Study Questions for First Test—Set
1
When one identifies a person as aggressive because he/she is athletic
or standoffish because one is quiet, this is an example of...
a. Halo effect
b. Implicit Personality Theory
c. Observer bias
d. Personality trait
e. None of the above
Answer: b
From: lecture notes 9-8-98
My hero is my mother, and in my eyes she does nothing wrong. She has
no faults. This statement is an example of…
a. Implicit Personality Theory
b. Perceived Similarity
c. Halo Effect
d. Observer bias
e. stereotype
Answer: c
From: Lecture 9/8/98 and in textbook, p. 46
Which of the following approaches to personality study focuses on understanding
one individual in his or her own existence?
a. idiographic approach
b. act frequency approach
c. nomothetic approach
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
Answer: a
From: Textbook, p. 58
What is a way to determine a test to be reliable?
a. ask best friend of test taker
b. observe people taking test
c. test-retest test taker
d. ask true/false questions
e. all of the above
Answer: c
From: Textbook, p. 14 and Lecture, Sept. 3
Two girls, Anna and Lynne, are talking. Anna mentions to Lynne that
one of her (Lynne’s) friends is suspected of cheating on a test. Lynne
tells Anna that her friend is a very nice and honest person and couldn’t
do anything like that. Lynne’s response to Anna is an example of
a. Perceived Similarity
b. Halo Effect
c. Observer bias
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer: b
From: Lecture, Sept. 8 and textbook, p. 46
"Dream interpretation" is most related to which major theoretical approach
of personality?
a. cognitive
b. psychoanalytic
c. humanistic
d. trait
e. none of the above
Answer: b
From: Textbook, pp. 5-6
When talking about gender, we can safely say
a. that women are more lazy than men.
b. differences are purely biological.
c. men and women cannot be compared on the same personality scale.
d. differences are purely cultural.
e. masculine traits are generally more highly valued than feminine
traits.
Answer: e
From: Textbook, pp. 115-117
Sally is a very attractive girl. I don’t know her too well, but I think
she’s a very nice girl with a great personality. This is an example of
a. Observer bias
b. Perceived Similarity
c. Halo effect
d. Stereotype
e. All of the above
Answer: c
From: Textbook, p. 46
Clinical psychology and academic psychology have both contributed and
influenced the field of personality. However, there is a distinct difference
between the two. Which of the following correctly identifies the difference
between the two fields of psychology?
a. Clinical psychology studies groups of people whereas academic psychology
focuses on individual case studies.
b. Clinical psychology focuses on improving lives of individuals through
therapy, whereas academic psychology emphasizes research and theory building.
c. Clinical psychology focuses on individual case studies, whereas
academic psychology studies groups of people.
d. Both b and c
e. None of the above
Answer: d
From: Lecture, 9/3/98 and textbook, pp. 4-5
Attributing good characteristics to people we like is a result of
a. the Halo Effect
b. stereotyping
c. Observer bias
d. the lexical approach
e. the Barnum effect
Answer: a
From: Textbook, p. 46 and Lecture, 9/8/98
The ___________ approach is an approach to personality research that
studies how words and phrases are used in everyday language to describe
personality.
a. practical/applied
b. clinical
c. academic
d. lexical
e. None of the above
Answer: d
From: Textbook, p. 38
Which major theoretical perspective in personality seeks to describe
fully developed people and the social conditions that foster personal growth?
a. Trait approach
b. Humanistic approach
c. Cognitive approach
d. Psychometric approach
e. Psychoanalytic approach
Answer: b
From: Textbook, p. 5
What is the phenomenon in which people often agree with the results
of personality tests they have taken, even when results are vague and the
general statements cannot apply to nearly everyone?
a. circular reasoning
b. confirmation bias
c. stereotype accuracy
d. Barnum effect
e. logical positivism
Answer: d
From: Textbook, p. 15
In a certain test on suicide, people who got high scores more often
committed suicide in the future than did those with low scores. This is
an example of what type of validity?
a. concurrent validity
b. predictive validity
c. construct validity
d. All of the above
e. Both b and c are correct
Answer: b
From: Textbook, p. 15