Psych Final

A

A _____ can be defined as an enduring attribute that describes one's likelihood of entering temporarily into a particular _____. A) trait; state B) trait; behavior C) state; trait D) state; behavior

A

A personality trait should be thought of as a dimension rather than an all-or-none attribute because traits are: A) continuous, measurable characteristics along which people differ by degree. B) explanations of how people differ from others, not just simple measures. C) inner entities that must be inferred from observed behavior, which necessarily involves measurement error. D) relatively stable predispositions to behave in a certain way, not absolute predictions about behavior.

A

A physiologist psychologist might use a(n) ______ explanation to explain why people are different from one another in personality, while an evolutionary psychologist is likely to use a(n) _________ explanation. A) proximate; ultimate B) ultimate; proximate C) humanistic; ideocentric D) ideocentric; humanistic

A

A self-enhancing bias is demonstrated when people tend to compare themselves favorably with others and attribute their success to their personal qualities and their failure to situational causes. Research has shown that this bias is: A) typical in Western cultures but not in Eastern ones. B) typical in Eastern cultures but not in Western ones. C) universal. D) common in children but not in adults.

C

According to Charles Cooley, _____ refers to the major aspect of our self-concept that is based on other people's reactions to us. A) the Pygmalion effect B) person schema C) the looking-glass self D) self-esteem

D

According to the American Psychiatric Association, which of the following conditions must be met in order for a syndrome to be regarded as evidence of a mental disorder? A) clinically significant distress or impairment of functioning B) indications that the source of the syndrome is located within the person and not the immediate environment C) indications that the syndrome is not the result of a voluntary choice D) all of these conditions must be met

D

According to the hopelessness theory of depression, depression-prone individuals tend to attribute their negative experiences to causes that are: A) unstable and global. B) unstable and specific. C) stable and specific. D) stable and global.

A

According to the text, children have a greater chance of passing false-belief tests if: A) they engage in pretend role play with others and have older siblings who draw them into role-play and teach them how to do it. B) they engage in lots of pretend role play with other children. C) they lack older siblings because greater responsibility is put upon them to acquire the knowledge necessary for differentiating between make-believe play and reality. D) they have older siblings who draw them into role play and teach them how to do it.

D

Although far from proven, one promising current theory of depression is that the disorder results from: A) unusually low levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain. B) motor and sensory areas becoming less active than normal and areas known to inhibit those motor and sensory areas becoming more active. C) excessive activity at brain synapses where dopamine is the neurotransmitter. D) a stress-induced loss of neurons or neural connections in certain parts of the brain

A

An example of a negative symptom in schizophrenia would be: A) lack of normal emotions. B) delusions. C) hallucinations. D) bizarre motor movements

B

An individual experiencing chronic mild to moderate depressive symptoms for over a twoyear or longer period would probably be diagnosed as suffering from: A) major depression. B) dysthymia. C) double depression. D) bipolar disorder

B

Any belief or opinion that has an evaluative component is called a(n): A) attribution. B) attitude. C) schema. D) value.

A

Both twin studies and adoption studies have shown that, on average, being raised in the same family has a(n): A) almost negligible effect on most measures of personality. B) highly significant effect on most measures of personality. C) significant effect on some measures of personality but not on those thought to have a physiological basis, such as extroversion-introversion. D) significant effect on some measures of personality but only for people who are also biologically related.

A

Consistent with the elaboration-likelihood model of persuasion, research suggests that people are more likely to process a message logically and systematically if the message has: A) high personal relevance. B) low personal relevance. C) strong arguments in its favor. D) weak arguments in its favor

A

David Lykken gave personality tests to twins separated in infancy and raised apart, as well as twins raised in the same home. He found that: A) whether they were raised together or apart, the identical twins showed more similarity to one another than did the fraternal twins. B) the identical twins raised apart showed less similarity to one another than did the fraternal twins raised together. C) the identical twins showed more similarity to one another than did fraternal twins when raised together but not when raised apart. D) none of the twins showed more similarity to one another than other studies have found among nontwin siblings.

A

Dozens of research studies on the relationship between birth order and scores on personality tests have been conducted and their results compared to those of Sulloway's historical studies. Which of the following statements accurately reflects the comparison between these contemporary studies and Sulloway's? A) Many contemporary studies have found that there are no effects of birth order on personality in contrast to Sulloway's conclusions. B) The very large effects of birth order found by Sulloway have, for the most part, been replicated in contemporary studies. C) Contemporary findings paint a very different picture of birth order than Sulloway does, with firstborns being clearly higher in openness than later-born children. D) Although many studies have found similar effects of birth order on personality, Sulloway's work has fallen into disfavor because the people he studied numbered fewer than 20.

C

Experimental evidence supports the theory that stereotype-threat, like other causes of choking on tests, involves: A) the test taker's overpreparation for the test. B) anxiety caused by unfamiliarity with the test questions. C) a reduction in available working-memory. D) neurotic tendencies in the personalities of those affected

C

Factor analysis is an essential tool in the construction of a _____ theory of personality. A) humanistic B) social-cognitive C) trait D) psychodynamic

C

If an individual is exhibiting behavior that seems odd to other people but is experiencing no real distress or impairment of functioning as a result of the behavior, that person would: A) be considered to have some sort of mental disorder. B) be considered to have a predisposition to a mental disorder. C) not be classified as having a mental disorder according to the standards set by the American Psychiatric Association. D) be classified as having a schizophrenic disorder according to the standards set by the American Psychiatric Association

A

In anxiety disorders, when the problematic stimulus is very specific, the symptom is generally referred to as _____; when it is vague or not identifiable, the term _____ is generally used. A) fear; anxiety B) anxiety; generalized anxiety C) fear; phobia D) phobia; anxiety

B

In making judgments about the cause of someone else's behavior, people from Eastern cultures are _____ likely than people from Western cultures to show evidence of the _____ . A) less; situation bias B) less; person bias C) more; fundamental attribution error D) more; self-serving attributional bias

B

Individualistic cultures emphasize: A) the interdependence of people with others. B) the independence of each person. C) attributing one's success to one's family or other social groups. D) interdependence, families, and other social groups.

B

Long-term research in Finland has shown that a disorganized, hard-to-follow, or highly emotional communication pattern in adoptive parents is: A) associated with more schizophreniclike thinking in children, regardless of the children's genetic predisposition to the disorder. B) associated with more schizophreniclike thinking only in children at high genetic risk to develop the disorder. C) associated with more schizophreniclike thinking only in children at low genetic risk to develop the disorder. D) not associated with the development of schizophreniclike thinking in children despite the widespread acceptance of this hypothesis.

C

Many studies have been conducted to assess the stability of the Big-Five personality characteristics, such as the Big Five, in adults over time. In sum, these studies have demonstrated correlation coefficients of: A) .05 to .10. B) .20 to .35. C) .50 to .70. D) .85 to .98.

B

Mental health professions use the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) because it provides them a: A) guide to accepted treatments for specific mental disorders. B) standardized system for diagnosing mental disorders. C) procedural guide for researching mental disorders. D) all of these things.

B

Mr. Tanaka has been diagnosed with the syndrome known as taijin kyofusho. This disorder, which is diagnosed in men more than woman, and most commonly in Japan, involves: A) an incapacitating fear of close quarters and high places in conjunction with an almost uncontrollable urge to jump or thrash out. B) an incapacitating fear of offending or harming others through one's own awkward social behavior or imagined physical defect. C) such behaviors as fidgeting, leaving one's seat without permission, and talking excessively. D) an incapacitating fear of any association with other people.

B

Perhaps the most surprising finding from the Minnesota twin study led by David Lykken was that: A) identical twins were no more similar to each other in personality than were fraternal twins. B) shared family environment has an almost negligible effect on personality. C) almost 100 percent of the variability in personality traits among individuals results from genetic differences. D) fraternal twins and identical twins raised apart are more similar than regular siblings raised together.

B

Posttraumatic stress disorder differs from other anxiety disorders in that it: A) strikes only children. B) is directly and explicitly tied to a very stressful incident or set of incidents in the person's experience. C) is the only anxiety disorder that is not associated with some physiological manifestation. D) involves no hereditary predisposition

C

Psychologists use the term _____ to refer to a relatively stable predisposition to behave in a certain way. A) personality B) state C) trait D) factor

C

Research has shown that groups produce effective solutions to problems when: A) leaders strongly advocate a view that they believe in. B) the primary emphasis is on internal cohesion. C) members focus clearly on the problem to be solved. D) members refrain from arguing with one another.

A

Research subjects who have been led to believe that they can solve problems that are actually unsolvable: A) persist longer at trying to solve them than other subjects do. B) believe they have solved them when in fact they have not. C) quit the task sooner than other subjects. D) are more likely to feel a sense of failure than other subjects.

C

Research suggests that schizophrenia is associated with: A) an unusually high susceptibility to hypnosis. B) a breakdown in defenses against anxiety. C) poor sustained attention. D) learned, pessimistic patterns of thinking.

A

Research suggests two predisposing causes of generalized anxiety disorder, namely: A) genetics and frequent, unpredictable traumatic childhood experiences. B) major life changes or disturbing events in adulthood and hypervigilance. C) genetics and major life changes in adulthood. D) traumatic childhood experiences and major life changes or disturbing events in adulthood.

C

Researchers studying the relationships between specific genes and specific personality traits have found: A) such work to be virtually impossible given current limitations in technology, though it is promising for the future. B) small but significant correlations between specific personality traits and groups of six to eight genes, results that have been replicated. C) small but significant correlations between specific characteristics and single genes that affect neurotransmitter action, but attempts to replicate the results have been inconsistent. D) no evidence for the effect of specific genes on personality, despite heritability estimates that are generally accepted.

C

Researchers using the rouge test to investigate self-awareness have found that: A) all primates pass this test of self-recognition. B) some nonprimates, such as dogs and cats, pass the test if they have had extensive experience with mirrors. C) children under 18 months of age will touch the mirror or try to look behind it to find the red-nosed child that they do not realize is them. D) All of these statements are correct.

B

Sibling contrast may be an adaptive mechanism for avoiding the problems presented by: A) split-parent identification. B) sibling rivalry. C) unequal parental investment. D) birth-order effects

A

Sociometer theory was developed by: A) Mark Leary. B) Charles Cooley. C) Fritz Heider. D) Harold Kelley.

B

Suppose that you direct a lot of your attention toward a particular social group and that group becomes an important basis of comparison for your attitudes, characteristics, abilities, and values. The group would now be considered a _____ group for you. A) stereotype B) comparative C) social identity D) reference

A

Tests of self-awareness in humans and nonhuman animals indicate that by _____, human infants can recognize their mirror image as a reflection of themselves _____. A) age 18 months; as can chimpanzees. B) age 18 months; as can all other primates and a few other mammalian species. C) age 9 months; and they are the only primates to do so at any age. D) age 9 months; and no comparable test has yet been developed to assess this ability in other primates.

A

The essential difference between traits and states is that: A) traits are enduring whereas states are temporary. B) traits cause variations in behavior and states cause variations in personality. C) traits can be inferred from behavior but states cannot. D) traits are innate to the person and states are developed through interaction with the environment.

D

The five-factor model of personality identifies the five major personality traits that: A) appear earliest in personality development. B) are so unique that they do not correlate with any observable behavior. C) provoke the most controversy among personality theorists today. D) have repeatedly appeared in recent factor-analytic studies conducted with a variety of cultures and age groups.

B

The kinds of precipitating experiences most strongly associated with depression are: A) demanding situations that stem from positive life decisions, such as going to college. B) losses that mean a permanent change in the nature of the individual's life. C) personal choices that require an adjustment in self-image. D) physical illnesses that deplete energy

B

The most central concept in personality psychology is the ________, defined as a relatively stable predisposition to behave in a certain way. A) state of motivation B) trait C) personality theory of stability D) Big Five

D

The most common compulsions experienced by people with obsessive-compulsive disorders are: A) acting to prevent disease, disfigurement, and death. B) acting to prevent financial gain or loss and sexuality. C) talking and eating. D) cleaning and checking.

D

The precipitating cause of generalized anxiety disorder is thought to be: A) an unpredictable traumatic experience in childhood. B) hypervigilance. C) inadequate activity at synapses where dopamine is the neurotransmitter. D) a major life change or disturbing event in adulthood.

C

The prevalence of schizophrenia is _____ and typically strikes earlier in _____. A) equivalent for males and females; males B) equivalent for males and females; females C) higher for males than females; males D) higher for females than males; males

C

The process of measuring ourselves to others in order to identify our unique characteristics and evaluate our abilities is called: A) social referencing. B) self-awareness. C) social comparison. D) self-fulfilling prophecies

B

The sharply increased rate of generalized anxiety in modern Western cultures since the mid- 20th century may be attributed to: A) a societal obsession with academic performance and job success. B) reduced stability in the typical person's life. C) cultural tendencies to believe that one's outcomes are controlled by factors like fate and chance more than by individual effort. D) the emphasis on individualism that characterizes most Western nations

B

The sociometer theory serves: A) to examine personal biases during uncomfortable social situations. B) as a meter to inform a person, at any given time, of the degree to which he/she is likely to be accepted or rejected by others. C) to contradict the social comparison theory. D) explain why collectivist cultures predominate Western Europe, North America, and Australia.

B

The validity of a diagnostic system, such as the one detailed in DSM-IV, could most fairly be judged by how often the categories of disorder that it identifies: A) result in the same diagnosis from two independent clinicians. B) lead to accurate predictions about the future course of those disorders. C) are used in subsequent research. D) are accepted by physicians and medical researchers

D

To say that a syndrome is clinically significant is to say that: A) it has been shown to have a biological cause. B) it is prevalent enough to represent a social problem. C) a clinical psychologist can diagnose accurately which of several possible disorders the syndrome might represent. D) the problem may be serious enough to require professional help.

B

What percentage of people in Western society suffer from a phobia sometime in their life? A) 20-25 percent B) 7-13 percent C) 3-6 percent D) 14-19 percent

B

When we freely and with little incentive do something contrary to an attitude, we may alter the attitude to better fit the action. This phenomenon is known as the: A) cognitive dissonance theory. B) insufficient-justification effect. C) elaboration likelihood model. D) self-serving attributional bias

B

Which of the following routes to attitude construction involves the greatest amount of conscious thought? A) decision rules (also called heuristics) B) logical analysis of the message content C) simple association D) classical conditioning

C

Which of the following statements regarding generalized anxiety disorder is TRUE? A) Generalized anxiety disorder is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder. B) Generalized anxiety disorder is a common version of phobia in which the affected individual has generalized from the original stimulus to similar stimuli. C) Frequent, unpredictable traumatic experiences in childhood can predispose a person to generalized anxiety disorder. D) Because the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder are all in the form of private mental experience, it is rarely diagnosed.

D

Why do social psychologists consider it useful to study biases in person perception? A) Biases provide clues about the mental processes that contribute to accurate as well as inaccurate perceptions and judgments. B) An understanding of bias can ultimately promote social justice. C) Biases occur only in some people, so the particular biases someone has can reveal a great deal about that individual's personality. D) They provide clues about the mental processes that contribute to accurate and inaccurate perceptions and judgments, and understanding bias can ultimately promote social justice.

C

Zebrowitz and her colleagues showed college students schematic drawings of men's and women's faces in which facial maturity was varied by altering the size of the eyes and the length of the jaw. When typical differences in facial maturity between men's and women's faces were present in the drawings, students judged the woman as _____ than the man; when the drawings of the man's and woman's faces were equivalent in facial maturity, students judged the _____. A) less dominant and warmer; man still as more dominant but now warmer than the woman B) more dominant and colder; man still as more dominant but now warmer than the woman C) less dominant and warmer; man and woman as equal in dominance and warmth D) more dominant and colder; man and woman as equal in dominance and warmth

A

_____ observed attachment behavior in young humans and _____ developed a systematic program of research on attachment. A) Bowlby; Harlow B) Harlow; Bowlby C) Harlow; Ainsworth D) Bowlby; Ainsworth

C

______ attitudes are formed through direct experience or repeated associations and influence behavior automatically, whereas ______ attitudes must be brought to mind somehow before they can affect behavior. A) Precise; indirect B) Explicit; implicit C) Implicit; explicit D) Indirect; precise

D

______ came up with the looking-glass self. A) Pygmalion B) Fritz Heider C) Harold Kelly D) Charles Cooley

D

______ has drawn a rough distinction between individualist and collectivist cultures. A) Mark Leary B) Charles Cooley C) Harold Kelley D) Harry Triandis