Personality Psychology Exam 2

What is the main conclusion regarding candidate genes and personality?

There is no single 'extraversion' or 'depression' gene; traits are polygenic and influenced by environment.

What do GWA studies indicate about genetic variants and personality traits?

They show that thousands of common genetic variants have tiny effects on traits.

What is the significance of epigenetics in personality?

Environment shapes gene expression, affecting personality traits.

What does research say about birth order and personality?

Large studies show little-to-no substantive relation between birth order and personality traits.

What were the findings of the ANOVA study on birth order and personality?

No statistically significant differences in personality scores based on birth order.

What was the conclusion regarding astrological signs and personality?

There is no statistically significant difference in Big Five scores based on astrological signs.

What are the assumptions of the biological approach to personality?

Personality traits reflect physiological differences, are influenced by genetics, and are rooted in evolutionary history.

How does the evolutionary perspective explain personality traits?

Traits are biologically programmed to facilitate survival and reproduction.

What is frequency-dependent selection in personality traits?

The success of a trait depends on its commonness; rare traits can be advantageous.

What are the adaptive benefits of extraversion?

Extraversion aids in seeking mates, social rank, and competing for resources.

What is the role of conscientiousness in personality?

Conscientiousness promotes conformity to social standards and persistence.

How does neuroticism contribute to personality?

Neuroticism helps in avoiding danger and managing stress.

What is the significance of openness in personality traits?

Openness encourages exploration, learning, and creativity.

Why might introversion persist if extraversion is adaptive?

Both traits have evolutionary trade-offs and context-dependent benefits.

What are the limitations of the evolutionary perspective on personality?

It is controversial, difficult to test, and does not account for all traits having adaptive advantages.

What did the survey of dog owners reveal about dog personality?

Dog personalities become more stable with age, and older dogs are harder to train.

What is the Feline Five model of personality?

It includes neuroticism, extraversion, dominance, impulsiveness, and agreeableness.

How do 'dog people' and 'cat people' differ in personality traits?

'Dog people' are more extraverted and agreeable, while 'cat people' are more neurotic and open.

What were the findings regarding personality differences between pet owners and non-owners?

No significant differences in the Big Five traits between pet owners and non-owners.

What evidence exists for cross-species personality traits?

Evidence for some of the Big Five traits exists across various species, including primates and domestic animals.

What is the significance of environmental fit in personality traits?

Different environments favor different personalities, impacting adaptability.

What does the term 'niche specialization' refer to in personality?

It describes how different personalities thrive in specific environmental contexts.

What is the relationship between dopamine and personality traits?

Dopamine levels are linked to arousal systems that influence extraversion and introversion.

What is the 'sweet spot' for teaching obedience to dogs?

Around the age of six, when dogs outgrow their excitable puppy stage.

What is the impact of ecological context on personality traits?

Ecological context matters, as traits may be adaptive in some settings but not in others.

What is the role of trade-offs in the persistence of introversion?

Introversion can be safer and more cautious, advantageous in risky environments.

Which personality traits are evident across species?

Extraversion, neuroticism, and agreeableness, though they manifest in different forms.

What trait is clearly identifiable only in chimpanzees?

Conscientiousness.

What aspect of personality is least found in animals?

Openness, potentially due to human conceptualization.

How do boldness and aggressiveness affect spider behavior after web damage?

Bolder spiders are more likely to usurp neighbors' webs, and aggressive spiders are more successful in taking over.

What are the uses of animal models in personality research?

They help investigate biological assumptions, assess early environment impacts, and address animal welfare issues.

What are the three theoretical approaches to personality?

Trait, biological, and psychodynamic.

What does the trait approach suggest about personality?

Personality consists of traits that are consistent over time and situations, partially biologically based.

What is the psychodynamic view of personality?

It reflects how individuals resolve their intrapsychic conflicts.

How does the psychodynamic approach differ from the trait approach?

Psychodynamic suggests individuals can be high and low on certain traits, while trait focuses on consistency.

What is psychological determinism?

The belief that no behavior is random; it is determined by conscious and unconscious drives.

What role does the unconscious play in personality according to Freud?

It contains repressed drives and desires that influence behavior.

What are defense mechanisms?

Psychological strategies used to resolve conflicts and reduce anxiety.

What is repression in the context of defense mechanisms?

Pushing unpleasant thoughts and feelings out of awareness.

What is denial as a defense mechanism?

Refusal to accept reality or the truth of a situation.

What is displacement in terms of defense mechanisms?

Redirecting threatening impulses or desires to a safer target.

What is rationalization?

Generating logical reasons for outcomes that are otherwise unacceptable.

What is reaction formation?

Displaying the opposite of one's true feelings or desires to block an impulse.

What is projection in psychological terms?

Attributing one's own unacceptable qualities to others.

What does sublimation involve?

Converting unacceptable desires into acceptable behaviors.

What is the significance of early childhood experiences in personality development?

They form the foundation for adult personality.

How do attachment styles relate to personality?

They reflect early experiences with caregivers that influence adult relationships.

What are the three main attachment styles identified?

Secure, avoidant, and anxious.

What characterizes a secure attachment style?

Comfortable with closeness and dependence on others.

What is an avoidant attachment style?

Difficulty trusting others and discomfort with closeness.

What defines an anxious attachment style?

Worry about partner's love and fear of abandonment.

What is the role of contemporary research in personality psychology?

It builds on psychodynamic concepts to explore developmental psychology and attachment theory.

What is phenomenology?

The subjective experience of the world.

What are the basic assumptions of phenomenology?

1. People are innately good; society/life inhibits potential. 2. Personality is rooted in perceptions of reality, indicates self-actualization, and is reflected in personal narratives.

What is the doctrine of 'innate purity'?

The belief that people are born moral and pure, and that society corrupts them.

What is the psychodynamic approach's view on human nature?

The doctrine of 'original sin' suggests that people are inherently bad and that socialization inhibits sexual and aggressive urges.

How do subjective perceptions influence personality?

Life has no objective meaning; individual perceptions shape psychological lives and personality.

What is the goal of humanistic (client-centered) therapy?

To help the client become a fully functioning person by providing care, respect, and a non-judgmental environment.

What are existential questions in the context of humanistic psychology?

Questions about finding meaning in a world without objective meaning and how to create meaning and reach potential.

What is self-actualization?

The process of realizing one's full potential and reflecting progress toward finding purpose and living authentically.

What is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

A theory that suggests people have an innate desire for self-actualization, with lower needs needing to be met first.

What does positive psychology emphasize?

Finding meaning and purpose, personal growth, reaching potential, and happiness.

What are the two kinds of well-being in positive psychology?

1. Hedonic well-being: focus on pleasurable activities and positive emotions. 2. Eudaimonic well-being: focus on finding meaning and purpose.

What are five strategies to become happier?

1. Reflect on gratitude. 2. Meditate. 3. Exercise. 4. Foster social connections. 5. Have purpose and goals.

What is the significance of the United Nations World Happiness Report?

It encourages countries to improve the well-being of their citizens, with initiatives like 'Minister of State for Happiness' in the UAE.

How is personality reflected in life stories?

Personality is expressed through the way individuals tell their stories and construe meaning from experiences.

What is the Life-Story Model of Identity proposed by Dr. Dan P. McAdams?

It suggests that people construct their lives as evolving stories that integrate their past and future to provide unity and purpose.

What is psychobiography?

A method that systematically applies psychological theories to understand specific events or the whole person through life history data.

What are the three levels of the self in narrative psychology?

1. Actor: dispositional traits. 2. Agent: personal concerns (motives, goals). 3. Author: identity and life stories.

What is the purpose of the Life Story Interview?

To explore key life events, personal ideologies, and central life themes to understand an individual's narrative.

What is narrative identity?

An internalized and evolving story of the self that explains how you came to be the person you are becoming.

What are the two common types of narrative identities?

Redemptive self and contaminated self.

What characterizes a redemptive self narrative?

It features sequences where the individual is delivered from suffering to an enhanced status or state.

What characterizes a contaminated self narrative?

It has positive beginnings but negative endings.

What are the basic assumptions about personality in the context of culture?

1. People are innately good and society/life keeps us from reaching our full potential. 2. Personality is rooted in perceptions of reality, indicates our journey towards self-actualization, and is reflected in how we tell our stories.

Define culture in the context of personality.

Culture includes customs, habits, beliefs, and values that shape emotions, behavior, and life patterns.

What is cross-cultural psychology?

The study of psychological differences between and within different cultural groups.

What is enculturation?

The process of socialization through which an individual acquires their native culture.

What is acculturation?

The process of socialization through which an individual partially or fully acquires a new cultural outlook.

What are the 'Big Four' cultural characteristics?

1. Individualism vs. Collectivism, 2. Power Distance, 3. Motivation to Achieve/Succeed, 4. Uncertainty Avoidance.

How does individualism influence personality traits?

More individualism is related to higher levels of Extraversion.

How does power distance relate to personality traits?

More power distance is related to higher levels of Conscientiousness.

What is the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and personality traits?

More uncertainty avoidance is related to higher levels of Neuroticism.

What is the significance of the Big Five personality traits in cultural studies?

The Big Five traits are found in over 50 cultures, with Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness being the most replicable.

What is Social Investment Theory?

A theory suggesting that personality development is a result of universal social roles in adulthood.

What is biculturalism?

An individual who has been exposed to and internalized two cultural systems.

What is Bicultural Identity Integration?

The degree to which a bicultural individual perceives their two cultural identities as in harmony or conflict.

What challenges exist for cross-cultural research?

Defining culture, recognizing important subgroups, and the influence of ethnocentrism.

What is ethnocentrism?

The tendency to view other cultures through the lens of one's own cultural background, often exaggerating differences.

What is the outgroup homogeneity bias?

The perception that members of a different group are more similar to each other than they actually are.

What opportunities exist at the intersection of culture and personality?

There are many unknowns that present opportunities for scientific progress in understanding culture's impact on personality.

Classical Conditioning

A form of learning where personality is viewed as patterns of stimulus

Operant Conditioning

A form of learning where personality is viewed as a set of behavioral responses shaped by rewards and punishments.

Social Learning Theory

A theory that personality is a set of conditioned responses plus what we learn from observing others and our expectations for future rewards/punishments.

Contemporary Cognitive Perspective

A view that personality reflects how we behave and how we represent/process information about ourselves, others, and the world.

Tabula Rasa

The concept that the mind is a "blank slate" at birth, a key assumption of behaviorism.

Empiricism

The philosophical root of behaviorism stating that the contents of our mind come from the contents of the world.

Hedonism

The philosophical root of behaviorism stating that organisms learn to maximize pleasure and avoid pain.

Schemas

The ways we represent/process information about ourselves, others, and the world, according to the contemporary cognitive perspective.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A clinical application of the cognitive perspective that aims to retrain the brain to think in more adaptive ways.