Personality Psych Practice Questions

Based on the findings of Snyder, Tanke, and Berscheid's (1977) study, if you hear that Regina George is "the nastiest skank b**** I have ever met" you are likely to notice which of the following traits about her when you meet her? A) A mean joke she makes to one of her friends B) Her complimenting someone's skirt. C) Her asking for someone's help on homework. D) Her throwing a party.

A) A mean joke she makes to one of her friends

A person who is a proponent of the situationist argument would suggest that A) A person's personality is inconsistent because behaviors are primarily dependent upon situations. B) A person's behavior is relatively consistent across time because personality traits determine behavior. C) Traits can be used to predict behaviors with enough accuracy to be useful. D) There is not limit on how well one can predict what a person will do based on any measurement of that person's personality.

A) A person's personality is inconsistent because behaviors are primarily dependent upon situations.

Which of the following pairings is likely to have the most similar views on the average student? A) Classmates and instructors B) Everyone will have different judgements C) teammates and coaches D) Parents and partners

A) Classmates and instructors

Based on Rosenthal and Jacobson's 1968 study, if I told the class that all students with blue eyes are smarter and are likely to score higher on tests, which of the following is likely to happen? A) Students with brown, green, and other non-blue colored eyes would perform worse. B) Green eyed students will outperform blue eyed students. C) Blue eye students well and green eye students perform well. D) Blue eye students would perform equally well as non-blue eye students.

A) Students with brown, green, and other non-blue colored eyes would perform worse.

Employers may give intelligence tests to potential employees in order to discriminate against certain groups (e.g., women, ability status). A) True B) False

A) True

Personality affects and predicts important life outcomes A) True B) False

A) True

True or False: Employers may give assessments to potential employees as a way of discriminating against certain groups (e.g., women, ethnic minorities, ability status). A) True B) False

A) True

Imagine that a researcher conducts a study and finds a statistically significant correlation between eating pizza and aggression. However, there is no real association between eating pizza and aggression in the population. What kind of error has this researcher made? A) Type I B) Type II C) Type III D) correlational

A) Type I

Most research within the trait approach relies on.... (Select all that apply) A) individual differences B) correlational designs C) genetic makeup D) common aspects between individuals

A) individual differences and B) correlational designs

If test scores decrease as anxiety increases, then A) test scores and anxiety are negatively correlated B) the correlation between test scores and anxiety must be 1.0 C) test scores and anxiety are unrelated D) test scores and anxiety are positively correlated

A) test scores and anxiety are negatively correlated

Personality traits depend on: A) Genetics B) All of the answers given C) Past experiences D) Situations

B) All of the answers given

A projective test yields ________ data A) I B) B C) L D) S

B) B

Why did Funder and Ozer (1983) convert results from previous studies into effect size correlations? A) Effect sizes are more accurate forms of correlations. B) By turning results into effect sizes, you are able to compare their impact levels as opposed to having unrelated data. C) They thought it would be effective to show that situations are more important. D) You are able to take effect sizes from different types of studies and data, and create new studies to run.

B) By turning results into effect sizes, you are able to compare their impact levels as opposed to having unrelated data.

Which of the following is NOT an argument for the use of deception: A) It usually does no harm B) Increases credibility of psychology C) Certain topics cannot be investigated without deception. D) Informed consent is still maintained

B) Increases credibility of psychology

Which of the following is an objective test? A) TAT B) MMPI C) Rorschach inkblots D) Picture Store Exercise

B) MMPI

RAM stands for... A) Radical Personality Assessment Methods B) Realistic Accuracy Model C) Realism & Accuracy Method D) Realistic Action Model

B) Realistic Accuracy Model

Running a factor on data does what to the data? A) Measures reliability of the data. B) Splits data into different groups (factors) based on ones that score similarly. C) Provides proof that the test was created correctly. D) Measures the consistency of the data.

B) Splits data into different groups (factors) based on ones that score similarly.

Which of the following is considered a "projective test"? A) The Beck Depression Inventory B) The Rorschach Inkblot Test C) The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory D) The California Psychology Inventory

B) The Rorschach Inkblot Test

Increasing the number of items on a test makes it a better instrument according to which principle? A) operational definition B) aggregation C) construct validation D) incremental validation

B) aggregation

Which design is best suited for addressing the third-variable problem A) case study B) experimental C) repeated measures D) correlational

B) experimental

1. According to situationists... A) Situations are important, but not as important as personality traits, in determining behavior B) situations are more important than personality traits in determining behavior C) situations are equally important in determining behavior as personality traits. D) situations are irrelevant when it comes to behavior's relation to personality traits.

B) situations are more important than personality traits in determining behavior

Absolute consistency refers to 1.________________ while relative consistency refers to 2. ___________________. A) 1. lots of change 2. no change B) 1. no change 2. lots of change C) 1. Individual differences are maintained across situations, even when absolute behavior changes 2. situations influence behavior, but people are still consistent D) 1. situations influence behavior, but people are still consistent 2. Individual differences are maintained across situations, even when absolute behavior changes

C) 1. Individual differences are maintained across situations, even when absolute behavior changes 2. situations influence behavior, but people are still consistent

According to the text, which of the following is NOT one of the conditions that must hold for an S data personality test to accurately measure an attribute of personality? A) The test taker must be willing to report the self-assessment accurately. B) The test taker must be able to make an accurate self-assessment. C) The test must contain both positively and negatively worded items. D) All of the items must be valid indicators of the construct

C) The test must contain both positively and negatively worded items.

Effect sizes are _____________ meaningful than a significant (p) level A) less B) (non actually comparable) C)more D) equal

C) more

Which of the following is NOT a visible sign of Extraversion? A) style of dress B) hand shake style C) musical preference D) volume of voice

C) musical preference

"The philosophical view that the absence of perfect, infallible criteria for truth does not imply that all interpretations of reality are equally correct" refers to... A) Critical assessment B) Constructivism C) Structuralism D) Critical realism

D) Critical realism

NHST stands for: A) New Hampshire Social Temptations Survey B) National Health Service Test C) Non-heliographic Sector Test D) Null Hypothesis Testing

D) Null Hypothesis Testing

All of the following are examples of disadvantages of Projective Tests EXCEPT: A) A psychologist cannot be sure about what they mean. B) Expensive and time consuming C) The validity evidence for projective tests is scarce. D) Projection tests are more accurate than most tests

D) Projection tests are more accurate than most tests

All of the following are Factor Analytic limitations EXCEPT: A) Factors don't always make sense B) The quality of information from the factor analysis is limited by the quality of items C) Difficultly and subjectivity of deciding how items are conceptually related D) Reduce list of traits to an essential few

D) Reduce list of traits to an essential few

The trait approach, the behaviorist approach, and the psychoanalytic approach ________. A) all address the biological basis of human psychology B) are all part of the One Big Theory (OBT) C) are irreconcilable and contradictory views of human psychology D) address different sets of questions about human psychology

D) address different sets of questions about human psychology

Personality is an individual's characteristic patterns of ________. A) behavior B) thought C) emotion D) all of the above

D) all of the above

IAT requires that users rapidly categorize two target concepts with an attribute (e.g. the concepts "male" and "female" with the attribute "logical"), such that easier pairings (faster responses) are interpreted as more strongly associated in memory than more difficult pairings (slower responses). The IAT is an example of a/an... A) explicit test B) memory test C) L data D) implicit test

D) implicit test

The trait approach focuses on how... A) people are the same B) how people describe others C) how people describe themselves D) people differ

D) people differ

Which of the following is one of the basic approaches to personality A) psychological triad B) ethnographical assessment C) applied D) psychoanalytic

D) psychoanalytic

Match the following: S data B data L data I data A. Your own responses to the statement, "I consider myself a nervous person" B. Reaction times to photographs C. The number of times someone has been arrested D. A therapist's description of her client

S data: A B data: B L data: C I data: D