Deck 1: Personality Theory: From Everyday Observations to Systematic Theories

Question 1

Relative to one another in terms of level of organization and degree of abstraction, the following statement is true about the concepts of trait and type.

A) They are at the same level of organization and abstraction.
B) The concept of trait suggests more organization and more abstraction than the concept of type.
C) The concept of type suggests more organization and more abstraction than the concept of trait.
D) No general tendency can be found in relation to the two concepts.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The more stable aspects of the person's functioning and the more fluid, changing aspects are covered by the concepts of

A) growth and development.
B) process and motive.
C) motive and development.
D) structure and process.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A unique feature of a course in personality psychology is that, unlike other courses, the focus is on

A) motivation.
B) nervous system functioning.
C) the whole person.
D) social systems and culture.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The personality concept that refers to individual consistency and approximates the lay person's concepts to describe people is

A) response.
B) habit.
C) trait.
D) motive.

Question 5

A problem with the "nature versus nurture" formulation is that

A) nature is not important to personality.
B) nurture is not important to personality.
C) neither nature nor nurture is important to personality.
D) the "versus" is the problem, i.e., nature and nurture are not opposing forces.

Question 6

In general terms, the text suggests that the science of personality

A) all of the above.
B) is the study of how individuals differ in their perceptions and how
C) these differences relate to their total functioning.
D) attempts to understand how people are alike while recognizing that individuals are different in some ways.
E) attempts to develop strategies for further research.

Question 7

Concepts such as trait and type fall into which of the following areas?

A) structure.
B) process.
C) growth and development.
D) psychopathology.

Question 8

Goals, drives, and motives have been particularly central to _____ aspect of personality theories.

A) structure
B) process
C) developmental
D) all of the above

Question 9

"Why" type questions are those that address

A) the determinants of personality.
B) structural factors.
C) organization of characteristics.
D) motivational characteristics.

Question 10

The text emphasizes that a big difference between intuitive theories about people and scientific theories of personality is that the personality scientist must

A) engage in scientific observation.
B) interrelate concepts about people systematically.
C) provide ideas that are testable.
D) all of the above.

Question 11

Structural concepts refer to

A) stable aspects of personality.
B) dynamic aspects of personality.
C) parts of the body.
D) all of the above.

Question 12

The phrase "nature versus nurture" refers to the study of

A) genetic versus environmental influences.
B) unconscious versus conscious influences.
C) family versus peer influences.
D) processes versus structures.

Question 13

A clustering of traits is called a

A) unit of analysis.
B) type.
C) factor.
D) dimension.

Question 14

Which of the following are emphasized as central to the study of personality?

A) individual differences and consistent patterns of functioning.
B) individual differences and the operation of conscious processes.
C) patterns of organization and the operation of conscious processes.
D) all of the above.

Question 15

"Units of analysis" refer to

A) the basic variables of a given theory.
B) the original source of data for a given theory.
C) the research methods employed most frequently in a given theory.
D) the theoretical assumptions of a given theorist.

Question 16

When entities are organized in such a manner that one entity is seen as an example of another, or as serving a purpose of the other, one calls this specific overall organization a

A) structure.
B) hierarchy.
C) process.
D) system.

Question 17

The text defines personality mainly in terms of

A) consistent patterns of behavior.
B) unconscious wishes.
C) traits.
D) all of the above.

Question 18

Internal states of tension that activate action are called

A) traits.
B) goals.
C) drives.
D) beliefs .

Question 19

Biologically-based personality tendencies evidence in early childhood are called

A) genetics.
B) temperament.
C) structures.
D) processes.

Question 20

A "system"

A) has many parts
B) has interconnections among its parts
C) displays behavior that reflects its overall organization
D) all of the above

Question 21

Pinker's book The Blank Slate argues that

A) the mind, at birth, is like a blank slate.
B) personality is primarily the product of social learning experiences.
C) personality is influenced primarily by parenting.
D) the mind is primarily a product of biological evolution.

Question 22

The text emphasizes that the study of psychopathology is important to consider when studying personality because

A) many personality theorists also were therapists treating pathology.
B) the ability to foster clinical improvement is an important "bottom line" for evaluating a personality theory.
C) some sort of theory of personality often is required to solve practical problems.
D) all of the above.

Question 23

The concept of the unconscious relates to

A) the methods we use for personality assessment.
B) whether we use the concept of self.
C) whether we accept an energy model.
D) all of the above.

Question 24

The role of genetic factors in personality is most clearly seen in

A) temperament.
B) beliefs and values.
C) career choice.
D) cognitive style.
E)

Question 25

The extreme views on whether the determinants of behavior are internal or external are represented by which pair of names?

A) Allport/Freud.
B) Sullivan/White.
C) Freud/Skinner.
D) White/Kuhn.

Question 26

Theories

A) organize what is known.
B) suggest ways to discover what is not yet known.
C) may close off avenues of research.
D) all of the above.

Question 27

Why are children from the same family so different?

A) They have different genes.
B) They have different family experiences.
C) They have different experiences outside the family.
D) all of the above.

Question 28

An important aspect of cultural influences on personality is that

A) often we are unaware of the influence.
B) we can always evaluate its influence.
C) it is the same for all individuals.
D) it is only important for a few aspects of our functioning.

Question 29

Genetic research suggests that in different "racial" and ethnic human groups

A) there is hardly any overlap at all between groups.
B) about half one group's genetic makeup is similar to that of other groups.
C) most of our genetic makeup is shared, i.e., is common to all groups.

Question 30

Some possible contributions of theory are to

A) sharpen research objectives.
B) make research more organized.
C) organize what is known.
D) all of the above.

Question 31

A critical question for personality theory concerns

A) whether the past or future is more important.
B) how to conceptualize the role of the past and future.
C) whether the past can influence the present.
D) all of the above.

Question 32

Research suggests that temperament is

A) strongly determined by biological and genetic factors.
B) is not influenced by the environment.
C) can be influenced by the environment.
D) a & b
E) a & c

Question 33

Which of the following is emphasized as playing a major role in the development of personality?

A) genetic factors.
B) family environment.
C) cultural factors.
D) all of the above.

Question 34

According to the text, theories serve to

A) establish truth and separate it from fiction.
B) organize the known and suggest new relationships to be found
C) fit individuals into defined categories.
D) disprove other theories.

Question 35

Which of the following has been a traditional reason for emphasis on the concept of self?

A) Self-awareness is an important phenomenological experience.
B) How we feel about ourselves seems to influence our behavior.
C) The concept of self expresses the organized, integrated aspects of human personality.
D) All of the above.

Question 36

Conscious, rather than unconcious processes, strongly come into play when people

A) experience emotions.
B) have sexual desires.
C) contemplate important life decisions.
D) store information in memory.

Question 37

Parents influence their children's behavior by

A) selectively rewarding behaviors.
B) serving as role models.
C) eliciting specific behaviors by presenting situations to them.
D) all of the above.

Question 38

The concept of reaction range suggests that the following set limits on personality development

A) parents.
B) genes.
C) cultures.
D) social class.

Question 39

Which of the following is not a criterion for the evaluation of a theory of personality?

A) creativity.
B) simplicity.
C) research relevance.
D) comprehensiveness.

Question 40

Regarding the question of whether individual differences in personality are stable over time, it can be said that

A) research shows that such differences are not stable.
B) research shows that such differences are stable.
C) research on the topic is inconclusive.
D) little or no research has explored this difficult topic.

Question 41

According to the textbook, what is an advantage of the existence of multiple theories of personality?

A) A decrease in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby avoiding its refinement, extension, and improvement.
B) An increase in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby allowing it to remain the same.
C) A decrease in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby allowing it to remain the same.
D) An increase in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby prompting its refinement, extension, and improvement.

Question 42

Cultural influences on personality are always part of our conscious awareness.

Question 43

According to the "toolkit" metaphor, what are some of the jobs a personality psychologist might want to accomplish?

A) Describe individual differences.
B) Identify basic human motivations.
C) Explain the development of a self-concept.
D) Predict performance in work settings.
E) All of the above.

Question 44

The shared family environment is more important than the nonshared environment.

Question 45

Personality includes both stable and fluid, unchanging and changing aspects.

Question 46

The text definition of personality focuses on patterns of behavior.

Question 47

The concepts of band-width and fidelity are analogous to characteristics of a

A) computer.
B) radio.
C) bicycle.
D) all of the above.

Question 48

Those who emphasize the limits of family influence suggest that

A) society is most important.
B) culture is most important.
C) genes affect the selection of environments.
D) families are only important during the early years.

Question 49

Structural concepts refer to the more stable and enduring aspects of personality.

Question 50

The essential quality of the field of personality is concern with the functioning of the total individual.

Question 51

In its description of the "toolkit" metaphor, the textbook notes that the idea that a theory could be wrong makes little sense. Instead, in evaluating theories, we might be better off asking how _______ they are.

A) Conceptual
B) Useful
C) Psychoanalytic
D) Theoretical

Question 52

It is most important that a theory be

A) useful.
B) true.
C) consistent with past theories.
D) all of the above.

Question 53

According to the "toolkit" metaphor, which of the following can be categorized as "tools" contained within a theory?

A) Theoretical concepts.
B) Research methods.
C) Methods for dong therapy.
D) Techniques for assessing personality.
E) All of the above.

Question 54

The text suggests that

A) theory is irrelevant to the study of personality.
B) theory is fundamental to the study of personality.
C) true discovery comes without theory.
D) there is agreement in the field concerning the role of theory in research.

Question 55

Genetic factors are more important than environment factors for most personality characteristics.

Question 56

According to the "toolkit" metaphor, on what basis should we evaluate theories of personality?

A) According to whether they're correct most of the time; for instance, of 100 empirical studies that use the theory to explain a phenomenon, more than half should "work."
B) According to what they can accomplish with them, to what advantages they have over other theories, and to what "tools" could be added or subtracted to make them better.
C) According to how long they've been around, to how many times they've been used to explain phenomena, and to how many textbooks in which they appear.
D) According to whether they have "intuitive appeal" - that is, some theories make so much sense when one hears about them, that even in the absence of data, one can sense their value.

Question 57

The text suggest that theories should have

A) empirical translation.
B) testable hypotheses.
C) clear concepts.
D) all of the above.

Question 58

There is only one legitimate definition of personality.
f.

Question 59

Evidence of the importance of the common (shared) family environment is found in studies of

A) temperament.
B) intelligence.
C) career choice.
D) romantic relationships.

Question 60

A good theory must have "research relevance," which is to say it

A) must not lead to argument and debate.
B) must account for a wide variety of findings.
C) can be useful even if it is false.
D) must be shown to be correct.

Question 61

A good theory only has a narrow scope that allows it to account for very specific data.

Question 62

What are the "process" versus the "structure" aspects of a personality theory? In other words, to what psychological phenomena to the terms personality "structure" and "process" refer?

Question 63

In the final analysis, it is how comprehensive a theory is that serves as the best measure of its value.

Question 64

According to the text, theoretical diversity can contribute to the progress of personality psychology as a discipline.

Question 65

Based on the discussion in the text, what are some important issues that should be discussed in any comprehensive theory of personality?

Question 66

According to the "toolkit" metaphor, the number and diversity of theories of personality is good for the field,

Question 67

Theories are evaluated in terms of whether they are true and valid.

Question 68

Most theorists agree that factors outside of awareness can influence behavior.

Question 69

The text suggests that everyday conceptions of personality and scientific theories share some things in common but also differ in important ways. What are the differences? In particular, what are some thing that the scientific personality psychologist need to accomplish that generally are not accomplished by a layperson who develops an intuitive theory of personality?