WGU D564 Theories of Personality – Big Five Model, Personality Description, and Development
Concepts
Big Five - correct answer a model of personality that includes five major dimensions—
neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness—on which each
person is scored
description - correct answer how people characterize an individual's personality, examining
differences between people
development - correct answer how an individual's personality changes over their lifetime,
influenced by biological factors and experiences
factors - correct answer quantitative dimensions used to describe personality encompassing a
broad range of behaviors and often have underlying biological variables
individual differences - correct answer how people differ in terms of their personality traits,
behaviors, and characteristics
personality - correct answer enduring traits and behaviors that define individuals and
contribute to their uniqueness
personality theories - correct answer frameworks and approaches that aim to understand
individual characteristics, behaviors, and development
types - correct answer categories of people (e.g., introverts) with similar characteristics that are
used to describe personality; each person belongs to one category, and there are no partial
memberships within a category
traits - correct answer quantitative measures used to describe personality; each trait focuses on
a specific set of characteristics (e.g., openness to experience) and gives each person a score,
indicating where they fall on a scale from low to high in that trait
The "three Ds" of personality - correct answer description (how to characterize individuals),
dynamics (motivation and adaptation), and development (influences and changes)—are central
concerns in personality psychology theories.
personality dynamics - correct answer the processes that reveal a person's personality,
specifically on how their motivations drive their actions
adaptation - correct answer the process of adjusting and dealing with the external world and its
demands to effectively function in different situations
biological influences - correct answer the impact of genetic factors and heredity on shaping an
individual's personality traits and characteristics
personality development - correct answer how an individual's personality traits and
characteristics change and evolve over their lifetime
,WGU D564 Theories of Personality – Big Five Model, Personality Description, and Development
Concepts
What are personality traits? - correct answer Characteristics that make one person different
from another and describe an individual's personality.
Which psychological approach to personality suggests that personality is divided into distinct
categories and that individuals belong to one specific category with no partial memberships? -
correct answer The type approach
What is a primary characteristic of the nomothetic approach in the study of personality in
psychology? - correct answer The nomothetic approach compares many people and their
behaviors based on a few numerical scores, making it difficult to understand one whole person.
Which term refers to the ways in which individuals adjust to the changing demands and
opportunities of the world around them? - correct answer Adaptation
Which term refers to the unique characteristics that relate to individual behavior and
experience? - correct answer Personality
Which quality of a theory indicates its capacity to explain broad ranges of personalities and
behaviors? - correct answer Comprehensiveness
What are the fundamental aspects that all theories of personality must address? - correct
answer Description, dynamics, and development
Which of the following statements accurately reflects the scientific approach in personality
psychology? - correct answer Theoretical constructs are made testable through operational
definitions and hypotheses.
Which role do cognitive processes have on personality? - correct answer Shaping personality
dynamics
What does motivation provide to a person's behavior? - correct answer Direction
Which factor is a prominent role in personality dynamics, according to Sigmund Freud? - correct
answer Unconscious dynamics
What was an important premise of Freud's theory of personality? - correct answer The
unconscious mind is more important than the conscious mind.
Which topic is important for theories of personality development to address? - correct answer
How personality is influenced by learning
What is one of the two primary components of personality development, based on modern
theories? - correct answer Experience
What role does biology have in influencing personality development in early childhood? -
correct answer Biological factors, including genetics, can contribute to the predisposition of
certain personality traits in early childhood.
,WGU D564 Theories of Personality – Big Five Model, Personality Description, and Development
Concepts
How do personality theories explain personality? - correct answer Through description,
dynamics, and development
Why do theorists in the psychoanalytic tradition tend to emphasize the preschool years? -
correct answer Because the preschool years are where a person's personality is primarily
developed
What is a common theme among modern theories of personality dynamics? - correct answer
How a person thinks is an important aspect of personality.
What do all personality theories have in common? - correct answer Consideration of the
description, motivations, and origins of personality
Which method of measuring personality provides the most precise description of
characteristics? - correct answer Traits
Which term best describes consistent styles of behavior and emotional reactions present from
infancy onward, presumably due to biological influences? - correct answer Temperament
Which issue primarily investigates how biology affects personality? - correct answer Biological
influences
Which issue focuses on understanding the traits that distinguish people? - correct answer
Individual differences
What should scientific instruments, such as personality assessments, be able to measure
accurately? - correct answer The construct they claim to measure
applied research - correct answer research that is conducted to solve real-world problems
basic research - correct answer research that is conducted to add to the scientific body of
knowledge
correlational research - correct answer a research method in which scientists study how two or
more things are connected to each other
experimental research - correct answer a scientific method where researchers carefully design
and control experiments to understand how changes in one thing (the independent variable)
affect another thing (the dependent variable)
reliability - correct answer a concept that pertains to the consistency of a scientific instrument's
measurements
validity - correct answer a concept that indicates that a test accurately measures what it claims
to measure
verifiability - correct answer the requirement that a theory can be tested through observable,
measurable methods
, WGU D564 Theories of Personality – Big Five Model, Personality Description, and Development
Concepts
What is the benefit of experimental research in psychology? - correct answer It allows
researchers to make cause-effect conclusions by manipulating independent variables and
observing differences in dependent variables between experimental and control groups.
What is the goal of conducting basic research? - correct answer To advance scientific
knowledge
Why are humanistic researchers interested in studying the whole person? - correct answer
They want individuals to fulfill their potential by prioritizing their overall well-being.
Which subject would be the focus of a case study examination? - correct answer A group of
disorders
Which research condition invalidates the results of a self-report assessment? - correct answer
The subject gives a false answer on the assessment.
What assumption is central to the scientific method? - correct answer Determinism
What does reliability measure in a research study? - correct answer The consistency of the test
results
Which example indicates test validity? - correct answer The test measures what it claims to
measure.
Which aspect of personality operates outside of a person's awareness? - correct answer The
unconscious
Which statement represents a characteristic of types as an approach to describing personality?
- correct answer It uses qualitative groupings to categorize people with similar personality
characteristics.
Which scenario demonstrates the use of factors to describe personality? - correct answer The
Big Five model of personality is used to score each person in a group on five dimensions of
personality.
What does validity intend to measure in a research study? - correct answer Whether a research
study assesses the intended outcomes
What does a correlational study examine? - correct answer The potential relationship between
factors
What is a characteristic of the scientific culture of psychology? - correct answer Laboratory
research setting
Which cognitive component significantly affects personality dynamics, according to modern
theories of personality? - correct answer How people label experiences
Concepts
Big Five - correct answer a model of personality that includes five major dimensions—
neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness—on which each
person is scored
description - correct answer how people characterize an individual's personality, examining
differences between people
development - correct answer how an individual's personality changes over their lifetime,
influenced by biological factors and experiences
factors - correct answer quantitative dimensions used to describe personality encompassing a
broad range of behaviors and often have underlying biological variables
individual differences - correct answer how people differ in terms of their personality traits,
behaviors, and characteristics
personality - correct answer enduring traits and behaviors that define individuals and
contribute to their uniqueness
personality theories - correct answer frameworks and approaches that aim to understand
individual characteristics, behaviors, and development
types - correct answer categories of people (e.g., introverts) with similar characteristics that are
used to describe personality; each person belongs to one category, and there are no partial
memberships within a category
traits - correct answer quantitative measures used to describe personality; each trait focuses on
a specific set of characteristics (e.g., openness to experience) and gives each person a score,
indicating where they fall on a scale from low to high in that trait
The "three Ds" of personality - correct answer description (how to characterize individuals),
dynamics (motivation and adaptation), and development (influences and changes)—are central
concerns in personality psychology theories.
personality dynamics - correct answer the processes that reveal a person's personality,
specifically on how their motivations drive their actions
adaptation - correct answer the process of adjusting and dealing with the external world and its
demands to effectively function in different situations
biological influences - correct answer the impact of genetic factors and heredity on shaping an
individual's personality traits and characteristics
personality development - correct answer how an individual's personality traits and
characteristics change and evolve over their lifetime
,WGU D564 Theories of Personality – Big Five Model, Personality Description, and Development
Concepts
What are personality traits? - correct answer Characteristics that make one person different
from another and describe an individual's personality.
Which psychological approach to personality suggests that personality is divided into distinct
categories and that individuals belong to one specific category with no partial memberships? -
correct answer The type approach
What is a primary characteristic of the nomothetic approach in the study of personality in
psychology? - correct answer The nomothetic approach compares many people and their
behaviors based on a few numerical scores, making it difficult to understand one whole person.
Which term refers to the ways in which individuals adjust to the changing demands and
opportunities of the world around them? - correct answer Adaptation
Which term refers to the unique characteristics that relate to individual behavior and
experience? - correct answer Personality
Which quality of a theory indicates its capacity to explain broad ranges of personalities and
behaviors? - correct answer Comprehensiveness
What are the fundamental aspects that all theories of personality must address? - correct
answer Description, dynamics, and development
Which of the following statements accurately reflects the scientific approach in personality
psychology? - correct answer Theoretical constructs are made testable through operational
definitions and hypotheses.
Which role do cognitive processes have on personality? - correct answer Shaping personality
dynamics
What does motivation provide to a person's behavior? - correct answer Direction
Which factor is a prominent role in personality dynamics, according to Sigmund Freud? - correct
answer Unconscious dynamics
What was an important premise of Freud's theory of personality? - correct answer The
unconscious mind is more important than the conscious mind.
Which topic is important for theories of personality development to address? - correct answer
How personality is influenced by learning
What is one of the two primary components of personality development, based on modern
theories? - correct answer Experience
What role does biology have in influencing personality development in early childhood? -
correct answer Biological factors, including genetics, can contribute to the predisposition of
certain personality traits in early childhood.
,WGU D564 Theories of Personality – Big Five Model, Personality Description, and Development
Concepts
How do personality theories explain personality? - correct answer Through description,
dynamics, and development
Why do theorists in the psychoanalytic tradition tend to emphasize the preschool years? -
correct answer Because the preschool years are where a person's personality is primarily
developed
What is a common theme among modern theories of personality dynamics? - correct answer
How a person thinks is an important aspect of personality.
What do all personality theories have in common? - correct answer Consideration of the
description, motivations, and origins of personality
Which method of measuring personality provides the most precise description of
characteristics? - correct answer Traits
Which term best describes consistent styles of behavior and emotional reactions present from
infancy onward, presumably due to biological influences? - correct answer Temperament
Which issue primarily investigates how biology affects personality? - correct answer Biological
influences
Which issue focuses on understanding the traits that distinguish people? - correct answer
Individual differences
What should scientific instruments, such as personality assessments, be able to measure
accurately? - correct answer The construct they claim to measure
applied research - correct answer research that is conducted to solve real-world problems
basic research - correct answer research that is conducted to add to the scientific body of
knowledge
correlational research - correct answer a research method in which scientists study how two or
more things are connected to each other
experimental research - correct answer a scientific method where researchers carefully design
and control experiments to understand how changes in one thing (the independent variable)
affect another thing (the dependent variable)
reliability - correct answer a concept that pertains to the consistency of a scientific instrument's
measurements
validity - correct answer a concept that indicates that a test accurately measures what it claims
to measure
verifiability - correct answer the requirement that a theory can be tested through observable,
measurable methods
, WGU D564 Theories of Personality – Big Five Model, Personality Description, and Development
Concepts
What is the benefit of experimental research in psychology? - correct answer It allows
researchers to make cause-effect conclusions by manipulating independent variables and
observing differences in dependent variables between experimental and control groups.
What is the goal of conducting basic research? - correct answer To advance scientific
knowledge
Why are humanistic researchers interested in studying the whole person? - correct answer
They want individuals to fulfill their potential by prioritizing their overall well-being.
Which subject would be the focus of a case study examination? - correct answer A group of
disorders
Which research condition invalidates the results of a self-report assessment? - correct answer
The subject gives a false answer on the assessment.
What assumption is central to the scientific method? - correct answer Determinism
What does reliability measure in a research study? - correct answer The consistency of the test
results
Which example indicates test validity? - correct answer The test measures what it claims to
measure.
Which aspect of personality operates outside of a person's awareness? - correct answer The
unconscious
Which statement represents a characteristic of types as an approach to describing personality?
- correct answer It uses qualitative groupings to categorize people with similar personality
characteristics.
Which scenario demonstrates the use of factors to describe personality? - correct answer The
Big Five model of personality is used to score each person in a group on five dimensions of
personality.
What does validity intend to measure in a research study? - correct answer Whether a research
study assesses the intended outcomes
What does a correlational study examine? - correct answer The potential relationship between
factors
What is a characteristic of the scientific culture of psychology? - correct answer Laboratory
research setting
Which cognitive component significantly affects personality dynamics, according to modern
theories of personality? - correct answer How people label experiences
