Question 1

According to research that shows a link between a trait's observability and the accuracy with which it is judged, which of the following traits would be easiest to judge accurately?
A) moodiness
B) talkativeness
C) empathy
D) creativity

Accepted Answer

Talkativeness is the easiest trait to judge accurately because it is the most observable trait among the options provided. Observable behaviors, such as how much someone talks, can be directly measured and seen in social interactions, making them easier to assess accurately compared to internal states or more abstract traits like moodiness, empathy, or creativity.

Question 2

Which of the following is the strongest situation using the psychological definition of a strong situation?
A) a party
B) an unstructured job interview
C) a funeral
D) free time on a Saturday afternoon

Accepted Answer

A funeral is considered the strongest situation among the options because it has clear social norms, expectations, and behaviors that individuals are expected to follow, thus limiting the range of acceptable behaviors and making individual differences less influential.

Question 3

Given what we know about trait visibility and judgment, which of the following traits would be difficult to judge?
A) emotional stability
B) extraversion
C) physical appearance
D) social dominance

Accepted Answer

Emotional stability is less visible and more internal compared to traits like extraversion, physical appearance, and social dominance, which are more observable and external, making it more difficult to judge accurately.

Question 4

A good judge of personality seems to be high in
A) agency.
B) self-monitoring.
C) communion.
D) absorption.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A good judge of personality seems to...

Question 5

According to the text, ________ does not seem to significantly improve as judges acquire more information, whereas ________ does seem to improve considerably.
A) accuracy; consensus
B) consensus; accuracy
C) predictive validity; reliability
D) consensus; interjudge agreement

Accepted Answer

Consensus does not significantly improve with more information, but accuracy does, as judges are better able to make informed decisions with additional information.

Question 6

According to the text, what trait refers to individual differences in the willingness to engage in sexual relations with minimal acquaintanceship?
A) sexual constraint
B) sociosexuality
C) socio-openness
D) sexual openness

Accepted Answer

Sociosexuality refers to individual differences in the willingness to engage in sexual relations without requiring a deep emotional connection or long-term commitment, essentially capturing variations in openness to casual sex.

Question 7

A small number of studies have investigated whether making an extra effort to be a good judge of personality improves accuracy. According to the textbook, what conclusions can be drawn from this literature?
A) Extra effort greatly improves accuracy.
B) Extra effort reduces accuracy by a considerable amount.
C) Extra effort improves judgments of close friends but not casual acquaintances.
D) The results of the existing studies are mixed.

Accepted Answer

The existing studies on whether making an extra effort to be a good judge of personality improves accuracy have yielded mixed results, indicating that the effect of extra effort on judgment accuracy is not consistent across studies.

Question 8

One difficulty that early researchers encountered in identifying the good judge of personality was that
A) a good judge in one context was not always a good judge in other contexts.
B) clinical psychologists dismissed the findings, claiming that good judgment of others required extensive training.
C) no one could measure personality objectively in the first place.
D) researchers did not have the statistical tools to study accuracy.

Accepted Answer

The difficulty in identifying a good judge of personality stemmed from the context-dependent nature of judgment skills, meaning a person who was adept at judging personality in one situation might not necessarily possess the same level of skill in a different context.

Question 9

How should you act in everyday life according to the "transparent self" theory of psychological health?
A) Act like a chameleon, changing from one situation to the next, and keep your inner self private.
B) Conceal very little from those around you; show your true self.
C) Adopt a public persona and always follow that identity to keep your inner self private.
D) Make sure to act like everyone else around you to blend in with the crowd.

Accepted Answer

The "transparent self" theory of psychological health emphasizes the importance of being open and honest about oneself, suggesting that individuals should conceal very little and show their true selves to those around them. This approach is believed to lead to healthier psychological states.

Question 10

A recent study found that women are more accurate than men in judging others. What was the explanation for this finding?
A) Women are better than men at figuring out what is unique about each person.
B) Men are biased to see everyone more negatively.
C) Men are biased to see everyone more positively.
D) Women are better than men at knowing what the average person is like.

Accepted Answer

The study suggests that women are better at understanding what the average person is like, which helps them make more accurate judgments about others.

Question 11

In making an overall judgment of your personality, which person should be MOST accurate?
A) a teacher
B) a lifelong best friend
C) a trained clinical psychologist
D) a classmate who has seen you most recently

Accepted Answer

A lifelong best friend is likely to have the most comprehensive understanding of your personality due to the depth and duration of the relationship.

Question 12

Which of the following is an aspect of the "good" trait?
A) moderation
B) unpredictability
C) visibility
D) acquaintanceship

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is an aspect...

Question 13

Abed is a stable, well-adjusted person. His behavior is fairly consistent and predictable; essentially, "what you see is what you get." Abed would MOST likely be
A) easy to judge accurately.
B) a good judge of personality.
C) a narcissist.
D) someone who scores high on commonality.

Accepted Answer

Abed's stable and predictable behavior makes it easier for others to judge him accurately, as there is a clear and consistent pattern to his actions and reactions.

Question 14

A salesperson has been married for 10 years, but her husband has never seen her do her job. According to the textbook, which of the following statements is true regarding the accurate prediction of her behavior during her work?
A) Her customers will be about as accurate as her husband in predicting her behavior at work.
B) Her husband will be much more accurate than her customers in predicting her behavior at work.
C) Her customers will be much more accurate than her husband in predicting her behavior at work.
D) None of the answer options is true.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A salesperson has been married for 10...

Question 15

According to evolutionary theory, humans should be able to judge the trait of ________ more accurately than other traits that are less important for the survival of the species.
A) social intelligence
B) self-esteem
C) sociability
D) sociosexuality

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to evolutionary theory, humans should be...

Question 16

According to the text, if peers based judgments on reputation and not observation, then researchers should find
A) more agreement on unobservable traits compared to observable traits.
B) more agreement on observable traits compared to unobservable traits.
C) equal agreement for both observable and unobservable traits.
D) no agreement in personality judgments whatsoever.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the text, if peers based...

Question 17

The finding that more observable traits yield better interjudge agreement suggests that peer judgment is based more on ________ than on ________.
A) expectancies; the target's self-judgments
B) a manufactured reputation; direct behavioral observation
C) direct behavioral observation; a manufactured reputation
D) stereotypes; expectancies

Accepted Answer

The statement implies that peer judgment improves with more observable (directly seen or experienced) traits, indicating reliance on what is directly observed rather than on preconceived notions or reputations that have been constructed or assumed without direct evidence.

Question 18

According to a recent study described in the textbook, which of the following is accurate about people who describe themselves as "a good judge of personality"?
A) Such people are much better than others at judging personality.
B) Such people are no more accurate than others at judging personality.
C) Such people are quite high in narcissism.
D) Such people are quite high in self-esteem.

Accepted Answer

People who describe themselves as "a good judge of personality" are no more accurate than others at judging personality, indicating a discrepancy between self-perception and actual ability.

Question 19

What is the best description of the acquaintanceship effect?
A) Your acquaintances are more accurate than you are when judging your personality.
B) The more information you have about someone, the more accurate your judgment of his or her personality.
C) The longer you have known someone, the less accurate your judgment of his or her personality.
D) People judge their friends more favorably than they judge their enemies.

Accepted Answer

The acquaintanceship effect refers to the phenomenon where the more information or familiarity you have about someone, the more accurate your judgment of their personality tends to be.

Question 20

What was the boundary on the acquaintanceship effect identified by Colvin and Funder (1991)?
A) The advantage of close acquaintances vanishes when the criterion is the ability to predict behavior in a situation similar to one that strangers have seen but acquaintances have not.
B) Judgments made by acquaintances who have known the target for 5 years are as valid as judgments made by parents and acquaintances who have known the target for 20 years.
C) Strangers' judgments are more accurate than acquaintances' judgments when the criterion is self-other agreement.
D) Strangers' judgments, based on a 5-minute videotape of the target's behavior, demonstrated these judges' ability to generalize to situations and contexts that were very different from the videotaped interactions.

Accepted Answer

The boundary on the acquaintanceship effect identified by Colvin and Funder (1991) is that the advantage of close acquaintances over strangers in judging personality disappears when the situation is unfamiliar to the acquaintances but familiar to the strangers.

Quiz 5: Personality Judgment

According to research that shows a link between a trait's observability and the accuracy with which it is judged, which of the following traits would be easiest to judge accurately?

Which of the following is the strongest situation using the psychological definition of a strong situation?

Given what we know about trait visibility and judgment, which of the following traits would be difficult to judge?

A good judge of personality seems to be high in

According to the text, does not seem to significantly improve as judges acquire more information, whereas does seem to improve considerably.

According to the text, what trait refers to individual differences in the willingness to engage in sexual relations with minimal acquaintanceship?

A small number of studies have investigated whether making an extra effort to be a good judge of personality improves accuracy. According to the textbook, what conclusions can be drawn from this literature?

One difficulty that early researchers encountered in identifying the good judge of personality was that

How should you act in everyday life according to the "transparent self" theory of psychological health?

A recent study found that women are more accurate than men in judging others. What was the explanation for this finding?

In making an overall judgment of your personality, which person should be MOST accurate?

Which of the following is an aspect of the "good" trait?

Abed is a stable, well-adjusted person. His behavior is fairly consistent and predictable; essentially, "what you see is what you get." Abed would MOST likely be

A salesperson has been married for 10 years, but her husband has never seen her do her job. According to the textbook, which of the following statements is true regarding the accurate prediction of her behavior during her work?

According to evolutionary theory, humans should be able to judge the trait of ________ more accurately than other traits that are less important for the survival of the species.

According to the text, if peers based judgments on reputation and not observation, then researchers should find

The finding that more observable traits yield better interjudge agreement suggests that peer judgment is based more on than on .

According to a recent study described in the textbook, which of the following is accurate about people who describe themselves as "a good judge of personality"?

What is the best description of the acquaintanceship effect?

What was the boundary on the acquaintanceship effect identified by Colvin and Funder (1991) ?