PSY 352 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS
What is personality psychology? - Answers - The set of psychological traits and
mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that
influence his or her interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical and
social environment.
What are traits? - Answers - Psychological traits are characteristics that describe ways
in which people are different from each other. Traits are average tendencies, internal
characteristics, enduring overtime
Example: shy, selfish, friendly, etc
What is situationism? - Answers - View that personality is a function of situation (not
internal traits)
E.g. social psychology
How would you describe the person-situation debate? - Answers - There is a debate
going on between trait psychologists. Is that the cause of visible behavior is underlying
traits OR the situation is the cause for certain behaviors.
What is interactionism, and how does it relate to the person-situation debate? - Answers
- Interactionism is how our personality and our social environment interact and affect
one another. View that personality AND situation drive behavior together
Personality traits = average tendencies (tend to shape situations)
Personality → Situation (different situations for different people. Extroverts → party,
Introverts → board games)
Dispositional - Answers - traits
Do you have a steady, unchanging personality?
Biological - Answers - inherited predispositions
Are genes, brain chemistry, evolution responsible for your personality
Intraphysics - Answers - process within the mind (unconscious?)
Is personality shaped by forces outside of consciousness?
Cognitive-experiential - Answers - thoughts and subjective experiences
How is personality shaped by thoughts, feelings, beliefs, etc
Social and cultural - Answers - social, culture, and gender
, Do we learn to have certain personalities from our social contexts?
Adjustments - Answers - coping, adapting, and adjusting to life
How is personality connected to stress and health? Could a personality itself be
disordered?
What is self-report data, and what are its strengths and weaknesses? - Answers - Self-
Report Data- ask people about themselves (example: 20 statement test)
Most common method to measure personality
It's the information a person reveals about themselves
Open-ended questions, true or false, adjective checklist, etc
Likert-scale: - Answers - ange of numbers that represent answers
Example: how creative are you on a scale of 1-7
Strengths of S-Data - Answers - Access to info that others no not have
Straightforward
Ex. anxiety, self-esteem, goals
Easy to measure
Weaknesses of S-Data - Answers - Do people have accurate self-knowledge?
Will people be honest?
What is experience sampling? - Answers - People answer some questions, perhaps
about their moods or physical symptoms, every day for several weeks or longer.
How does social desirability influence the validity of self-report data? - Answers -
Socially desirable responding is the tendency to answer items in such a way as to come
across as socially attractive or likeable.
Many personality psychologists believe that socially desirable responding introduces
inaccuracies on test scores and should be eliminated or controlled.
What is observer-report data? (O-Data) - Answers - Gains information from friends,
families, teachers, and casual acquaintances to gather information about a person's
personality
Strengths of O-Data - Answers - Observers may have access to information not
attainable through other sources
Example: their social reputation, whether their interactions with others are smooth or
conflict ridden, and their statues within the group hierarchy
Multiple observers can be used to assess each individual, whereas in self-report only
one person provides information
Weaknesses of O-Data - Answers - Biased in certain ways.
Example: The participants mother may overlook the negative and emphasize the
positive features of her child
ANSWERS
What is personality psychology? - Answers - The set of psychological traits and
mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that
influence his or her interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical and
social environment.
What are traits? - Answers - Psychological traits are characteristics that describe ways
in which people are different from each other. Traits are average tendencies, internal
characteristics, enduring overtime
Example: shy, selfish, friendly, etc
What is situationism? - Answers - View that personality is a function of situation (not
internal traits)
E.g. social psychology
How would you describe the person-situation debate? - Answers - There is a debate
going on between trait psychologists. Is that the cause of visible behavior is underlying
traits OR the situation is the cause for certain behaviors.
What is interactionism, and how does it relate to the person-situation debate? - Answers
- Interactionism is how our personality and our social environment interact and affect
one another. View that personality AND situation drive behavior together
Personality traits = average tendencies (tend to shape situations)
Personality → Situation (different situations for different people. Extroverts → party,
Introverts → board games)
Dispositional - Answers - traits
Do you have a steady, unchanging personality?
Biological - Answers - inherited predispositions
Are genes, brain chemistry, evolution responsible for your personality
Intraphysics - Answers - process within the mind (unconscious?)
Is personality shaped by forces outside of consciousness?
Cognitive-experiential - Answers - thoughts and subjective experiences
How is personality shaped by thoughts, feelings, beliefs, etc
Social and cultural - Answers - social, culture, and gender
, Do we learn to have certain personalities from our social contexts?
Adjustments - Answers - coping, adapting, and adjusting to life
How is personality connected to stress and health? Could a personality itself be
disordered?
What is self-report data, and what are its strengths and weaknesses? - Answers - Self-
Report Data- ask people about themselves (example: 20 statement test)
Most common method to measure personality
It's the information a person reveals about themselves
Open-ended questions, true or false, adjective checklist, etc
Likert-scale: - Answers - ange of numbers that represent answers
Example: how creative are you on a scale of 1-7
Strengths of S-Data - Answers - Access to info that others no not have
Straightforward
Ex. anxiety, self-esteem, goals
Easy to measure
Weaknesses of S-Data - Answers - Do people have accurate self-knowledge?
Will people be honest?
What is experience sampling? - Answers - People answer some questions, perhaps
about their moods or physical symptoms, every day for several weeks or longer.
How does social desirability influence the validity of self-report data? - Answers -
Socially desirable responding is the tendency to answer items in such a way as to come
across as socially attractive or likeable.
Many personality psychologists believe that socially desirable responding introduces
inaccuracies on test scores and should be eliminated or controlled.
What is observer-report data? (O-Data) - Answers - Gains information from friends,
families, teachers, and casual acquaintances to gather information about a person's
personality
Strengths of O-Data - Answers - Observers may have access to information not
attainable through other sources
Example: their social reputation, whether their interactions with others are smooth or
conflict ridden, and their statues within the group hierarchy
Multiple observers can be used to assess each individual, whereas in self-report only
one person provides information
Weaknesses of O-Data - Answers - Biased in certain ways.
Example: The participants mother may overlook the negative and emphasize the
positive features of her child
