Chapter 01
Introduction to Personality Psychology

Multiple Choice Questions
 
1. Features of personality that make people different from one another and that can be used to describe their characteristics are called _____. 
A. differential pronouns
B. trait-descriptive adjectives
C. action-descriptive verbs
D. trait-differentiating adverbs

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2. If one describes Juan as possessive or Anita as friendly, he or she is using: 
A. trait-descriptive adjectives.
B. inner psychological states.
C. strategies to attain goals.
D. inner qualities of personality.

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3. How many trait-descriptive adjectives are there in the English language? 
A. More than 500
B. More than 1,800
C. More than 5,000
D. More than 15,000

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4. A talkative person will: 
A. always talk more than a quiet person.
B. never shut up.
C. talk more than a quiet person in theaters.
D. talk more than a quiet person on average.

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5. Which of the following is NOT an essential ingredient of most psychological mechanisms? 
A. Access codes
B. Decision rules
C. Inputs
D. Outputs

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6. The trait of courageousness is an especially good example of: 
A. an adaptive trait.
B. how traits are consistent.
C. how traits are activated only under particular conditions.
D. how traits change over time.

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7. Personality: 
A. is outside an individual.
B. is within an individual.
C. is both outside and inside an individual.
D. can be inside or outside an individual.

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8. To say that an individual has the trait of happiness, one needs to know whether the individual: 
A. is happy at a given moment.
B. is frequently happy.
C. remembers being happy.
D. makes others happy.

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9. Identify a true statement about personality traits. 
A. They are a random collection of elements for a given person.
B. They cannot help predict differences among people.
C. They change radically from one situation to another.
D. They influence how individuals think and feel.

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10. In the context of person-environment interaction, which of the following is NOT included in interactions with situations? 
A. Serializations
B. Perceptions
C. Manipulations
D. Selections

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11. Melvin looked at an inkblot and saw two birds nesting. Heidi looked at the inkblot and saw a tranquil forest. Joe looked at the inkblot and saw something sexual. These three responses illustrate that _____ are an important component of person-environment interaction. 
A. manipulations
B. provocations
C. perceptions
D. projections

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12. Evocations are produced when: 
A. different people see the same situation differently.
B. one's characteristics unintentionally cause other people to act in a certain way.
C. one intentionally attempts to make other people act in a certain way.
D. individuals select environments to match their traits.

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13. Every time Sid walks into a room, everyone laughs. However, he does not intend to make them laugh. This scenario demonstrates: 
A. evocation.
B. elocution.
C. exultation.
D. emaciation.

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14. Keith has a fear of heights, and he discourages his friends from bungee jumping. He quotes several incidents in which people have been seriously injured while performing the act. In the context of person-environment interaction, this scenario most likely exemplifies _____. 
A. manipulation
B. perception
C. adaptation
D. evocation

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15. Sheba loves to dress fashionably for office parties. Her teammates feel pressurized to match up to her dressing style. However, Sheba does not intend to make them feel pressurized; she simply loves to dress well. In the context of person-environment interaction, this scenario most likely exemplifies _____. 
A. manipulation
B. perception
C. adaptation
D. evocation

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16. Bianca always chooses restaurants that have a quiet, subdued atmosphere. She always tries to avoid loud restaurants. In the context of person-environment interaction, this scenario illustrates _____. 
A. sublimation
B. selection
C. suggestion
D. sophistication

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17. At a psychological level, the physical environment may lead to the development of: 
A. shivering mechanisms when people feel cold.
B. hunger pangs to motivate people to seek food.
C. friction mechanisms to prevent calluses on skin.
D. fear mechanisms to help people avoid environmental threats.

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18. In the social environment, one's "effective environment" represents: 
A. the strongest environmental cues that are found in any given environment.
B. the environmental cues that are directly related to survival in his or her immediate environment.
C. a set of cues emitted by other people in the environment.
D. the subset of environmental features that one's psychological mechanisms direct him or her to attend and respond to.

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19. One's intrapsychic environment is: 
A. not as objectively verifiable as one's social or physical environment.
B. often easy to verify through an analysis of dreams.
C. relatively consistent across the social environment but not the physical environment.
D. based on how others react in an environment.

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20. Intrapsychic means "_____." 
A. enduring over time
B. within the mind
C. intentional influence
D. organized

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21. The human nature level of personality analysis addresses how every human being is, in certain respects, _____. 
A. like all others
B. like some others
C. like no others
D. somewhat like other mammals

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22. The individual and group differences level of personality analysis addresses how every human being is, in certain respects, _____. 
A. like all others
B. like some others
C. like no others
D. somewhat like other mammals

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23. The individual uniqueness level of personality analysis addresses how every human is, in certain respects, _____. 
A. like all others
B. like some others
C. like no others
D. somewhat like other mammals

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24. The ability to learn and use a language is an example of the: 
A. human nature level of personality analysis.
B. individual and group differences level of personality analysis.
C. individual uniqueness level of personality analysis.
D. social psychological level of personality analysis.

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25. Studying how people vary in levels of anxiety, self-esteem, or worry represents the _____ approach to studying personality psychology. 
A. individual differences
B. human nature
C. idiographic
D. environmental

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26. Which of the following is an example of idiographic research? 
A. Comparing men and women on emotionality
B. Developing a questionnaire that measures sociability
C. Writing a case study of Albert Einstein's personality
D. Conducting a field study of helping behaviors

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27. Which of the following is an example of nomothetic research? 
A. Preparing a case study of Sigmund Freud
B. Statistically comparing freshmen and seniors on a personality inventory
C. Attempting to identify the genes related to impulsivity
D. Analyzing the correspondence of Chris Rock

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28. A study of a single individual is an example of: 
A. idiographic research.
B. nomothetic research.
C. correlational research.
D. cognitive psychology research.

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29. Psychologists most often focus on _____ when doing research. 
A. idiographic research
B. human nature
C. individual uniqueness in personality
D. group and individual differences in personality

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30. Most of the grand theories of personality address the _____ level of analysis. 
A. idiographic
B. human nature
C. individual uniqueness
D. group and individual differences

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31. A problem with studying only the grand theories of personality is that only parts of them: 
A. have stood the test of time and guide modern personality research.
B. apply to men.
C. are based on non-German populations.
D. address the human nature level of analysis.

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32. Grand theories of personality are usually centered on statements about the: 
A. universal core of human nature.
B. major individual differences.
C. individual uniqueness of all humans.
D. differences between the genders.

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33. In modern personality psychology, grand theories: 
A. guide all modern personality researches.
B. are criticized in extensive research literature.
C. are primarily of historical interest.
D. are used only in the clinical application of personality theory.

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34. The ancient legend of the three blind men who were presented with an elephant suggests that: 
A. people are like animals in some ways and all living creatures have a personality.
B. individual and group differences help in studying personality.
C. each of the different perspectives on personality is individually inadequate to describe the entire realm of human personality.
D. using ancient legends is an inadequate approach to explaining the full range of differences in human personality.

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35. The various views of researchers in personality stem from the fact that: 
A. researchers study different domains of knowledge.
B. most views about personality psychology are incorrect.
C. one of the views is probably more accurate than others.
D. personality psychologists ignore others' theories.

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36. A domain of knowledge is a: 
A. laboratory where personality research is conducted.
B. single theory about the nature of personality.
C. specialty area of science and scholarship.
D. grand theory of personality psychology.

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37. Researchers in a given domain of personality share all of these EXCEPT: 
A. common methods for asking questions.
B. a foundation of known facts.
C. theoretical explanations.
D. a common laboratory space.

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38. When different theoretical perspectives appear incompatible on the surface, one can conclude that: 
A. the most recent perspectives are the most accurate.
B. the historical perspectives are the most accurate.
C. none of the perspectives is correct.
D. the contradictions may be more apparent than real.

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39. The dispositional domain deals centrally with: 
A. the ways in which individuals differ from one another.
B. the emotional consequences of dispositions.
C. the biological nature of dispositions.
D. the outer nature of dispositions.

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40. Identify a true statement about the personality psychologists working in the biological domain of knowledge about human nature. 
A. They are interested in the origins of the important individual differences.
B. They are interested in the advances in behavioral genetic research.
C. They focus on the forces that often operate outside the realm of consciousness.
D. They focus on one's experience that entails the self and self-concept.

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41. Which of the following is NOT an area of research within the biological domain of knowledge about human nature? 
A. Subjective experience
B. Genetics
C. Psychophysiology
D. Evolution

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42. A researcher who compares identical twins to fraternal twins most likely conducts his or her research within the _____ domain. 
A. intrapsychic
B. biological
C. adjustment
D. cognitive-experiential

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43. Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature deals with mental mechanisms of personality, many of which operate outside of conscious awareness? 
A. The cognitive-experiential domain
B. The biological domain
C. The intrapsychic domain
D. The adjustment domain

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44. In the context of the distinct domains of knowledge about human nature, the _____ domain is most closely linked with the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud. 
A. biological
B. dispositional
C. social and cultural
D. intrapsychic

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45. Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature includes defense mechanisms, such as repression, denial, and projection? 
A. The dispositional domain
B. The adjustment domain
C. The social and cultural domain
D. The intrapsychic domain

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46. Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature deals centrally with the ways in which individuals differ from one another? 
A. The biological domain
B. The dispositional domain
C. The intrapsychic domain
D. The social and cultural domain

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47. The cognitive-experiential domain of knowledge about human nature _____. 
A. deals centrally with the ways in which individuals differ from one another
B. deals with mental mechanisms of personality that operate outside of conscious awareness
C. focuses on thought processes and subjective familiarity
D. focuses on how personality is affected by the social and cultural context

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48. Which of the following domains of knowledge is based on the assumption that personality is not something that merely resides within the heads, nervous systems, and genes of individuals, but it affects, and is affected by, external factors? 
A. The dispositional domain
B. The social and cultural domain
C. The biological domain
D. The intrapsychic domain

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49. Which of the following domains of knowledge about human nature focuses on the relationship between personality and gender differences? 
A. The dispositional domain
B. The adjustment domain
C. The social and cultural domain
D. The cognitive-experiential domain

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50. Which of the following domains of knowledge focuses on the relationship between personality and health-related behaviors? 
A. The dispositional domain
B. The adjustment domain
C. The social and cultural domain
D. The cognitive-experiential domain

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51. Simone, a personality researcher, is studying human longevity. Her study focuses on how an individual's personality determines how long he or she will live. In this scenario, Simone is most likely studying the _____ of knowledge about human nature. 
A. dispositional domain
B. adjustment domain
C. social and cultural domain
D. intrapsychic domain

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52. Kevin, a personality researcher, is writing an article on human emotions. He explores aspects like whether an individual expresses his or her emotions easily. Also, he evaluates factors that make an individual emote in a particular manner. In this scenario, Kevin is most likely studying the _____ of knowledge about human nature. 
A. dispositional domain
B. adjustment domain
C. social and cultural domain
D. cognitive-experiential domain

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53. The study of personality disorders falls within the _____ domain of knowledge about human nature. 
A. biological
B. social and cultural
C. adjustment
D. intrapsychic

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54. Lillian is interested in understanding how borderline personality disorder affects everyday behavior in a clinical population. She most likely will use the methods and the models of the _____ domain of knowledge about human nature in conducting her research. 
A. dispositional
B. biological
C. adjustment
D. intrapsychic

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55. Which of the following is NOT a purpose of a good theory? 
A. To serve as a guide for researchers
B. To eliminate domains of knowledge
C. To organize known findings
D. To make predictions

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56. _____ are tested by systematic observations that can be repeated by others and that yield similar conclusions, whereas _____ are based on faith, not on reliable facts and systematic observations. 
A. Theories; beliefs
B. Beliefs; theories
C. Domains; approaches
D. Approaches; domains

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57. Which of the following standards for evaluating personality theories guides researchers to important new discoveries? 
A. Compatibility and integration across domains and levels
B. Heuristic value
C. Testability
D. Parsimony

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58. Which of the following scientific standards for evaluating personality theories ascertains whether a theory does a good job of explaining all of the facts and observations within its domain? 
A. Parsimony
B. Heuristic value
C. Comprehensiveness
D. Compatibility and integration across domains and levels

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59. Which of the following scientific standards for evaluating personality theories ascertains whether a theory contains few premises and assumptions or many premises and assumptions? 
A. Parsimony
B. Heuristic value
C. Comprehensiveness
D. Testability

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60. As a standard for evaluating personality theories, compatibility and integration across domains and levels ascertains whether a personality theory: 
A. is heavily based on premises and assumptions established in another domain.
B. in one domain violates well-established principles in another domain.
C. provides precise predictions that can be tested empirically.
D. does a good job of explaining all of the facts and observations within its domain.

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61. George's theory of personality leads to the discovery of new links between cognition and brain function that were previously believed to be impossible. George's theory has: 
A. comprehensiveness.
B. heuristic value.
C. testability.
D. parsimony.

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62. As a general rule, the testability of a theory rests with: 
A. the generalizability of its predictions.
B. its compatibility with other theories.
C. the precision of its predictions.
D. its comprehensiveness.

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