Question 1

Recent evidence indicates that the basic personality traits associated with the five-factor theory:

Accepted Answer

A)  are specific to Western cultures. 
B)  have genetic components. 
C)  are mostly environmentally determined. 
D)  do not replicate across different measures.

Question 2

Research has shown that,in predicting the behavior of people we know,we:

Accepted Answer

A)  are more accurate in predicting their observable behavior than in predicting our own observable behavior. 
B)  tend to predict that their behavior will be more negative than it actually is. 
C)  are less accurate in predicting their observable behavior than in predicting our own observable behavior. 
D)  are unable to perform above chance in our predictions.

Question 3

What is the difference between personality traits and temperaments?

Accepted Answer

A)  Personality traits are more mental,while temperaments are more physical. 
B)  Personality traits are more specific than temperaments. 
C)  Personality traits are more likely to be correlated among siblings than temperaments. 
D)  Personality traits are evident during infancy,while temperaments are evident during adulthood.

Question 4

The five-factor theory has ________ factors and is ________ widely accepted than Eysenck's theory.

Accepted Answer

A)  more; more 
B)  fewer; less 
C)  more; less 
D)  fewer; more

Question 5

How are self-esteem and the better-than-average effect related?

Accepted Answer

A)  Self-esteem and the better-than-average effect are two names for the same idea. 
B)  Self-esteem leads people to exhibit the better-than-average effect. 
C)  People with high self-esteem are skilled at detecting the better-than-average effect in others. 
D)  People with high self-esteem tend to display the better-than-average effect.

Question 6

Bandura's concept of self-efficacy:

Accepted Answer

A)  refers to our belief that we can achieve specific outcomes. 
B)  denies the role of observational learning on human behavior. 
C)  has not been supported by empirical research. 
D)  implies that the environment has little impact on behavior.

Question 7

In regard to trait models of personality,psychologists now generally agree that:

Accepted Answer

A)  no one set of traits has yet been proposed that captures the complexity of personality. 
B)  there is little agreement among perceivers as to which traits go with which behaviors. 
C)  personality can be quite accurately described using five basic traits. 
D)  Cattell's 16-factor theory was probably correct.

Question 8

Your roommate is an extremely shy person.Research suggests that she:

Accepted Answer

A)  probably acquired this disposition during a difficult time in her adolescence. 
B)  displayed signs of inhibition and social distress even as a very young child. 
C)  was raised by parents who provided supportive and calm environments that fostered her quiet character. 
D)  may have suffered some trauma as an infant.

Question 9

Oren is a very rigid person and must have things his own way.Other people find his attitude annoying,but Oren refuses to change.In Freud's view,Oren is fixated at which stage of development?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Oedipal stage 
B)  the latency stage 
C)  the anal stage 
D)  the phallic stage

Question 10

Which of the following statements describes the current status of Freud's psychodynamic theory in psychological science?

Accepted Answer

A)  It has been largely abandoned because most of Freud's ideas cannot be tested empirically. 
B)  It has been modified by the neo-Freudians and is now viewed as a scientifically valid theory of personality. 
C)  It is more widely endorsed by personality psychologists now than when it was first proposed. 
D)  It has been abandoned by therapists but not research psychologists.

Question 11

Two of your fellow students have conflicting views about the principal determinant of personality.John takes the view that personality is determined by unconscious conflicts.Joan asserts that personality is the outcome of learning processes.What famous psychologists would John and Joan likely bring into their arguments?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rogers and Seligman 
B)  Freud and Skinner 
C)  Maslow and Rogers 
D)  Jung and Adler

Question 12

Walter Mischel has been a major critic of trait theories of personality in arguing that a person's behavior is:

Accepted Answer

A)  influenced more strongly by the unconscious than trait theorists predict. 
B)  consistent only within familiar situations. 
C)  not as consistent as trait theorists predict. 
D)  less dependent on the situation than trait theories assume.

Question 13

If collectivist cultures become more individualist,people in those cultures will be:

Accepted Answer

A)  more likely to use the self-serving bias. 
B)  less likely to use the self-serving bias. 
C)  more likely to use self-enhancement strategies. 
D)  less likely to use self-enhancement strategies.

Question 14

Anna is a college student from the United States and Michiko is a college student from Japan.Both have taken the same personality assessment as part of a psychology research study.Which of these young women is likely to score higher in neuroticism,and why?

Accepted Answer

A)  Anna,because Americans tend to be more neurotic in general 
B)  Anna,because Americans tend to have relatively low self-esteem 
C)  Michiko,because the Japanese on average report higher levels of neuroticism 
D)  No significant difference would be expected.

Question 15

If a person's sociometer indicates a low probability of rejection and the person is not worried about how she is perceived by others,the person has ________ self-esteem.

Accepted Answer

A)  low 
B)  moderate 
C)  high 
D)  none of the above

Question 16

In Freud's structural model of personality:

Accepted Answer

A)  the superego dominates other structures in determining behavior. 
B)  the ego operates according to the reality principle. 
C)  the ego develops before the id. 
D)  the superego is the realistic,rational portion of the mind.

Question 17

If you were a therapist who endorsed Carl Rogers's person-centered approach to therapy,how would you treat your client?

Accepted Answer

A)  You would observe the client's behavior and then give him critical feedback. 
B)  You would discuss the client's problems and concerns as he understands them. 
C)  You would have the client complete a questionnaire of the five-factor model of personality. 
D)  You would have the client take a battery of projective personality tests.

Question 18

According to your textbook,why is a funeral considered a strong situation?

Accepted Answer

A)  There are many emotional responses involved. 
B)  The serious nature causes people to exaggerate personality differences. 
C)  There is a large number of people involved. 
D)  There are situational influences that cause people to act differently.

Question 19

Imagine that Eysenck has classified one of your roommates as an extravert and the other as an introvert.When you come into the room,you slam the door very loudly,surprising them both.Who would show more physiological arousal to this event?

Accepted Answer

A)  the extravert 
B)  the introvert 
C)  they would both show the same level of arousal 
D)  This personality dimension does not allow one to predict the outcome.

Question 20

How is age related to the stability of personality?

Accepted Answer

A)  Children are more stable in their traits than are older adults. 
B)  There is some stability at any age but particularly after age 50. 
C)  Age and personality stability are basically unrelated. 
D)  Stability in personality traits is constant across development.

Exam 13: Personality