AP Psychology Chapter 15: Personality

1. The text defines personality as:

a. the set of personal attitudes that characterizes a person.

b. an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

c. a predictable set of responses to environmental stimuli.

d. an unpredictable set of responses to environmental stimuli.

b.

Which of the following places the greatest emphasis on the unconscious mind?

a. the humanistic perspective

b. the social-cognitive perspective

c. the trait perspective

d. the psychoanalytic perspective

d.

Which of the following is the correct order of psychosexual stages proposed by Freud?

a. oral; anal; phallic; latency; genital

b. anal; oral; phallic; latency; genital

c. oral; anal; genital; latency; phallic

d. anal; oral; genital; latency; phallic

a.

According to Freud, defense mechanisms are methods of reducing:

a. anger.

c. anxiety.

b. fear.

d. lust.

c.

Neo-Freudians such as Adler and Horney believed that:

a. Freud placed too great an emphasis on the conscious mind.

b. Freud placed too great an emphasis on sexual and aggressive instincts.

c. the years of childhood were more important in the formation of personality than Freud had indicated.

d. Freud's ideas about the id, ego, and superego as personality structures were incorrect.

b.

Research on locus of control indicates that internals are _______ than externals.

a. more dependent

b. more intelligent

c. better able to cope with stress

d. more sociable

c.

Which two dimensions of personality have the Eysencks emphasized?

a. extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability

b. internal-external locus of control and extraversion-introversion

c. internal-external locus of control and emotional stability-instability

d. melancholic-phlegmatic and choleric-sanguine

a.

With regard to personality, it appears that:

a. there is little consistency of behavior from one situation to the next and little consistency of traits over the life span.

b. there is little consistency of behavior from one situation to the next but significant consistency of traits over the life span.

c. there is significant consistency of behavior from one situation to the next but little consis- tency of traits over the life span

d. there is significant consistency of behavior from one situation to the next and significant consistency of traits over the life span.

b.

The humanistic perspective on personality:

a. emphasizes the driving force of unconscious motivations in personality.

b. emphasizes the growth potential of "healthy" individuals.

C. emphasizes the importance of interaction with the environment in shaping personality.

d. describes personality in terms of scores on various personality scales.

b.

According to Rogers, three conditions are necessary to promote growth in personality. These are:

a. honesty, sincerity, and empathy.

b. high self-esteem, honesty, and empathy.

c. high self-esteem, genuineness, and acceptance.

d. genuineness, acceptance, and empathy.

d.

Regarding the self-serving bias, psychologists who study the self have found that self-affirming thinking:

a. is generally maladaptive to the individual because it distorts reality by overinflating self-esteem

b. is generally adapted to the individual because it maintains self-confidence and minimizes depression

c. tends to prevent the individual from viewing others with compassion and understanding

d. tends not to characterize people who have experienced unconditional positive regard

b.

Which of Freud's ideas would not be accepted by most contemporary psychologists?

c. The mind is an iceberg with consciousness being the only tip.

b. Sexuality is a potent drive in humans.

a. Development is essentially fixed in childhood.

d. Repression can be the cause of forgetting.

a.

Projective tests such as the Rorschach inkblot test have been criticized because:

a. their scoring system is too rigid and leads to unfair labeling.

b. they were standardized with unrepresentative samples.

c. they have low reliability and low validity.

d. it is easy for people to fake answers in order to appear healthy.

c.

A major criticism of trait theory is that it:

a. places too great an emphasis on early childhood experiences.

b. overestimates the consistency of behavior in different situations.

c. underestimates the importance of heredity in personality development.

d. places too great an emphasis on positive traits.

b.

For humanistic psychologists, many of our behaviors and perceptions are ultimately shaped by whether our _____ is _____ or _____.

a. ego; strong; weak

b. locus of control; internal; external

c. personality structure; introverted; extraverted

d. self-concept; positive; negative

d.

In studying personality, a trait theorist would most likely:

a. use a projective test.

b. observe a person in a variety of situations.

c. use a personality inventory.

d. use the method of free association.

c.

Id is to ego as _____ is to _____.

a. reality principle; pleasure principle

b. pleasure principle; reality principle

c. conscious forces; unconscious forces

d. conscience; "personality executive"

b.

Which of the following is the major criticism of the social-cognitive perspective?

a. It focuses too much on early childhood experiences.

b. It focuses too little on the inner traits of a person.

c. It provides descriptions but not explanations.

d. It lacks appropriate assessment techniques.

b.

Recent research has provided more support for defense mechanisms such as _____ than for defense mechanisms such as _____.

a. displacement; reaction formation

b. reaction formation; displacement

c. displacement; regression

d. displacement; projection

b.

Today's personality researchers focus their work on:

a. basic dimensions of personality.

b. the interaction of persons and environments.

c. grand theories of behavior.

d. a. and b.

d.

Andrew's grandfather, who has lived a rich and productive life, is a spontaneous, loving, and self- accepting person. Maslow might say that he:

a. has an internal locus of control.

b. is an extravert.

c. has resolved all the conflicts of the psychosexual stages.

d. is a self-actualizing person.

d.

Isaiah is sober and reserved; Rashid is fun loving and affectionate. The Eysencks would say that Isaiah ____ and Rashid ______

a. has an internal locus of control; has an external locus of control

b. has an external locus of control; has an internal locus of control

c. is an extravert; is an introvert

d. is an introvert; is an extravert

d.

Dr. Gonzalez believes that most students can be classified as "Type A" or "Type B" according to the intensities of their personalities and competitiveness. Evidently, Dr. Gonzalez is working within the _____ perspective.

a. psychoanalytic

c. humanistic

b. trait

d. social-cognitive

b.

Because Ramona identifies with her politically conservative parents, she chose to enroll in a conservative college. After four years in this environ- ment Ramona's politics have become even more conservative. Which perspective best accounts for the mutual influences of Ramona's upbringing, choice of school, and political viewpoint?

a. psychoanalytic

c. humanistic

b. trait

d. social-cognitive

d.

reciprocal determinism

the two-way interactions of behavior with personal and environmental factors

reality principle

the process by which the ego seeks to gratify impulses of the id in nondestructive ways

identification

the process by which children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos

An example of the self-serving bias described in the text is the tendency of people to:

a. see themselves as better than average on nearly any desirable dimension.

b. accept more responsibility for successes than failures.

c. be overly critical of other people

d. do both a. and b.

d.

redirecting impulses to a less threatening object

displacement

test consisting if a series if inkblots

Rorschach

The conscious executive of personality

ego

personality inventory

MMPI

disguising an impulse by imputting it to another person

projection

switching an unacceptable impulses into its opposite

reaction formation

The unconscious repository of instinctual drives

id

A statistical technique that identifies clusters of personality traits

factor analysis

personality structure that corresponds to a person's conscience

superego

providing self-justifying explanations for an action

rationalization

A projective test consisting of a set of ambiguous pictures

TAT

Which perspective on personality emphasizes the interaction between the individual ronment in shaping personality?

a. psychoanalytic

c. humanistic

b. trait

d. social-cognitive

d.

According to Freud's theory, personality arises in response to conflicts between:

a. our unacceptable urges and our tendency to become self-actualized.

b. the process of identification defense mechanisms. and the ego's

c. the collective unconscious and our individual desires.

d. our biological impulses and the social restraints against them.

d.

The ____ classifies people according to Carl Jung's personality types.

a. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

b. MMPI

c. Locus of Control Scale

d. Kagan Temperament Scale

a.

Seligman has found that humans and animals who are exposed to aversive events they cannot escape may develop:

a. an internal locus of control.

b. a reaction formation.

c. learned helplessness.

d. neurotic anxiety.

c.

Research has shown that individuals who are made to feel insecure are subsequently:

a. more critical of others.

b. less critical of others.

c. more likely to display a self-serving bias.

d. less likely to display a self-serving bias.

a.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a(n):

a. projective personality test.

b. empirically derived and objective personality test.

c. personality test developed mainly to assess job applicants.

d. personality test used primarily to assess locus of control.

b.

Trait theory attempts to:

a. show how development of personality is a lifelong process.

b. describe and classify people in terms of their predispositions to behave in certain ways.

c. determine which traits are most conducive to individual self-actualization.

d. explain how behavior is shaped by the interaction between traits, behavior, and the environment.

b.

With which of the following statements would a social-cognitive psychologist agree?

a. People with an internal locus of control achieve more in school.

b. "Externals" are better able to cope with stress than "internals."

c. "Internals" are less independent than "exter- nals."

d. All of the above are true.

a.

Which of the following statements about selfesteem is not correct?

a. People with low self-esteem tend to be nega- tive about others.

b. People with high self-esteem are less prone to drug addiction.

c. People with low self-esteem tend to be non- conformists.

d. People with high self-esteem suffer less from insomnia.

c.

The Oedipus and Electra complexes have their roots in the:

a. anal stage.

c. latency stage.

b. oral stage.

d. phallic stage.

d.

Which of the following is a common criticism of the humanistic perspective?

a. Its concepts are vauge and subjective

b. The emphasis on the self encourages selfishness in individuals.

c. Humanism fails to appreciate the reality of evil in human behavior.

d. All of the above are common criticisms.

d.

In studying personality, a social-cognitive theorist would most likely make use of:

a. personality inventories.

b. projective tests.

c. observing behavior in different situations. d. factor analyses.

c.

A major difference between the psychoanalytic and trait perspectives is that:

a. trait theory defines personality in terms of behavior; psychoanalytic theory, in terms of its underlying dynamics.

b. trait theory describes behavior but does not attempt to explain it.

c. psychoanalytic theory emphasizes the origins of personality in childhood sexuality. d. all of the above are differences.

d.

The Big Five personality factors are:

a. emotional stability, openness, introversion, sociability, locus of control.

b. neuroticism, extraversion, openness, emotional stability, sensitivity.

c. neuroticism, gregariousness, extraversion, impulsiveness, conscientiousness.

d. emotional stability, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness.

d.

Which of the following was not mentioned in the text as a criticism of Freud's theory?

a. The theory is sexist.

b. It offers few testable hypotheses.

c. there is no evidence of anything like an unconscious

d. The theory ignores the fact that human development is lifelong

c.

According to Freud, _____ is the process by which children incorporate their parents' values into their ______

a. reaction formation; superegos

b. reaction formation; egos

c. identification; superegos

d. identification; egos

c.

Which of the following groups tend to suffer from relatively low self-esteem?

a. women

b. ethnic minorities

c. disabled persons

d. none of the above

d.

In promoting personality growth, the person centered perspective emphasizes all but:

a. empathy.

c. genuineness.

b. acceptance.

d. altruism.

d.

Recent research on the Big Five personality factors provides evidence that:

a. some tendencies decrease during adulthood, while others increase.

b. these traits only describe personality in Western, individualist cultures.

c. the heritability of individual differences in these traits generally runs about 25 percent or less.

d. all of the above are true.

a.

Projective test

personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli

collective unconscious

the repository of universal memories proposed by Jung

psychosexual stages

stages of development proposed by Freud

pleasure principle

the id's demand for immediate gratification

empirically derived test

developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate the group of interest

personality inventory

questionnaire used to assess personality traits

Oedipus complex

a boy's sexual desires toward the opposite-sex parent

preconscious

information that is retrievable but currently not in conscious awareness

Professor Minton believes that people strive to find meaning in life because they are terrified of their own mortality. Evidently, Professor Minton .is a proponent of:

a. terror-management theory.

b. psychodynamic theory.

c. the humanistic perspective.

d. the social-cognitive perspective.

a.

A psychoanalyst would characterize a person who is impulsive and self-indulgent as possessing a strong _____ and a weak _____

a. id and ego; superego

c. ego; superego

b. id; ego and superego

d. id; superego

d.

Jill has a biting, sarcastic manner. According to Freud, she is:

a. projecting her anxiety onto others.

b. fixated in the oral stage of development.

c. fixated in the anal stage of development. d. displacing her anxiety onto others.

b.

James attributes his failing grade in chemistry to an unfair final exam. His attitude exemplifies:

a. internal locus of control.

b. unconditional positive regard.

c. the self-serving bias.

d. reciprocal determinism.

c.

The behavior of many people has been described in terms of a spotlight effect. This means that they

a. tend to see themselves as being above average in ability.

b. perceive that their fate is determined by forces not under their personal control.

c. overestimate the extent to which other people are noticing them.

d. do all of the above.

c.

Because you have a relatively low level of brain arousal, a trait theorist would suggest that you who would naturally seek are a(n)

a. introvert; stimulation

b. introvert; isolation

c. extravert; stimulation

d. extravert; isolation

c.

Because you have a relatively low level of brain arousal, a trait theorist would suggest that you are a(n) ____ who would naturally seek _____

a. introvert; stimulation

b. introvert; isolation

c. extravert; stimulation

d. extravert; isolation

c.

A psychologist at the campus mental health cen- ter administered an empirically derived personality test to diagnose an emotionally troubled student. Which test did the psychologist most likely administer?

a. the MMPI

b. the TAT

c. the Rorschach

d. the Locus of Control Scale

a.

The personality test Teresa is taking involves her describing random patterns of dots. What test is she taking?

a. an empirically derived test

b. the MMPI

c. a personality inventory

d. a projective test

d.

According to the psychoanalytic child who frequently "slips" and calls her teacher perspective, a "mom" probably:

a. has some unresolved conflicts concerning her mother.

b. is fixated in the oral stage of development. c. did not receive unconditional positive regard from her mother.

d. can be classified as having a weak sense of personal control.

a.

In high school, Britta and Debbie were best friends. They thought they were a lot alike, as did everyone else who knew them. After high school, they went on to very different colleges, careers, and life courses. Now, at their twenty-fifth reunion, they are shocked at how little they have in common. Bandura would suggest that their differences reflect the interactive effects of environment, personality, and behavior, which he refers to as:

a. reciprocal determinism.

b. personal control.

c. identification.

d. the self-serving bias.

a.

For his class presentation, Bruce plans to discuss the Big Five personality factors used by people throughout the world to describe others or themselves. Which of the following is not a factor that Bruce will discuss?

a. extraversion

c. independence

b. openness

d. conscientiousness

c.

Dayna is not very consistent in showing up for due. Research class and turning in assignments when they are studies would suggest that Dayna's inconsistent behavior:

a. indicates that she is emotionally troubled and may need professional counseling.

b. is a sign of learned helplessness.

c. is not necessarily unusual.

d. probably reflects a temporary problem in another area of her life.

c.

The school psychologist believes that having a positive self-concept is necessary before students can achieve their potential. Evidently, the school psychologist is working within the perspective.

a. psychoanalytic

c. humanistic

b. trait

d. social-cognitive

c.

Wanda wishes to instill in her children an accepting attitude toward other people. Maslow and Rogers would probably recommend that she:

a. teach her children first to accept themselves.

b. use discipline sparingly.

c. be affectionate with her children only when they behave as she wishes.

d. do all of the above.

a.

Suzy bought a used, high-mileage automobile because it was all she could afford. Attempting to justify her purchase, she raves to her friends about the car's attractiveness, good acceleration, and stereo. According to Freud, is using the defense mechanism of:

a. displacement.

c. rationalization.

b. reaction formation.

d. projection.

c.

Nadine has a relatively high level of brain arousal. Trait theorists would probably predict that she is:

a. an extravert.

c. an unstable person.

b. an introvert.

d. both a. and c.

b.

(Close-Up) During a class discussion, Trevor argues that "positive psychology" is sure to wane in popularity, since it suffers from the same criticisms as humanistic psychology. You counter his argument by pointing out that, unlike humanistic psychology, positive psychology:

a. focuses on advancing human fulfillment.

b. is rooted in science.

c. is not based on the study of individual characteristics.

d. has all of the above characteristics.

b.