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GRE Psychology: Personality

Subjects : gre, psychology
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Experience can change people'S personalities; after a series of events one feels helpless or out of control - negative or pessimistic explanatory style develops; gives up in general - exhibits helpless disposition; countered with learned optimism






2. Muscular - athletic means energetic - aggressive






3. A state; temporary condition of being aware of how you are thinking - feeling or doing






4. Originally dominated personality theory (Hippocrates) - many placed into type categories based on physical appearance; including using phrenology and somatotypes






5. Skinny - fragile means inhibited - intellectual






6. A trait; how often one generally becomes self-aware; very - if you pay a lot of attention to your self






7. Women are twice as likely as men to become depressed






8. Many argue that there is no true gender differences - children are reinforced for stereotypical behaviors - prevailing pov -> interactionist






9. People who emphasize internal determinants of behavior






10. Believing you are better than you are or look better than you do; unrealistic self-esteem






11. Generally make people more self-aware; small mirror - not so self-aware since its common - large mirror - very self-aware since we see a view of ourselves as others see us






12. Tendency to agree with and accept provided personality interpretations






13. Relatively stable characteristics of behavior that a person exhibits (trait is stable - state is more of temporary feeling or characteristics)






14. Personality characteristic - causes one to view events as outcome of own actions; too much breeds self-blame






15. Possessing both male and female qualities






16. Cognitive training against learned helplessness






17. Capture individual'S unique - defining characteristics






18. Emphasized idiographic approach to personality theory - as opposed to nomothetic; conscious motives governed by proprium or propriate function; lexical approach (5000 possible traits) - determined trait hierarchy of cardinal - central - secondary tra






19. Shows heritability of personality about 40-50% - identical twins separated at birth; 'Jim' twins had wives and dogs with same name - and same habits; differences shows environmental impact






20. Ambiguous story cards - people project own 'needs'






21. Found few sex differences existed that could not be explained by simple social learning; - most consistent difference that seems independent of social influence is that females have greater verbal ability and males have greater visual/spatial ability






22. Somatotypes personality theory






23. External and internal locus of control






24. Allport; his version of the ego - believed it acted relatively consistently based on traits developed through experience






25. Suggested personality typology based on personal activity and social interest; ruling-dominant type (choleric; high-low) - getting-learning type (phlegmatic; low-high) - avoiding type (melancholic; low-low) - and socially useful type (sanguine; high-






26. 1) dispositionist 2) situationist 3) interactionists






27. To show personality traits exist in a person - show person exhibits those traits in a variety of situations; cognitive behaviour (e.g. formulation of and attention to prototypes) is examined in social situations; - consistency of behaviour is result






28. At the top a cardinal trait (always consistent) - then central traits - then secondary traits (may conflict)






29. Uses large numbers of people to study commonalities of personality






30. Belief that one can effectively perform a task






31. Personality characteristic - causes one to view events as result of luck or fate; too much breeds helplessness






32. Self-defeating behaviour that allows one to dismiss or excuse failure






33. Superfactors - 5 dimensions that encompass all of personality; superordinate traits or facets; O-dimension (openness to experience - intellectual curiosity) - C-dimension (conscientiousness) - E-dimension (extroversion - enthusiasm) - A-dimension (ag






34. Personal constructs determine personality and behaviour






35. Sheldon; personality based on body types - three physiques and corresponding personality types: endomorph - mesomorph - ectomorph


36. The study of why people act the way that they do and why different people act differently






37. Scrutiny of own behaviour - motivation to act appropriately rather than honestly - ability to mask true feelings






38. Linked Type A personality to heart disease and other health problems






39. Characterized by drive - competitiveness - aggressiveness - tension - hostility; found - most common in middle to upper class men






40. Criticized trait and type theories that both assume behaviour is stable across situations and people fail to take circumstances into account; - studies show that people often act different in different situations; consistency paradox






41. Only circumstances determine behavior






42. Conscious ideas about the self - others and situations






43. Critical of personality trait theory






44. People often make assumptions about the dispositions of an individual based on the actions of that person






45. Androgynous individuals have higher self-esteem - lower anxiety - more adaptability than their highly masculine or feminine counterparts






46. Learned helplessness






47. Dispositional attribution; tendency for others to think actions are caused more by personality than situation (e.g. lie because he is a liar - not because of the situation)






48. Have a great need for arousal






49. Used factor analysis in data reduction of Allport'S 5000 traits; identified 16 bipolar source traits (e.g. relaxed-tense) that seemed to underlie all; 16 personality factors tested in personality questionnaire






50. In the forefront -a combination of stable - internal factors and situations