parasailing when she has some leisure time. Alice's temperament rating would be classified as:

A) Cerebrotonia
B) Somatotonia
C) Physiotonia
D) Viserotonia
E) Ectomoratonia

Question 28

Gordon likes his job as a programmer because he enjoys working alone and reading and writing technical manuals. According to Sheldon, Gordon's temperament can best be described as:

A) Viscerotonia
B) Somatotonia
C) Cerebrotonia
D) Endotonia

Question 29

The "All-Knowing Bernardo" works at a traveling carnival and makes his living by guessing the personality of people. He bases his predictions on Sheldon's constitutional viewpoint. A very muscular individual comes to the "All-Knowing's"
Booth and gives him a dollar to describe his personality. The "All-Knowing"
Is most likely to suggest that the individual has a personality described as:

A) Cerebrotonia
B) Viscerotonia
C) Equotonia
D) Clarotonia
E) Somatotonia

Question 30

If it is true that "birds of a feather flock together," then Sally, whose personality is characteristic of cerebrotonia, is most likely to be attracted to:

A) Outgoing Frank
B) Quiet David
C) Party animal Rocky
D) "Jake the jock"

Question 31

A characteristic limitation of Sheldon's constitutional viewpoint is:

A) He assumes body type causes temperament
B) He did not conduct empirical research to test his theory
C) Body type is not caused by biological factors
D) a & b
E) a, b, & c

Question 32

Dr. Rock is writing a grant to examine the genetic transmission of shyness in a group of Japanese and American children. Dr. Rock is doing a study in the area know as:

A) Biological collectivism
B) Biological tracking
C) Behavioral genetics
D) Cultural biology
E) Expressive genetics

Question 33

To study shyness in dogs, Dr. Kaynine puts dogs that get excited when you try to pet them in one group and dogs who lick your hand when you try to pet them in another. Dr. Kaynine is using a method of research known as the:

A) Hand-shyness methodology
B) Selective breeding experiment
C) Cross-sequential analysis
D) Cohort-division analysis

Question 34

To study aggression, Dr. Striker compares the aggressive tendencies within a group of family members with a random sample of individuals interviewed at a mall. Dr. Striker is using a method of research know as:

A) Family studies
B) Cross-generational studies
C) Cross-lag analysis
D) Genetic-band forecasting

Question 35

Jan and Jane are twins that developed from the same fertilized egg, which makes them _____ twins.

A) first-order
B) monozygotic
C) fraternal
D) dizygotic
E) unozygotic

Question 36

Jon and John are twins but look nothing alike, which makes them _____ twins.

A) secondary
B) second-order
C) fraternal
D) latent
E) dormant

Question 37

Professor Tess compares the personality of twins born from the same fertilized egg with twins born from two separate fertilized eggs to study the genetic influence on personality. Professor Tess is employing the _____ methodology.

A) biotechnical
B) twin-variance
C) twin study
D) monozygotic analysis

Question 38

Professor Tess compares the similarity of personality test scores from a sample of twins, which means he is investigating the _____ for this sample of twins.

A) concordance rate
B) biogenetic factor
C) identity quotient
D) symmetry index

Question 39

A problem with comparing identical twins is that any similarity between them can be attributed to:

A) Being treated alike
B) Having similar genetic makeup
C) Environmental factors
D) a & b
E) a, b, & c

Question 40

A personality psychologist compares the personality of little eight-year-old Jackie with the personality of her biological parents and the two adults she has been living with since she was 2 months old. This researcher is employing the _____ method.

A) nature-nurture analysis
B) adoption study
C) biosocial interaction
D) family study

Question 41

A personality psychologist compares the personality of little eight-year-old Jackie with the personality of her biological parents and the two adults she has been living with since she was 2 months old. The results indicate that Jackie's personality is closer to her birth parents than to the personality of the individuals with whom she has been living for eight years. These results provide support for the _____ perspective.

A) environmental
B) family-study
C) biological
D) cryogenetic
E) nurture

Question 42

In a study of adopted children who had lived with their adopted parents for 10 years, what evidence below would provide the strongest support for the genetic influence on personality?

A) The personality of the children displayed a greater degree of similarity to their biological parents than their adopted parents
B) Children of unwed mothers had more in common with their adopted families than their unwed mothers
C) Introversion and extraversion were correlated with each other for fraternal twins but were not correlated with neuroticism
D) Model fitting techniques found more evidence to support the nurture viewpoint than nature viewpoint, but only for twins of low socioeconomic status

Question 43

An adoption agency has a policy stating that only families that are the same race as the child can only adopt the child. Such a policy represents a bias in:

A) Selective placement
B) Natural selection
C) Family studies
D) a & c
E) a, b, & c

Question 44

Professor May generates three different mathematical relationships designed to test whether biological factors, environmental factors, or a combination of both factors best explain the results of her latest twin study. Professor May is engaging in the process of:

A) Genetic geometry
B) Nature-nurture typography
C) Model fitting
D) Psychometric modeling

Question 45

A limitation of modeling fitting in the study of the behavioral genetics perspective of personality is that:

A) It includes information from many different types of research methods, thus providing a confounding influence on the results
B) The large samples sizes necessary to do this type of research introduces a variety of biases by the participants
C) It is based on correlational data, thus limiting the determination of causal influences
D) a & b
E) b & c

Question 46

Which estimate provided the strongest evidence for the genetic influence on a particular personality characteristic?

A) Happiness with an index of heredity of .44
B) Aggressiveness with a gene variation factor of .63
C) Loneliness with a biosocial estimate of .35
D) Openness with a nature quotient of .58

Question 47

The genetically determined expected range of an individual's level of chronic happiness is referred to as the:

A) Index of happiness
B) Happiness quotient
C) Inherited happiness index
D) Coefficient of happiness
E) Happiness set point

Question 48

An illustration of intentional activity and happiness is:

A) The influence of the happiness set, such as the individual's level of emotional intelligence
B) Participation in meaningful activities, such as volunteering in the community
C) Where an individual happens to live, such as residing in a tropical climate
D) a & b
E) a & c

Question 49

The conclusion based on the evidence from twin studies of children and adults illustrating a genetic influence on loneliness suggests that:

A) Lonely kids will be lonely adults
B) The estimates are more stable in children than in adults
C) Parental practices and environmental conditions can serve to impact the experiences of loneliness
D) a & b
E) b & c

Question 50

The genetic influence on aggression and hostility is weakest for:

A) Indirect assaults by females
B) Indirect assaults by males
C) Direct assaults by females
D) Direct assaults by males
E) Acute assaults by females, chronic assaults by males

Question 51

In the research on the genetic basis of assorted attitudes, it was reported that:

A) Religious attitudes had the largest genetic influence
B) Attitudes rated as most important had the greatest genetic influence
C) Attitudes about the separate roles for men and women had a high genetic influence
D) Genetically based attitudes tend to be easier to change

Question 52

It has been suggested that genetically determined, psychologically important attitudes:

A) Seem to be the most resistant to change
B) Are associated with "hot-button issues"
C) Are source of influence on some of the most important decisions we make
D) b & c
E) a, b, & c

Question 53

In the study of behavior genetics, in which of these situations would Jack and Jill be half siblings?

A) Jack and Jill are siblings born of the same parents but now Jill lives with her mother and her new husband and his two children while Jack lives in his own apartment
B) Jack's mother married Jill's father, creating a new household up the hill where they all lived together happily ever after
C) Jill's mother, the former, Mrs. Hubbard, marries Mr. Spratt and two years later they have a child together and name him "Jack"
D) a & b
E) b & c

Question 54

In the research examining the genetic contribution to various dimension of adolescent adjustment for siblings in different family constellation, a general conclusion was that _____ compared to other sibling groups.

A) unrelated siblings living in the same environment displayed a greater degree of similarity
B) the genetic influence of the mother was found to be weaker than the genetic influence of the father for MZ twins when they lived with their father
C) DZ twins who did not share the same family environment showed the greatest degree of dissimilarity
D) MZ twins who shared both genes and family environment were the most alike

Question 55

When examining the genetic influence on religiousness over time, it was found that the genetic influences seems to have:

A) Increased
B) Decreased
C) Remained relatively stable
D) Decreased during young adulthood but increased during late adulthood
E) Decreased during young adulthood but stabilized from middle adulthood on

Question 56

When examining the internal (i.e., genetic) and external (i.e., environmental) influences on religiousness over time, the pattern of results suggests that the expression of religiousness during one's youth is:

A) More influenced by environmental factors, such as the religious practices of one's parents and siblings, than genetic factors
B) More influenced by genetic, internalized expressions of religious beliefs (e.g., the importance of religion in daily life) than environmental factors
C) Equally influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, which is the only time this occurs in the lifecycle
D) Not influenced by either genetic or environmental factors because individuals are still establishing their social and moral identities, which are needed to formulate religious ideals

Question 57

A personality researcher places surface electrodes on the scalps of a group of introverts and a group of extroverts to measures their brain's electrical reaction to a series of photographs of individuals either engaging in various activities alone (e.g. reading, hiking) or with others (e.g. dancing at a party, cheering at a basketball game). In this study, the researcher is using a measure of brain activity referred to as a(n):

A) Functional cranial Imagery (FCI)
B) Cranialgraph (CNG)
C) Electromyography (EMG)
D) Electrodermalgraph (EDG)
E) Electroencephalograph (EEG)

Question 58

In a study comparing the brain activity of a group of introverts with that of a group of extraverts, the research compares images of their brains to assess the level of a glucose (i.e., sugar-based) tracer substance in brain cells in response to the individuals being asked to imagine themselves starting a conversation with a total stranger at a party. The assessment technique used to measure the level of glucose tracer substance is called a(n):

A) Glucose accelerator spectrometer (GAS)
B) Electroencephalograph (EEG)
C) Electromyography (EMG)
D) Positron emission tomography (PET)
E) Functional magnetic imagining (fMRI)

Question 59

A personality researcher measures which part of the brain is triggered by the sight of snakes in those individuals who have a phobia of snakes by placing each individual's head in a scanning device that assesses the amount of blood oxygen flow in brain cells in different locations of the brain and then produces a digital image of the brain featuring different colors for varying degrees of oxygen flow. This researcher is using a(n)

A) Positron emission tomography (PET)
B) Electromyography (EMG)
C) Functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) technique
D) Blood-oxygen ratio index (BORI)

Question 60

Your heart begins to race as you hear the scary music in a movie because you sense that someone is about to be attacked by the murderous main character. In this situation, the beating of your heart is triggered by your:

A) Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
B) Vascular nervous system (VNS)
C) Primary nervous system (PNS)
D) Reactive nervous system (RNS)
E) Excitatory nervous system (ENS)

Question 61

A personality researcher places surface electrodes on the left forearm of individuals with low self-esteem and then gives them negative feedback for a speech each one of them had to give in front of group of individuals. In this research, the researcher is measuring muscle tension as an index of stress reaction by employing a(n):

A) Electromyography (EMG)
B) Positron emission tomography (PET)
C) Electroencephalograph (EEG)
D) Muscle-resistance index (MRI)

Question 62

As part of the store's policy to reduce employee theft, John is asked some questions about whether or not he has ever taken merchandise home without paying for it at the electronics store where he works. As he thinks about how he wants to answer this question, he can feel himself starting to sweat on his hands and fingers. John's concerns are justified because the officials are assessing:

A) Electromygraphical data (EMG)
B) Electroaffective responses (EAF)
C) Electrodermal activity (EDA)
D) Electrophysiographical measures (EPG)

Question 63

A researcher uses the technique of _______ to assess the extent to which shy individuals display an increase in the size of their pupil as they are asked to interact with an attractive individual as part of an experiment on stress in social situations.

A) pupil-reflex reactivity
B) pupillography
C) iris-intensity imagining
D) optical reflexology

Question 64

A researcher compares the brain chemistry of employees who are conscientious and not conscientious when it comes to arriving up to work on time, turning in their work assignments, staying within the limits of their budgets, and responding in a timely manner to electronic requests for information. The researcher would most likely be comparing the individuals for different levels of certain:

A) Interneurons
B) Neurotransmitters
C) Neurocommunicants
D) Neurointerceptors

Question 65

Excitable Erika stands up and begins to approach and talk to the very attractive individual that has just walked into the party. While effect of the stranger appears to have "kicked her into high gear," it is more likely that there was an increase in the neurotransmitter of:

A) Cortisol
B) Oxydental
C) Serotonin
D) Dopamine
E) Acetylcholine

Question 66

Timid Terry stops talking to his friend sitting next to him the moment a very attractive student begins to approach them. While the effect of the stranger appears to have been to "put the brakes" on Terry's behavior, it is more like that there was an increase in the neurotransmitter of:

A) Acetylcholine
B) Oxydental
C) Serotonin
D) Dopamine
E) Cortisol

Question 67

A researcher measures the level of testosterone in the nervous system of individuals in reaction to provoking them with excessively negative feedback as part of an experiment examining the effects of personal threats on aggressive behavior. In this research, the researcher is assessing:

A) Hormonal production
B) Neurotransmitter production
C) Peripheral nervous system chemical production
D) Cerebral fluid production

Question 68

A personality psychologist studying criminals convicted of highly aggressive assault crimes would mostly find that such individuals have a high level of the hormone:

A) Estrogen
B) Testosterone
C) Cortisol
D) Serotonin

Question 69

To assess the stress tolerance of a group of police recruits, the training officer creates a simulation in which a collection of professional actors starts yelling personal insults while standing toe-to-toe with the recruits. Immediately afterwards, the training officer collects a blood sample from the recruits to the level of ______ as a measure of their response to the stress.

A) cortecylorine
B) cortexal
C) cortisol
D) cortesterone

Question 70

A critical component of the trait of sensation seeking is:

A) The search for novel and complex sensations and experiences
B) The willingness of sensation seekers to take social risks to achieve their desired level of sensory stimulation
C) The willingness of sensation seekers to take physical risks to achieve their desired level of sensory stimulation
D) a & c
E) a, b, & c

Question 71

Alice likes to drive motorcycles and bungee jump on a regular basis. She would most likely score high on the _____ subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale.

A) disinhibition
B) physical adventure
C) thrill and adventure
D) physical risk taking

Question 72

In addition to traveling to nudist camps, Pat likes to visit art museums while on vacation. Pat would most likely score high on the _____ subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale.

A) disinhibition
B) experience seeking
C) social risk taking
D) sociability

Question 73

Pat is a member of Alcoholic's Anonymous and Gambler's Anonymous. Pat would most likely score high on the _____ subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale.

A) neurotic
B) disinhibition
C) antisocial
D) impulsiveness

Question 74

In comparison to low sensation seekers, high sensation seekers tend to:

A) Have more sexual experience.
B) Take fewer financial risks but more physical risks.
C) Take more sexual risks but fewer financial risks.
D) a & b
E) a & c

Question 75

Jack just started a new job a few weeks ago and was really excited about it. Because Jack is a high sensation seeker, we can expect that after a few weeks, he will:

A) Lose interest in the job
B) Seek a new job
C) Throw himself into the job to make it more stimulating
D) a & b
E) a & c

Question 76

When measuring Sue's brainwave, it is discovered that she tends to augment her level of arousal when presented with novel stimulation. This means her level of arousal tends to:

A) Increase
B) Decrease
C) Increase then decrease in a rapid cycle
D) Decrease then increase in a rapid cycle
E) Flatten out

Question 77

Individuals on the _____ subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale show a tendency of augmentation of brainwave arousal in response to novel stimulation.

A) thrill and adventure seeking
B) experience seeking
C) disinhibition
D) boredom susceptibility

Question 78

High sensation seekers have been found to have a _____ level of MAO than low sensation seekers.

A) higher
B) lower
C) similar
D) more fluctuating
E) more stable

Question 79

Rex is in a program for individuals suffering from an assortment of addictions, Rex's therapist says that as a high sensation seeker, Rex's tendency to be addicted to such high-risk behaviors as gambling, smoking, drug use, and increased sexual activity has as its basis the reward deficiency syndrome, which is associated with a potential for a _______ in his system.

A) low level of dopamine
B) high level of serotonin
C) low level of acetylcholine
D) high level of cortisol

Question 80

Dick and Jane meet once again in their fifth sexual addiction recovery program. When the results came back from the laboratory as part of the admission process, it is most likely that they both will have a high level of the hormone:

A) Acetylcholine
B) Serotonin
C) Cortisol
D) Dopamine
E) Testosterone