PSYCH 321 FINAL EXAM questions with correct
answers
What is meant by "personality processes"? Correct Answer-mechanisms
that unfold over time to produce the effects of personality traits
-perception, thought, motivation, and emotion
How have other perspective (previously covered in this course)
approached personality processes? Correct Answer--phenomenological
approach which emphasized an individual's personal constructs and how
they shape personality
-Psychoanalysis focused on consciousness
biological research hint at how personality may be organized in the brain
-trait approach recognizes that people are different from each other and
see the world differently
perception Correct Answer-people are predisposed to perceive the world
in different ways
What does priming mean and how does this relate to personality? Give
an example of something that can lead to priming (hint: give two
examples in class)? Correct Answer-activation of a concept by
repeatedly perceiving it or thinking about it. The usual result is that this
concept comes to mind more quickly in new situations
ex: if someone is shown violent pictures and then told to make words out
of certain letters, they will make more violent words
,What does chronic accessibility mean? Correct Answer-the tendency of
an idea that easily comes to mind for a particular individual because it is
continuously primed and re primed
What is rejection sensitivity and how does it relate to chronic
accessibility? Correct Answer-being especially aware of suggestions
impending rejection; chronic accessibility may lead to this; if a person is
afraid of being rejected, this person will become anxious when there's a
small chance someone will reject them
How does aggression relate to chronic accessibility? Correct Answer-
organizing one's thoughts and memories around a theme of aggression
may guide a person's perceptions and actions
What is meant by perceptual defense? Correct Answer-the ability to
screen out information that makes the individual anxious or
uncomfortable
What evidence suggests that this may entail an unconscious process?
Correct Answer-research has investigated that the ego tries to prevent
stimuli that the superego finds threatening from even entering awareness
-study: participants were shown words such as "apple, dance, rape and
*****" when sexual words were presented, the person might say "I can't
read it" but their sweat glands detected the word and reacted
What other perceptual phenomena are affected by nonconscious, but
motivated, processing (hint: looking for two here)? Correct Answer-1.
Vigilance- shy people are vigilant for signs of rejection
, 2. Defense- the mind filters out threatening information
How were the ideas of vigilance and defense tested? Correct Answer-
psychologists made scales to measure the extent to which people are
defense or sensitive in their perceptions
consciousness Correct Answer-whatever thoughts an individual has in
mind at the moment, and it is located in the short term memory; capacity
is limited
What do cognitive psychologists consider the limits of consciousness?
Correct Answer-the amount of information that can fit into
consciousness is very limited; 7 plus or minus 2 pieces of information
Explain how chunking factors into your answer above and why this is
important. Correct Answer-a chunk is any piece of info that can be
thought of as a unit, such as your phone number, a person can fit about 7
chunks of ideas into their consciousness at once
What aspects of personality are unconscious thought processes
important for (hint: "Mind experiment" - no unconscious processing)?
Correct Answer-1. eating food and jumping when we hear a loud noise
2. consciousness is very limited and life is too complex
3. we do things without knowing why
whats the difference between conscious and unconscious thought?
Correct Answer-conscious thought is slower
answers
What is meant by "personality processes"? Correct Answer-mechanisms
that unfold over time to produce the effects of personality traits
-perception, thought, motivation, and emotion
How have other perspective (previously covered in this course)
approached personality processes? Correct Answer--phenomenological
approach which emphasized an individual's personal constructs and how
they shape personality
-Psychoanalysis focused on consciousness
biological research hint at how personality may be organized in the brain
-trait approach recognizes that people are different from each other and
see the world differently
perception Correct Answer-people are predisposed to perceive the world
in different ways
What does priming mean and how does this relate to personality? Give
an example of something that can lead to priming (hint: give two
examples in class)? Correct Answer-activation of a concept by
repeatedly perceiving it or thinking about it. The usual result is that this
concept comes to mind more quickly in new situations
ex: if someone is shown violent pictures and then told to make words out
of certain letters, they will make more violent words
,What does chronic accessibility mean? Correct Answer-the tendency of
an idea that easily comes to mind for a particular individual because it is
continuously primed and re primed
What is rejection sensitivity and how does it relate to chronic
accessibility? Correct Answer-being especially aware of suggestions
impending rejection; chronic accessibility may lead to this; if a person is
afraid of being rejected, this person will become anxious when there's a
small chance someone will reject them
How does aggression relate to chronic accessibility? Correct Answer-
organizing one's thoughts and memories around a theme of aggression
may guide a person's perceptions and actions
What is meant by perceptual defense? Correct Answer-the ability to
screen out information that makes the individual anxious or
uncomfortable
What evidence suggests that this may entail an unconscious process?
Correct Answer-research has investigated that the ego tries to prevent
stimuli that the superego finds threatening from even entering awareness
-study: participants were shown words such as "apple, dance, rape and
*****" when sexual words were presented, the person might say "I can't
read it" but their sweat glands detected the word and reacted
What other perceptual phenomena are affected by nonconscious, but
motivated, processing (hint: looking for two here)? Correct Answer-1.
Vigilance- shy people are vigilant for signs of rejection
, 2. Defense- the mind filters out threatening information
How were the ideas of vigilance and defense tested? Correct Answer-
psychologists made scales to measure the extent to which people are
defense or sensitive in their perceptions
consciousness Correct Answer-whatever thoughts an individual has in
mind at the moment, and it is located in the short term memory; capacity
is limited
What do cognitive psychologists consider the limits of consciousness?
Correct Answer-the amount of information that can fit into
consciousness is very limited; 7 plus or minus 2 pieces of information
Explain how chunking factors into your answer above and why this is
important. Correct Answer-a chunk is any piece of info that can be
thought of as a unit, such as your phone number, a person can fit about 7
chunks of ideas into their consciousness at once
What aspects of personality are unconscious thought processes
important for (hint: "Mind experiment" - no unconscious processing)?
Correct Answer-1. eating food and jumping when we hear a loud noise
2. consciousness is very limited and life is too complex
3. we do things without knowing why
whats the difference between conscious and unconscious thought?
Correct Answer-conscious thought is slower
