Chapter: Chapter 01: Personality Theory: From Everyday Observations to Systematic Theories

Multiple Choice

1.	The text emphasizes that a big difference between intuitive theories about people and scientific theories of personality is that the personality scientist must			
a)	engage in scientific observation.
b)	interrelate concepts about people systematically.
c)	provide ideas that are testable.
d)	all of the above.					

Ans: d

2.	A unique feature of a course in personality psychology is that, unlike other courses, the focus is on										
a)	motivation.
b)	nervous system functioning.
c)	the whole person.	
d)	social systems and culture. 	

Ans: d

3.	The text defines personality mainly in terms of         				  
a)	consistent patterns of behavior.
b)	unconscious wishes.
c)	traits.
d)	all of the above.

Ans: a

4.	In general terms, the text suggests that the science of personality	
b.	is the study of how individuals differ in their perceptions and how 
c.	these differences relate to their total functioning.
d.	attempts to understand how people are alike while recognizing that individuals are different in some ways.
e.	attempts to develop strategies for further research.
a)	all of the above.

Ans: d

5.	Which of the following are emphasized as central to the study of personality?
a)	individual differences and consistent patterns of functioning.
b)	individual differences and the operation of conscious processes.
c)	patterns of organization and the operation of conscious processes.
d)	all of the above.

Ans: a

6.	Structural concepts refer to                              		 	
e)	stable aspects of personality.
f)	dynamic aspects of personality.
g)	parts of the body.
h)	all of the above.

Ans: a

7.	“Units of analysis” refer to 								
i)	the basic variables of a given theory.
j)	the original source of data for a given theory.
k)	the research methods employed most frequently in a given theory. 
l)	the theoretical assumptions of a given theorist. 

Ans: d

8.	The personality concept that refers to individual consistency and approximates the lay person’s concepts to describe people is           	
m)	response.
n)	habit.
o)	trait.
p)	motive.

Ans: c

9.	A clustering of traits is called a			
q)	unit of analysis. 
r)	type. 
s)	factor.
t)	dimension. 

Ans: b

10.	Concepts such as trait and type fall into which of the following areas?     		
u)	structure.
v)	process.
w)	growth and development.
x)	psychopathology.

Ans: a

11.	Relative to one another in terms of level of organization and degree of abstraction, the following statement is true about the concepts of trait and type.
y)	They are at the same level of organization and abstraction.
z)	The concept of trait suggests more organization and more abstraction than the concept of type.
aa)	The concept of type suggests more organization and more abstraction than the concept of trait.
bb)	No general tendency can be found in relation to the two concepts.

Ans: c

12.	A “system”						
cc)	has many parts
dd)	has interconnections among its parts
ee)	displays behavior that reflects its overall organization
ff)	all of the above 

Ans: d

13.	"Why" type questions are those that address                              		
gg)	the determinants of personality.
hh)	structural factors.
ii)	organization of characteristics.
jj)	motivational characteristics.

Ans: d

14.	When entities are organized in such a manner that one entity is seen as an example of another, or as serving a purpose of the other, one calls this specific overall organization a
kk)	structure.
ll)	hierarchy.
mm)	process.
nn)	system.

Ans: b

15.	The more stable aspects of the person's functioning and the more fluid, changing aspects are covered by the concepts of	
oo)	growth and development.
pp)	process and motive.
qq)	motive and development.
rr)	structure and process.

Ans: d

16.	Internal states of tension that activate action are called		
ss)	traits.
tt)	goals.
uu)	drives.
vv)	beliefs .

Ans: c

17.	Goals, drives, and motives have been particularly central to _____ aspect of personality theories. 										       
ww)	structure
xx)	process
yy)	developmental 
zz)	all of the above 

Ans: b

18.	The phrase “nature versus nurture” refers to the study of 			
aaa)	genetic versus environmental influences. 
bbb)	unconscious versus conscious influences. 
ccc)	family versus peer influences.
ddd)	processes versus structures.

Ans: a

19.	A problem with the “nature versus nurture” formulation is that	
eee)	nature is not important to personality.
fff)	nurture is not important to personality.
ggg)	neither nature nor nurture is important to personality.
hhh)	the “versus” is the problem, i.e., nature and nurture are not opposing forces.

Ans: d

20.	Biologically-based personality tendencies evidence in early childhood are called
iii)	genetics.
jjj)	temperament.
kkk)	structures.
lll)	processes.

Ans: b

21.	Research suggests that temperament is					
mmm)	strongly determined by biological and genetic factors. 
nnn)	is not influenced by the environment.
ooo)	can be influenced by the environment.
ppp)	a & b 
qqq)	a & c 	

Ans: e

22.	Genetic research suggests that in different “racial” and ethnic human groups   
rrr)	there is hardly any overlap at all between groups.
sss)	about half one group’s genetic makeup is similar to that of other groups.
ttt)	most of our genetic makeup is shared, i.e., is common to all groups.

Ans: c

23.	Pinker’s book The Blank Slate argues that 					
uuu)	the mind, at birth, is like a blank slate.
vvv)	personality is primarily the product of social learning experiences.
www)	personality is influenced primarily by parenting.
xxx)	the mind is primarily a product of biological evolution.

Ans: d

24.	An important aspect of cultural influences on personality is that		
yyy)	often we are unaware of the influence.
zzz)	we can always evaluate its influence.
aaaa)	it is the same for all individuals.
bbbb)	it is only important for a few aspects of our functioning.

Ans: a

25.	Parents influence their children's behavior by
f.	selectively rewarding behaviors.
g.	serving as role models.
h.	eliciting specific behaviors by presenting situations to them.
i.	all of the above.

Ans: d

26.	Why are children from the same family so different?        	
a)	They have different genes.
b)	They have different family experiences.
c)	They have different experiences outside the family.
d)	all of the above.

Ans: d

27.	The concept of reaction range suggests that the following set limits on personality development  	
e)	parents.
f)	genes.
g)	cultures.
h)	social class.

Ans: b

28.	The role of genetic factors in personality is most clearly seen in 	
i)	temperament.
j)	beliefs and values.
k)	career choice.
l)	cognitive style.

j.	Ans: a

29.	Which of the following is emphasized as playing a major role in the development of personality?    	
a)	genetic factors.
b)	family environment.
c)	cultural factors.
d)	all of the above.

Ans: d

30.	The text emphasizes that the study of psychopathology is important to consider when studying personality because								
k.	many personality theorists also were therapists treating pathology.
l.	the ability to foster clinical improvement is an important “bottom line” for
evaluating a personality theory.
m.	some sort of theory of personality often is required to solve practical problems.
n.	all of the above.

Ans: d

31.	According to the text, theories serve to            		
o.	establish truth and separate it from fiction.
p.	organize the known and suggest new relationships to be found
q.	fit individuals into defined categories.
r.	disprove other theories.

Ans: b

32.	Theories							
a)	organize what is known.
b)	suggest ways to discover what is not yet known.
c)	may close off avenues of research.
d)	all of the above.

Ans: d

33.	Some possible contributions of theory are to   
e)	sharpen research objectives.
f)	make research more organized.
g)	organize what is known.
h)	all of the above.

Ans: d

34.	The extreme views on whether the determinants of behavior are internal or external are represented by which pair of names?
i)	Allport/Freud.
j)	Sullivan/White.
k)	Freud/Skinner.
l)	White/Kuhn.

Ans: c

35.	Regarding the question of whether individual differences in personality are stable 
over time, it can be said that								
m)	research shows that such differences are not stable. 
n)	research shows that such differences are stable. 
o)	research on the topic is inconclusive.
p)	little or no research has explored this difficult topic.

Ans: b

36.	Which of the following has been a traditional reason for emphasis on the concept of self?	
s.	Self-awareness is an important phenomenological experience.
t.	How we feel about ourselves seems to influence our behavior.
u.	The concept of self expresses the organized, integrated aspects of human personality.
v.	All of the above.

Ans: d

37.	The concept of the unconscious relates to                  	
a)	the methods we use for personality assessment.
b)	whether we use the concept of self.
c)	whether we accept an energy model.
d)	all of the above.

Ans: a

38.	Conscious, rather than unconcious processes, strongly come into play when people
e)	experience emotions.	
f)	have sexual desires.	
g)	contemplate important life decisions.
h)	store information in memory.

Ans: c

39.	A critical question for personality theory concerns                                                   
i)	whether the past or future is more important.
j)	how to conceptualize the role of the past and future.
k)	whether the past can influence the present.
l)	all of the above.

Ans: b

40.	Which of the following is not a criterion for the evaluation of a theory of personality?            
m)	creativity.
n)	simplicity.
o)	research relevance.
p)	comprehensiveness.

Ans: a

41.	It is most important that a theory be                 
q)	useful.
r)	true.
s)	consistent with past theories.
t)	all of the above.

Ans: a

42.	The text suggest that theories should have             	
u)	empirical translation.
v)	testable hypotheses.
w)	clear concepts.
x)	all of the above.

Ans: d

43.	A good theory must have "research relevance," which is to say it  
y)	must not lead to argument and debate.
z)	must account for a wide variety of findings.
aa)	can be useful even if it is false.
bb)	must be shown to be correct.

Ans: c

44.	The text suggests that 					 
cc)	theory is irrelevant to the study of personality.
dd)	theory is fundamental to the study of personality.
ee)	true discovery comes without theory.
ff)	there is agreement in the field concerning the role of theory in research.

Ans: b

45.	Those who emphasize the limits of family influence suggest that	
gg)	society is most important.
hh)	culture is most important.
ii)	genes affect the selection of environments.
jj)	families are only important during the early years.

Ans: c

46.	Evidence of the importance of the common (shared) family environment is found in studies of
kk)	temperament.
ll)	intelligence.
mm)	career choice.
nn)	romantic relationships.

Ans: d

47.	The concepts of band-width and fidelity are analogous to characteristics of a 
oo)	computer.
pp)	radio.
qq)	bicycle.
rr)	all of the above.

w.	Ans: b

48.	49.  According to discussion in the textbook, the fact that there are ____ theories of personality makes it _______ likely that the researchers will face findings and theoretical arguments that challenge their favored view.		
x.	many; more
y.	only a few; more 
z.	many; less 
aa.	Only a few; less 

Ans: a

49.	According to the textbook, what is an advantage of the existence of multiple theories of personality?	
bb.	A decrease in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby avoiding its refinement, extension, and improvement.
cc.	An increase in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby allowing it to remain the same.
dd.	A decrease in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby allowing it to remain the same.
ee.	An increase in the likelihood that a given theory will be challenged, thereby prompting its refinement, extension, and improvement.

Ans: d

50.	In its description of the “toolkit” metaphor, the textbook notes that the idea that a theory could be wrong makes little sense.  Instead, in evaluating theories, we might be better off asking how _______ they are.	
ff.	Conceptual
gg.	Useful
hh.	Psychoanalytic
ii.	Theoretical

Ans: b

51.	According to the “toolkit” metaphor, on what basis should we evaluate theories of personality?	
jj.	According to whether they’re correct most of the time; for instance, of 100 empirical studies that use the theory to explain a phenomenon, more than half should “work.”
kk.	According to what they can accomplish with them, to what advantages they have over other theories, and to what “tools” could be added or subtracted to make them better.
ll.	According to how long they’ve been around, to how many times they’ve been used to explain phenomena, and to how many textbooks in which they appear.
mm.	According to whether they have “intuitive appeal” – that is, some theories make so much sense when one hears about them, that even in the absence of data, one can sense their value.

Ans: b

52.	According to the “toolkit” metaphor, which of the following can be categorized as “tools” contained within a theory?	
nn.	Theoretical concepts.
oo.	Research methods.
pp.	Methods for dong therapy.
qq.	Techniques for assessing personality.
rr.	All of the above.

Ans: e

53.	According to the “toolkit” metaphor, what are some of the jobs a personality psychologist might want to accomplish?
ss.	Describe individual differences.
tt.	Identify basic human motivations.
uu.	Explain the development of a self-concept.
vv.	Predict performance in work settings.
ww.	All of the above.

Ans: e
TRUE-FALSE TEST QUESTIONS

1.	The text definition of personality focuses on patterns of behavior.  

Ans: True

2.	There is only one legitimate definition of personality.  

xx.	Ans: False

3.	The essential quality of the field of personality is concern with the functioning of the total individual.        

Ans: True

4.	Structural concepts refer to the more stable and enduring aspects of personality.

Ans: True

5.	Personality includes both stable and fluid, unchanging and changing aspects.  

Ans: True

6.	Cultural influences on personality are always part of our conscious awareness.

Ans: Falses

7.	The shared family environment is more important than the nonshared environment.

Ans: False	

8.	Genetic factors are more important than environment factors for most personality characteristics.  

Ans: False

9.	In the final analysis, it is how comprehensive a theory is that serves as the best measure of its value.  

Ans: False

10.	Theories are evaluated in terms of whether they are true and valid.  

Ans: False

11.	A good theory only has a narrow scope that allows it to account for very specific data.

Ans: False

12.	Most theorists agree that factors outside of awareness can influence behavior.  

Ans: True

13.	According to the “toolkit” metaphor, the number and diversity of theories of personality is good for the field,

Ans: True

14.	According to the text, theoretical diversity can contribute to the progress of personality psychology as a discipline.  

Ans: True

ESSAY QUESTIONS

1.	The text suggests that everyday conceptions of personality and scientific theories share some things in common but also differ in important ways.  What are the differences?  In particular, what are some thing that the scientific personality psychologist need to accomplish that generally are not accomplished by a layperson who develops an intuitive theory of personality?

2.	What are the “process” versus the “structure” aspects of a personality theory?  In other words, to what psychological phenomena to the terms personality “structure” and “process” refer?

3.	Based on the discussion in the text, what are some important issues that should be discussed in any comprehensive theory of personality?