PPE 3003 Exam 4
What is the person-situation debate? - correct answer-Traits or situations better predictors of
behavior?
• Relative stability of traits
• Relative flexibility of specific behaviors
What is interactionism? - correct answer--Behavior is a function of a person's traits and the
environment
-Correlations between personality traits and associated behaviors are modest (r = .30)
What is Mischel's main critique of personality psychology? - correct answer--Personality
does not predict behavior very well in specific situations
-Difficult to predict specific behavior from personality
What is aggregation and how does aggregation help solve the main issue brought up by
Mischel? - correct answer--Aggregation: personality predicts behavior across situations
•Longer tests more reliable than shorter ones & are better measures of traits
•Single behavior/occasion may be influenced by extenuating circumstances unrelated to
personality
•Implies that traits are only one influence on behavior
•Also implies that traits refer to person's average level
•Thus, personality psychologists will never be good at predicting single acts/single occasions
Selection - correct answer--Our personality influences the situations and people we select
-Personality characteristics of others influence whether we select them as interaction
partners
• What other personality traits might influence people to select certain situations?
o Empathic people select volunteer activities
o Extraverted people select more friends
o Agreeable people are selected more often by others as friends
o Sensation-seeking select risky environments
Manipulation - correct answer--AKA social influence
-*Intentional* alteration, changing, or exploitation of others
Evocation - correct answer--We evoke reactions from others
-Others evoke reactions from us
-Your personality--> your friends behavior-->friend's reaction
-Friend's personality-->friend's behavior-->your reaction
-Aggressive people evoke hostility from others
-Aggressive personality-->aggressive behavior-->hostile reactions
What is shyness? What is the relationship between shyness and various risky situations? -
correct answer-Shyness: feeling tense/worried/anxious during social interactions
, • Different from introversion
• Shy people avoid social situations (selection)
• Result: isolation
• Shy women less likely to:
o Go to gynecologist
o Discuss contraception with potential sexual partner
o Gamble
• Select environments to avoid feeling embarrassed
Identify some of the more common manipulation tactics? - correct answer-• Charm: I try to
be loving when I ask her to do it.
• Coercion: I yell at him until he does it.
• Silent treatment: I don't respond to her until she does it.
• Reason: I explain why I want him to do it.
• Regression: I whine until she does it.
• Self-abasement: I act submissive so that he will do it.
• Responsibility invocation: I get her to make a commitment to doing it.
• Hardball: I hit him so that he will do it.
• Pleasure induction: I show her how much fun it will be to do it.
• Social comparison: I tell him that everyone else is doing it.
• Monetary award: I offer her money so that she will do it.
What is one major difference between men and women in manipulation? - correct
answer-Men and women are similar with one exception:
• Women: more likely to manipulate by crying
How are personality traits related to the use of different manipulation tactics? - correct
answer-Extraversion:
• High extraversion: coercion, responsibility invocation
• Low extraversion: self-abasement, hardball
Agreeableness
• 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? - correct answer-Manipulative strategy of social interaction
Which behaviors does it predict? In which settings is Machiavellianism associated with better
or worse outcomes? - correct answer-• High Machs manipulate others
o Behave in exploitative, self-serving, and deceptive ways
• People who score high on Machiavellianism ("high Machs") prefer
o Loosely structured situations
o Fewer rules (might restrict use of exploitative strategy
What is the person-situation debate? - correct answer-Traits or situations better predictors of
behavior?
• Relative stability of traits
• Relative flexibility of specific behaviors
What is interactionism? - correct answer--Behavior is a function of a person's traits and the
environment
-Correlations between personality traits and associated behaviors are modest (r = .30)
What is Mischel's main critique of personality psychology? - correct answer--Personality
does not predict behavior very well in specific situations
-Difficult to predict specific behavior from personality
What is aggregation and how does aggregation help solve the main issue brought up by
Mischel? - correct answer--Aggregation: personality predicts behavior across situations
•Longer tests more reliable than shorter ones & are better measures of traits
•Single behavior/occasion may be influenced by extenuating circumstances unrelated to
personality
•Implies that traits are only one influence on behavior
•Also implies that traits refer to person's average level
•Thus, personality psychologists will never be good at predicting single acts/single occasions
Selection - correct answer--Our personality influences the situations and people we select
-Personality characteristics of others influence whether we select them as interaction
partners
• What other personality traits might influence people to select certain situations?
o Empathic people select volunteer activities
o Extraverted people select more friends
o Agreeable people are selected more often by others as friends
o Sensation-seeking select risky environments
Manipulation - correct answer--AKA social influence
-*Intentional* alteration, changing, or exploitation of others
Evocation - correct answer--We evoke reactions from others
-Others evoke reactions from us
-Your personality--> your friends behavior-->friend's reaction
-Friend's personality-->friend's behavior-->your reaction
-Aggressive people evoke hostility from others
-Aggressive personality-->aggressive behavior-->hostile reactions
What is shyness? What is the relationship between shyness and various risky situations? -
correct answer-Shyness: feeling tense/worried/anxious during social interactions
, • Different from introversion
• Shy people avoid social situations (selection)
• Result: isolation
• Shy women less likely to:
o Go to gynecologist
o Discuss contraception with potential sexual partner
o Gamble
• Select environments to avoid feeling embarrassed
Identify some of the more common manipulation tactics? - correct answer-• Charm: I try to
be loving when I ask her to do it.
• Coercion: I yell at him until he does it.
• Silent treatment: I don't respond to her until she does it.
• Reason: I explain why I want him to do it.
• Regression: I whine until she does it.
• Self-abasement: I act submissive so that he will do it.
• Responsibility invocation: I get her to make a commitment to doing it.
• Hardball: I hit him so that he will do it.
• Pleasure induction: I show her how much fun it will be to do it.
• Social comparison: I tell him that everyone else is doing it.
• Monetary award: I offer her money so that she will do it.
What is one major difference between men and women in manipulation? - correct
answer-Men and women are similar with one exception:
• Women: more likely to manipulate by crying
How are personality traits related to the use of different manipulation tactics? - correct
answer-Extraversion:
• High extraversion: coercion, responsibility invocation
• Low extraversion: self-abasement, hardball
Agreeableness
• 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? - correct answer-Manipulative strategy of social interaction
Which behaviors does it predict? In which settings is Machiavellianism associated with better
or worse outcomes? - correct answer-• High Machs manipulate others
o Behave in exploitative, self-serving, and deceptive ways
• People who score high on Machiavellianism ("high Machs") prefer
o Loosely structured situations
o Fewer rules (might restrict use of exploitative strategy
