Psych 132 week 9 Exam #1 Questions with Correct Answers
What is the trait approach to personality? - ✔✔The trait approach categorizes
individuals based on their personality traits, which are dimensions used to
describe the degree to which a person exhibits certain characteristics.
What are personality traits? - ✔✔Personality traits are stable characteristics that
influence behavior and can be measured along continuous dimensions.
Who is Wilhelm Wundt and what was his contribution to personality psychology?
- ✔✔Wilhelm Wundt was a German physiologist who introduced the idea of trait
dimensions instead of categorical personality types, classifying personality based
on mood stability and strength of emotions.
What are the two assumptions underlying trait theory? - ✔✔1. Traits are
relatively stable over time. 2. Traits show stability across different situations.
What is the significance of typical group behavior in trait theory? - ✔✔Trait
theorists focus on how groups with certain traits, like aggression, behave in
specific contexts, rather than on individual personality change.
Who was William Sheldon and what did he propose? - ✔✔William Sheldon was an
American psychologist who described personality based on somatotypes, linking
physique types (endomorphy, mesomorphy, ectomorphy) to specific
temperaments.
What is the lexical hypothesis in personality psychology? - ✔✔The lexical
hypothesis posits that the most important personality traits become part of
language as single terms, with their frequency of use reflecting their importance.
, Who was Gordon Allport and what was his contribution to personality traits? -
✔✔Gordon Allport was one of the first psychologists to compile a list of
personality traits, identifying 4,500 terms to describe them and publishing the
first psychology text on personality traits.
What are the two approaches to personality according to Allport? - ✔✔Allport
distinguished between the nomothetic approach, which identifies common traits
across groups, and the idiographic approach, which focuses on individual
dispositions.
What are the three types of personality traits described by Allport? - ✔✔1.
Cardinal traits - dominate an individual's personality. 2. Central traits - 5-10 traits
that best describe a person. 3. Secondary traits - preferences that appear in
specific situations.
Who was Raymond Cattell and what methodology did he apply to personality
psychology? - ✔✔Raymond Cattell applied empirical methods, particularly factor
analysis, to identify the basic structure of personality and reduce existing trait
lists.
What are the two types of traits identified by Cattell? - ✔✔1. Constitutional traits
- genetically determined. 2. Environmental-mold traits - shaped by environmental
experiences.
What are Cattell's three types of traits? - ✔✔1. Ability traits - how well one deals
with situations. 2. Temperament traits - individual styles in pursuing goals. 3.
Dynamic traits - motivate behavior, including attitudes, sentiments, and ergs.
What is the trait approach to personality? - ✔✔The trait approach categorizes
individuals based on their personality traits, which are dimensions used to
describe the degree to which a person exhibits certain characteristics.
What are personality traits? - ✔✔Personality traits are stable characteristics that
influence behavior and can be measured along continuous dimensions.
Who is Wilhelm Wundt and what was his contribution to personality psychology?
- ✔✔Wilhelm Wundt was a German physiologist who introduced the idea of trait
dimensions instead of categorical personality types, classifying personality based
on mood stability and strength of emotions.
What are the two assumptions underlying trait theory? - ✔✔1. Traits are
relatively stable over time. 2. Traits show stability across different situations.
What is the significance of typical group behavior in trait theory? - ✔✔Trait
theorists focus on how groups with certain traits, like aggression, behave in
specific contexts, rather than on individual personality change.
Who was William Sheldon and what did he propose? - ✔✔William Sheldon was an
American psychologist who described personality based on somatotypes, linking
physique types (endomorphy, mesomorphy, ectomorphy) to specific
temperaments.
What is the lexical hypothesis in personality psychology? - ✔✔The lexical
hypothesis posits that the most important personality traits become part of
language as single terms, with their frequency of use reflecting their importance.
, Who was Gordon Allport and what was his contribution to personality traits? -
✔✔Gordon Allport was one of the first psychologists to compile a list of
personality traits, identifying 4,500 terms to describe them and publishing the
first psychology text on personality traits.
What are the two approaches to personality according to Allport? - ✔✔Allport
distinguished between the nomothetic approach, which identifies common traits
across groups, and the idiographic approach, which focuses on individual
dispositions.
What are the three types of personality traits described by Allport? - ✔✔1.
Cardinal traits - dominate an individual's personality. 2. Central traits - 5-10 traits
that best describe a person. 3. Secondary traits - preferences that appear in
specific situations.
Who was Raymond Cattell and what methodology did he apply to personality
psychology? - ✔✔Raymond Cattell applied empirical methods, particularly factor
analysis, to identify the basic structure of personality and reduce existing trait
lists.
What are the two types of traits identified by Cattell? - ✔✔1. Constitutional traits
- genetically determined. 2. Environmental-mold traits - shaped by environmental
experiences.
What are Cattell's three types of traits? - ✔✔1. Ability traits - how well one deals
with situations. 2. Temperament traits - individual styles in pursuing goals. 3.
Dynamic traits - motivate behavior, including attitudes, sentiments, and ergs.
