Deck 1: Introduction Evaluating Personality Theories

Question 1

The study of personality stems from two different approaches.What are these?

A) academic psychology and clinical practice
B) meditation and self-assessment
C) laboratory research on animal behavior and case studies on group behavior
D) social psychology and learning theory

Answer 1

 A

Question 2

John Watson's extreme behaviorist views were adopted and taken even further by

A) Gordon Allport.
B) Carl Rogers.
C) Sigmund Freud
D) B.F. Skinner

Answer 2

 D

Question 3

The basic philosophical issue of optimism versus pessimism that personality theorists consider centers on whether

A) people can change their personalities over time.
B) human nature is fundamentally good or bad.
C) hope is an essential feature of psychotherapy.
D) personality theories can adequately explain or predict human behavior.

Answer 3

 A

Question 4

When we use the term personality in everyday speech,we are usually referring to

A) unconscious forces.
B) an unorganized pattern of the perception of "I."
C) that which determines an individual's behavior.
D) an individual's public image or social role.

Question 5

Of the following questions,which most accurately reflects the study of personality?

A) How do humans differ from animals?
B) Who am I?
C) How have humans changed over the course of history?
D) When are behavior patterns determined?

Question 6

Which of the following personality theorists considered the concept of personality to be unnecessary?

A) Gordon Allport
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Carl Rogers
D) B. F. Skinner

Question 7

According to the text,personality theorists develop,test,and apply their theories in three complementary orientations,in which they act as philosophers,scientists,and

A) artists.
B) theorists.
C) architects.
D) engineers.

Question 8

Freud's theory of personality was developed on the basis of

A) rigorous scientific testing of human behavior in laboratory settings.
B) experimentation on animals, the results of which were generalized to humans.
C) his experience living in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
D) his own clinical observations.

Question 9

People of ________________ have engaged in scholarly efforts to understand themselves by constructing theories of personality.

A) North America
B) the United States and Europe
C) all cultures
D) the Western world

Question 10

Because they refer to an extraordinary vision,philosophical statements are said to be

A) global.
B) comprehensive.
C) relevant.
D) epiphanic.

Question 11

Why are theories of personality constructed?

A) To help us understand human nature
B) To zero in on one general explanation
C) To sum up research
D) Because they're necessitated by nature

Question 12

Of the following philosophical assumptions,which one concerns a person's ability to control his own behavior and understand the motives behind it?

A) Freedom versus determinism
B) Heredity versus environment
C) Uniqueness versus universality
D) Optimism versus pessimism

Question 13

If a personality theory is riddled with inconsistencies and contradictions,it is most likely to be criticized as

A) irrelevant.
B) lacking comprehensiveness.
C) unscientific.
D) incoherent.

Question 14

A set of abstract concepts used to explain a group of facts or events is called

A) an empirical statement.
B) an operational definition.
C) a theory.
D) personality.

Question 15

What do personality theorists seek to accomplish in their role of scientists?

A) They deal with the study of ultimate reality.
B) They apply their findings to foster better living.
C) They explore what it means to be a person.
D) They test hypotheses to explain human behavior.

Question 16

Macro theories of personality are to micro theories as ________ is to ________.

A) global; specific
B) implicit; explicit
C) optimistic; pessimistic
D) reactive; proactive

Question 17

John Watson recommended that psychologists should emphasize the study of

A) overt behaviors.
B) mental processes.
C) introspection.
D) covert behaviors.

Question 18

To be meaningful,a philosophical assumption should have some bearing on our view of reality.In other words,it should be

A) comprehensive.
B) coherent.
C) relevant.
D) compelling.

Question 19

Sigmund Freud viewed personality as

A) a concept unworthy for psychologists to study.
B) unconscious and hidden.
C) entirely dependent on temporary circumstances.
D) independent from the influence of childhood experiences.

Question 20

Historically,formal discussion of theories of personality have been dominated by a(n)

A) Western focus.
B) feminist focus.
C) Afrocentric focus.
D) Asian focus.

Question 21

An experiment is a research method in which the researcher

A) systematically varies one factor to see if it has any effect on another factor.
B) assumes that changes in the dependent variable create changes in the independent variable.
C) systematically varies two or more factors at the same time and records the results.
D) is able to make predictions in everyday life with the same precision as in the laboratory.

Question 22

The major problem with projective tests,such as the Rorschach,is that they

A) are difficult to score objectively.
B) present ambiguous stimuli.
C) are interpreted differently by each patient.
D) lack standardized instructions for administration.

Question 23

Sasha can be characterized as shy,tired,hungry,and attractive.Which of the following describes one of Sasha's personality traits?

A) She is shy.
B) She is attractive.
C) She is tired.
D) She is hungry.

Question 24

A psychological researcher notices that in his or her studies,people with physical characteristic A possess high levels of personality trait B.The researcher then concludes that people outside his or her studies who have physical characteristic A also have high levels of personality trait B.This application of the results to individuals outside the study sample illustrates

A) generalization.
B) validation.
C) paradigm shift.
D) consensual validation.

Question 25

What is an objective personality test that is made up of over 550 self-report items to which the participant answers "true," "false," or "cannot say"?

A) Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).
B) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).
C) Rorschach.
D) Stanford-Binet IQ Test.

Question 26

Philosophical statements are ultimately tested by

A) rigorous experimentation.
B) perceptual observation.
C) empirical means.
D) their compellingness.

Question 27

Thomas Kuhn suggests that scientific activity is

A) an inappropriate way to study human behavior.
B) based on private, intrinsically unique perceptions.
C) secondary to philosophical knowledge.
D) based on a paradigm that existed before the scientific activity took place.

Question 28

What is an operational definition?

A) An inferred conclusion based on coinciding observations
B) A specification of the behaviors included in a concept
C) An imaginary, or hypothetical, construct
D) A statement based on deductive reasoning and knowledge

Question 29

In evaluating the usefulness of an assessment technique,the most important factor to consider is the test's

A) objectivity.
B) reliability.
C) standardization.
D) validity.

Question 30

Scientists use the term __________________ to describe agreement among observers.

A) validity
B) consensual validation
C) subjective data
D) generalization

Question 31

After first having read about Freud's theory in her textbook,Joyce exclaimed,"I don't believe any of this is really true." Joyce is disputing the theory's

A) coherence.
B) compellingness.
C) comprehensiveness.
D) relevance.

Question 32

The compatibility of a hypothesis refers to its

A) simplicity of purpose.
B) compelling epiphanic character.
C) agreement with previously established information.
D) ability to generate confirmatory findings.

Question 33

A psychometrist constructs a new personality test.He finds that the test scores do not vary from one administration of the test to the next.He also finds that the test does not adequately measure the global concept of personality.We can categorize the test as being ________ in reliability and ________ in validity.

A) high; low
B) high; high
C) low; high
D) low; low

Question 34

Who is most closely associated with the term paradigm as applied to scientific study?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) Thomas Kuhn
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Carl Rogers

Question 35

Subjective data differ from objective data because

A) subjective data are not based on empirical data.
B) subjective data are more difficult to validate consensually.
C) psychologists are not concerned with subjective data.
D) subjective data refer to things outside the self.

Question 36

One requirement of scientific statements is that they be

A) based on extrasensory perception.
B) open to falsification.
C) based on an epiphanic act of knowledge.
D) evaluated by their compellingness.

Question 37

A model or concept of the world that is shared by the members of the community and that governs their activities is called a(n)

A) paradigm.
B) operational definition.
C) philosophical assumption.
D) scientific statement.

Question 38

Imaginary,or hypothetical,concepts that are invoked by scientists are called

A) empirical statements.
B) objective data.
C) operational definitions.
D) scientific constructs.

Question 39

What is a statistical tool that indicates the extent to which changes in one factor are accompanied by changes in a second factor?

A) variance
B) correlation
C) mean
D) dependent variable

Question 40

The logical consistency of a philosophical assumption refers to the criterion of

A) comprehensiveness.
B) coherence.
C) compellingness.
D) relevance.

Question 41

A Freudian psychoanalyst would probably prefer to be evaluated in terms of

A) the number of his or her patients who no longer display troublesome symptoms.
B) the cost- and time-effectiveness of his or her therapeutic methods.
C) whether he or she created the kind of conditions in therapy that promote therapeutic change.
D) whether he or she helped patients to understand themselves better.

Question 42

Which of the following approaches to psychotherapy did Hans Eysenck advocate the most?

A) behaviorist
B) psychoanalytic
C) humanistic
D) cognitive

Question 43

Define the term theory.

Question 44

What are some of the paradigms that we share today and that govern our activities? Compare these to some of the paradigms shared by society 100 years ago.

Question 45

Explain the philosophical issue of heredity versus environmental factors as considered by personality theorists.

Question 46

In 1952,______________ stunned the therapeutic community with a report on treatment outcomes indicating that various forms of psychotherapy are no more effective than a placebo or no treatment.

A) Freud
B) Rogers
C) Eysenck
D) Rychlak

Question 47

Describe three functions of personality theories.

Question 48

Explain the characteristics of scientific statements.

Question 49

Discuss the roles of academic psychology and clinical practice in the evolution of the study of personality.

Question 50

Explain why it is important to distinguish among the different functions of personality theories.

Question 51

What is a paradigm,and how is this concept relevant to the study of personality?

Question 52

Explain the philosophical issue of freedom versus determinism as considered by personality theorists.

Question 53

Assume that you are a scientist faced with two rival hypotheses.Explain the criteria you would use to decide between them.

Question 54

The word therapy comes from a Greek term,the literal meaning of which is

A) "relate" and "observe."
B) "attending" and "healing."
C) "dialogue" and "communication."
D) "teaching and "educating."

Question 55

Discuss the criteria by which philosophical assumptions are evaluated.

Question 56

Describe two major techniques of assessing personality and three primary research approaches used in personality.

Question 57

Identify three major motives or goals of therapy and give an example of a therapy that addresses each goal.

Question 58

Carl Rogers,who focused on improving a client's life by creating the kind of climate that fosters therapeutic change,best exemplifies which motive of therapy?

A) Curative
B) Ethical
C) Primary
D) Scholarly

Question 59

Explain why personality is difficult to define and briefly cite two different definitions given by personality theorists.

Question 60

One of the philosophical issues about which personality theorists debate is uniqueness versus universality.Which of these two points of view do you prefer?

Question 61

How can an appreciation of a wide range of personality theories (e.g.,both Western and non-Western) influence one's tolerance for cultural diversity or political viewpoints?

Question 62

Why do such close relationships exist between particular psychotherapy approaches and particular theories of personality?

Question 63

How does the scientific concept of generalization,with which personality theorists struggle,relate to the concepts of stereotyping and prejudice?