Question 1

Which approach to personality probably has seen the greatest increase in interest among personality psychologists during the past decade?

Accepted Answer

The biological approach to personality has seen the greatest increase in interest among personality psychologists during the past decade, with advances in neuroscience and genetics leading to a better understanding of how biology influences personality.

Question 2

Recent work on attachment styles suggests that our childhood experiences with caregivers can determine our ways at looking at

Accepted Answer

Attachment styles developed in childhood with caregivers can significantly influence how individuals perceive and engage in adult relationships.

Question 3

According to some researchers, the reason studies don't always find a relationship between Type A behavior and health problems may be that

Accepted Answer

Some behaviors within the Type A pattern, such as hostility and impatience, are more strongly linked to health problems than others. This may explain why some studies do not find a relationship between Type A behavior and health problems overall.

Question 4

Trudy wants to conduct research on individual differences in proneness to depression. If she wants to first discover what researchers have already found out about this question, she should probably look into research on each of the following except one. Which one?

Accepted Answer

Type A refers to a personality type characterized by competitiveness, aggression, and a sense of time urgency, which has not been specifically linked to proneness to depression. On the other hand, explanatory style, locus of control, and schemas are all psychological constructs that have been studied in relation to depression and individual differences in proneness to it.

Question 5

Researchers have found that individual differences in Type A, self-disclosure, and locus of control are all related to

Accepted Answer

The research suggests that individual differences in Type A, self-disclosure, and locus of control are related to health. Type A personality traits, characterized by urgency, impatience, and hostility, have been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Self-disclosure, or the tendency to share personal information and feelings with others, has been associated with better physical and psychological health outcomes. Locus of control, or the belief in one's ability to control events in their life, has been linked to better coping strategies and lower stress levels, which can positively impact overall health.

Question 6

The trait approach to personality

Accepted Answer

The trait approach to personality is still prevalent in contemporary psychology and continues to be researched and refined. There have been advancements in the understanding of personal constructs and their role in shaping personality traits. While the original theories of Murray and Cattell have been built upon, they still serve as the foundation for contemporary research on personality traits.

Question 7

One similarity between Jung and Eysenck is that they both identified a personality variable they called

Accepted Answer

Both Jung and Eysenck identified extraversion as a key personality variable, though they conceptualized it differently.

Question 8

One issue that separates personality theories is the extent to which people are seen as acting on their own "free will." The two theories that most differ on this issue are probably

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism emphasizes the role of environmental factors in determining behavior and largely dismisses the role of free will, whereas humanistic personality theory emphasizes the importance of individual choice and free will in shaping behavior.

Question 9

A psychotherapist tries to get her depressed client to understand the logical process he uses when coming to the conclusion that he is a worthless person. This psychologist probably is an advocate of which approach to psychotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Rational emotive behavior therapy focuses on identifying and changing irrational beliefs and thought patterns that are causing negative emotions and behaviors. The therapist in this scenario is attempting to help the client identify the flawed logic behind his negative self-beliefs, which is consistent with the principles of rational emotive behavior therapy.

Question 10

Studies of ___________ indicate that internals and externals typically have different ideas about their role in maintaining physical health.

Accepted Answer

The studies mentioned in the sentence focus on the concept of locus of control, which refers to one's belief in the amount of control they have over their life and experiences. Internals believe they have more control over their health outcomes and take more responsibility for maintaining their physical health, while externals may feel that other factors such as genetics or environment have a greater impact on their health.

Question 11

Anxiety plays a prominent role in the personality theory of each of the following theorists except one. Which one?

Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner did not emphasize anxiety as a central component of his personality theory. He focused more on environmental factors and reinforcement contingencies in shaping behavior. In contrast, Sigmund Freud emphasized the role of anxiety in the development of personality, as did Karen Horney and George Kelly.

Question 12

Many researchers have examined achievement behavior by looking at

Accepted Answer

Looking at how people react to failure is the most relevant choice for examining achievement behavior, as it relates to people's willingness to persist and bounce back from setbacks. The other options listed are not as directly related to achievement behavior.

Question 13

A psychologist is working on a book about student reactions to success and failure on exams. If he does a good job of researching the topic, he will find each of the following personality variables except one is useful in predicting the students' behavior. Which one?

Accepted Answer

While a student's level of extraversion or introversion may be interesting to study, it is not particularly useful in predicting their behavior following success or failure on an exam. Self-esteem, locus of control, and explanatory style, on the other hand, have all been found to be important predictors of how students react to academic success and failure.

Question 14

The ____ was developed to measure individual differences proposed by ___ _ .

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ____ was developed to measure individual...

Question 15

The concept of a "self" was described __ _ and later examined in research on __ .

Accepted Answer

Allport described the concept of a "self" and later examined it through self-schemas.

Question 16

Ricardo is writing a paper on the causes of aggression. If he does a good job, his paper will probably cover research on each of the following except one. Which one?

Accepted Answer

The causes of aggression can be attributed to frustration, observational learning, and exposure to mass media violence. However, locus of control refers to an individual's belief about their ability to control or influence events in their life and is not necessarily a direct cause of aggression. Therefore, it is the exception and not typically a research topic when investigating aggression.

Question 17

One of the statistical tools available to personality researchers is the correlation coefficient. Research on which topic has relied most heavily on this statistic?

Accepted Answer

The Big Five factors, also known as the Five Factor Model, have been extensively researched in personality psychology and have relied heavily on the use of correlation coefficients to establish the relationship between the five traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and various outcomes and behaviors. Dream interpretation and schemas are more closely aligned with psychoanalytic and cognitive approaches, respectively, while learned helplessness is more associated with the study of motivation and emotion.

Question 18

Louis wants to understand the effects of watching violence on television. Which approach to personality would probably be the most useful for him to examine?

Accepted Answer

The behavioral/social learning approach to personality focuses on the role of the environment and learning in shaping behavior. Thus, it would be the most useful approach for examining the effects of watching violence on television, as it considers how individuals acquire and express their behavior through observation and imitation of others.

Question 19

Based on research findings, we can say that the characteristics and behaviors of people high in social anxiety are most similar to the characteristics and behaviors of people

Accepted Answer

People with social anxiety tend to have low self-esteem and are more likely to attribute their failures to internal factors, such as their own lack of ability or worthiness.

Question 20

Each of the following theorists except one wrote about a case study that was reported in the textbook. Which one?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Each of the following theorists except one...

Quiz 17: General Questions