Question 1

Which of the following is most likely an example of self-handicapping behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Self-handicapping is a behavior where an individual deliberately creates obstacles or excuses to explain possible failure. In this case, the young musician has damaged his favorite violin bow the day before his recital, which can be seen as an excuse for not performing at his best or failing.

Question 2

At the end of her job interview,a woman is given the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.To make a good impression,when she sees items such as "I am sometimes bothered by things that shouldn't upset me," and "I don't always tell the truth," sheanswers that these statements are not true.What will the person scoring the test most likely do?

Accepted Answer

The person scoring the test may question the validity of the test as the woman's answers do not accurately reflect her true personality traits. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is a standardized test, and responding in a socially desirable way can affect its reliability and validity. Therefore, one cannot deduce or add marks based on a single item's response. The only option left is to question the test's validity.

Question 3

A researcher wants to develop a test of personality that will follow well-defined rules and will be simple to administer and score.Which term best reflects this type of test?

Accepted Answer

An objective test is one that follows well-defined rules, is simple to administer and score, and is less dependent on subjective judgments. It usually consists of closed-ended questions with a limited range of answers that can be easily scored. Empirical tests, on the other hand, are based on observations and experiments, while rational tests use reasoning and logic to determine personality traits. Projective tests are those that rely on ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses that can be interpreted by a trained psychologist.

Question 4

With respect to contributions made by various major theories of personality to the understanding of human nature,what point of view does the textbook express?

Accepted Answer

The textbook expresses the view that each type of theory (e.g. psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanistic) makes different contributions to the understanding of human nature. No single theory is seen as providing the most comprehensive or valuable perspective.

Question 5

A new father decides that spending more time at home with the family is more important than working overtime and making more money.According to Nancy Cantor's view of personality,on what basis did this man decide to refuse overtime work?

Accepted Answer

Nancy Cantor's view of personality emphasizes the importance of life goals, and this man's decision to prioritize spending more time with his family aligns with his chosen life goal.

Question 6

A psychologist uses a personality inventory that assesses thirty separate traits that are organized within the major factors of the five-factor model of personality.Which test is the psychologist most likely using?

Accepted Answer

The NEO Personality Inventory assesses personality traits according to the five-factor model, which includes thirty separate traits organized into five major factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness). The other options, such as the MMPI and TAT, do not assess personality traits according to this model.

Question 7

A woman is described by others as having many obsessive-compulsive behaviours and fears,and is definitely prone to indecisiveness.If she were to take the MMPI-2,on which clinical scale would she likely obtain a high score?

Accepted Answer

The psychasthenia scale on the MMPI-2 measures obsessive-compulsive and anxious thoughts and behaviors, as well as indecisiveness. Therefore, a high score on this scale would be likely for someone with the described characteristics.

Question 8

Beyond actual accomplishments,there are three other sources of information for self-efficacy judgments.What are these sources?

Accepted Answer

The three other sources of information for self-efficacy judgments are vicarious experience (observing someone else succeed or fail), persuasion (verbal encouragement or discouragement from others), and monitoring of emotional arousal (interpreting one's own emotional reactions as a sign of competence or incompetence). These three sources are commonly referred to as social persuasion, vicarious experience, and emotional and physiological states. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 9

A student spends much time socializing with friends instead of studying for an important exam because he is afraid to find out whether he has what it takes to pass the exam.Which term best characterizes this scenario?

Accepted Answer

The behavior of socializing with friends instead of studying prior to an important exam can be classified as self-handicapping behavior. This is because the individual is creating a potential excuse for themselves if they perform poorly on the exam. They can attribute their poor performance to their lack of studying rather than their abilities. This behavior often stems from a fear of failure and a desire to protect one's self-esteem.

Question 10

A man believes that one's behaviour should be based on the needs and approval of the community at large.According to Markus and Kitayama,which type of culture does this man likely represent?

Accepted Answer

The man's belief that behaviour should be based on the needs and approval of the community at large is consistent with collectivist cultures, which prioritize the needs of the group above individual needs. In contrast, individualistic cultures prioritize individual needs and autonomy. Independent and altruistic cultures are not directly related to this behaviour-based belief.

Question 11

Raj wanted to develop a test that could predict success in selling real estate.If Raj used the empirical strategy of test construction that was developed for the original MMPI,what would Raj do?

Accepted Answer

The empirical strategy of test construction involves selecting items based on their ability to differentiate between groups of people who are known to differ in the construct being measured. In this case, successful and unsuccessful real estate salespeople represent two distinct groups, and testing potential items on these groups would allow for the selection of items that are most predictive of success in selling real estate.

Question 12

The textbook describes a study on the relationship between self-handicapping and gender in college students.What did the researchers discover about the tendency toward self-handicapping?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The textbook describes a study on the...

Question 13

Cross-cultural research on the self has sometimes used a measurement device called the Twenty Statements Test,in which participants are asked to give 20 differentanswers to the question "Who am I?" When comparing the responses of students from various countries,what did one group of researchers discover?

Accepted Answer

The researchers discovered that cultural differences mattered more than gender differences when comparing the responses of students from various countries in the Twenty Statements Test.

Question 14

A study looked at e-mail addresses and personality self-reports from 599 individuals.The researchers then asked an independent group of students to make judgments about personality based only on the e-mail addresses.What did the study reveal?

Accepted Answer

The study revealed a positive correlation between the raters' assessments and the e-mail users' self-reports, indicating that people can make accurate personality judgments based on e-mail addresses.

Question 15

Todd has signed up for a research study in which he will be completing a personality inventory.What should Todd expect?

Accepted Answer

A personality inventory typically involves responding to a series of statements about oneself, indicating the degree to which each statement is true or false. It does not involve an interview by a clinical psychologist, reporting on ambiguous pictures, or testing for skill acquisition potential.

Question 16

Although Leeza is certain that she will succeed as an actress,she does not believe that her parents will support this career choice.In the context of Bandura's work,which term best characterizes Leeza's beliefs about her future?

Accepted Answer

Leeza's belief that she will succeed as an actress represents an outcome-based expectation, which is a belief about the likelihood of achieving a particular outcome in the future. However, her belief that her parents will not support her career choice indicates a lack of social support, which can affect one's self-efficacy and ability to achieve their goals.

Question 17

A researcher is looking for a test that has an extensive archival record of more than fifty years that also has standardized items that he can analyze to test hypotheses about self-efficacy,a psychological construct that did not exist when the test was first developed.Which test should the researcher be encouraged to use?

Accepted Answer

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is a psychological test with an extensive archival record spanning over 75 years. It also has standardized items that can be analyzed to test hypotheses about different psychological constructs, including self-efficacy. While self-efficacy was not a term used when the test was first developed, it is a construct that can be measured using the MMPI-2. Therefore, it is the best choice for the researcher's needs. The other tests listed do not have as extensive of an archival record or may not be as useful for measuring self-efficacy.

Question 18

A psychologist uses a personality inventory that assesses thirty separate traits that are organized within the major factors of the five-factor model of personality.Which test is the psychologist most likely using?

Accepted Answer

The NEO Personality Inventory is a widely used personality inventory that assesses thirty separate traits that are organized within the major factors of the five-factor model of personality. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI and MMPI-2) and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) are not specifically designed to assess the five-factor model of personality.

Question 19

A study was conducted on the impact of self-efficacy beliefs on college performance.What was the outcome?

Accepted Answer

The outcome of the study was that students who had higher self-efficacy beliefs did better than their peers in college.

Question 20

Which personality theory most strongly emphasizes situational determinants of behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Social-learning theory emphasizes the importance of the environment and situational factors in shaping behavior, whereas trait theory focuses on individual personality traits, psychodynamic theory emphasizes unconscious internal conflicts, and humanistic theory emphasizes self-actualization and individual agency.

Quiz 14: A: Understanding Human Personality

Which of the following is most likely an example of self-handicapping behaviour?

A researcher wants to develop a test of personality that will follow well-defined rules and will be simple to administer and score.Which term best reflects this type of test?

With respect to contributions made by various major theories of personality to the understanding of human nature,what point of view does the textbook express?

A new father decides that spending more time at home with the family is more important than working overtime and making more money.According to Nancy Cantor's view of personality,on what basis did this man decide to refuse overtime work?

A psychologist uses a personality inventory that assesses thirty separate traits that are organized within the major factors of the five-factor model of personality.Which test is the psychologist most likely using?

A woman is described by others as having many obsessive-compulsive behaviours and fears,and is definitely prone to indecisiveness.If she were to take the MMPI-2,on which clinical scale would she likely obtain a high score?

Beyond actual accomplishments,there are three other sources of information for self-efficacy judgments.What are these sources?

A student spends much time socializing with friends instead of studying for an important exam because he is afraid to find out whether he has what it takes to pass the exam.Which term best characterizes this scenario?

A man believes that one's behaviour should be based on the needs and approval of the community at large.According to Markus and Kitayama,which type of culture does this man likely represent?

Raj wanted to develop a test that could predict success in selling real estate.If Raj used the empirical strategy of test construction that was developed for the original MMPI,what would Raj do?

The textbook describes a study on the relationship between self-handicapping and gender in college students.What did the researchers discover about the tendency toward self-handicapping?

A study looked at e-mail addresses and personality self-reports from 599 individuals.The researchers then asked an independent group of students to make judgments about personality based only on the e-mail addresses.What did the study reveal?

Todd has signed up for a research study in which he will be completing a personality inventory.What should Todd expect?

Although Leeza is certain that she will succeed as an actress,she does not believe that her parents will support this career choice.In the context of Bandura's work,which term best characterizes Leeza's beliefs about her future?

A psychologist uses a personality inventory that assesses thirty separate traits that are organized within the major factors of the five-factor model of personality.Which test is the psychologist most likely using?

A study was conducted on the impact of self-efficacy beliefs on college performance.What was the outcome?

Which personality theory most strongly emphasizes situational determinants of behaviour?