PPE 3003 Exam 4 Study Guide
Questions With Rationales 2026-2027
Guide.
What is the person-situation debate? - Answer Debate: Are traits or situations better
predictors of behavior?
-Relative stability of traits
-Relative flexibility of specific behaviors
What is interactionism? - Answer Interactionism: behavior is a function of a person's traits and
the environment
What is Mischel's main critique of personality psychology? - Answer Mischel Critique:
Personality does not predict behavior very well in *specific* situations. It is difficult to predict
specific behavior from personality. Personality predicts behavior across situations.
What is aggregation and how does aggregation help solve the main issue brought up by
Mischel? - Answer Aggregation is the total number or summation of behaviors.
Define and recognize examples of selection. - Answer Our personality influences the situations
and people we select. Personality characteristics of others influence whether we select them as
interaction partners. Personalities of others influence what we choose.
Ex: we choose our friends because their personalities mesh with ours in some way.
Define and provide an example of evocation. - Answer -We evoke reactions from others
-Others evoke reactions from us
Define and provide an example of manipulation. - Answer Manipulation/social influence:
intentional alteration, changing, or exploitation of others.
Examples of manipulation tactics: charm, coercion, silent treatment, etc.
What is shyness? What is the relationship between shyness and various risky situations? -
Answer Shyness: feeling tense/worried/anxious during social interactions.
Shyness is different from introversion.
Shy people avoid social situations (selection).
Result: Isolation
, Identify some of the more common manipulation tactics. What is one major difference between
men and women in manipulation? - Answer Women are more likely to manipulate by crying
(regression tactic).
How are personality traits related to the use of different manipulation tactics? - Answer -High
extraversion: Coercion, responsibility invocation
-Low extraversion: Self-abasement, hardball
-High agreeableness: Pleasure induction, reason
-Low agreeableness: Coercion, silent treatment
-High conscientiousness:
Reason
-High neuroticism:
Regression
-Low openness to experience:
Social comparison
What is Machiavellianism? Which behaviors does it predict? In which settings is
Machiavellianism associated with better or worse outcomes? - Answer Machiavellianism:
Manipulative strategy of social interaction
High Machs manipulate others, behave in exploitative, self-serving, and deceptive ways.
What is the hostile attribution bias? - Answer Tendency to infer hostile intent from ambiguous
behavior
Ex: You ask someone a question & receive no response
-Hostile: The person is purposely ignoring you
-Non-hostile: The person didn't hear you
What are expectancy confirmations? - Answer Idea that not only can our personality influence
interactions with others but our beliefs can influence interactions and evoke reactions.
Ex: you have an expectation about someone and you act aggressively and they get offended and
act aggressively in response.
What is the difference between sex and gender? - Answer Sex: based on biology
Gender: based on the behavioral, cultural, and psychological characteristics that are associated
with one sex
Questions With Rationales 2026-2027
Guide.
What is the person-situation debate? - Answer Debate: Are traits or situations better
predictors of behavior?
-Relative stability of traits
-Relative flexibility of specific behaviors
What is interactionism? - Answer Interactionism: behavior is a function of a person's traits and
the environment
What is Mischel's main critique of personality psychology? - Answer Mischel Critique:
Personality does not predict behavior very well in *specific* situations. It is difficult to predict
specific behavior from personality. Personality predicts behavior across situations.
What is aggregation and how does aggregation help solve the main issue brought up by
Mischel? - Answer Aggregation is the total number or summation of behaviors.
Define and recognize examples of selection. - Answer Our personality influences the situations
and people we select. Personality characteristics of others influence whether we select them as
interaction partners. Personalities of others influence what we choose.
Ex: we choose our friends because their personalities mesh with ours in some way.
Define and provide an example of evocation. - Answer -We evoke reactions from others
-Others evoke reactions from us
Define and provide an example of manipulation. - Answer Manipulation/social influence:
intentional alteration, changing, or exploitation of others.
Examples of manipulation tactics: charm, coercion, silent treatment, etc.
What is shyness? What is the relationship between shyness and various risky situations? -
Answer Shyness: feeling tense/worried/anxious during social interactions.
Shyness is different from introversion.
Shy people avoid social situations (selection).
Result: Isolation
, Identify some of the more common manipulation tactics. What is one major difference between
men and women in manipulation? - Answer Women are more likely to manipulate by crying
(regression tactic).
How are personality traits related to the use of different manipulation tactics? - Answer -High
extraversion: Coercion, responsibility invocation
-Low extraversion: Self-abasement, hardball
-High agreeableness: Pleasure induction, reason
-Low agreeableness: Coercion, silent treatment
-High conscientiousness:
Reason
-High neuroticism:
Regression
-Low openness to experience:
Social comparison
What is Machiavellianism? Which behaviors does it predict? In which settings is
Machiavellianism associated with better or worse outcomes? - Answer Machiavellianism:
Manipulative strategy of social interaction
High Machs manipulate others, behave in exploitative, self-serving, and deceptive ways.
What is the hostile attribution bias? - Answer Tendency to infer hostile intent from ambiguous
behavior
Ex: You ask someone a question & receive no response
-Hostile: The person is purposely ignoring you
-Non-hostile: The person didn't hear you
What are expectancy confirmations? - Answer Idea that not only can our personality influence
interactions with others but our beliefs can influence interactions and evoke reactions.
Ex: you have an expectation about someone and you act aggressively and they get offended and
act aggressively in response.
What is the difference between sex and gender? - Answer Sex: based on biology
Gender: based on the behavioral, cultural, and psychological characteristics that are associated
with one sex
