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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. Possibility that a person may behave inconsistently - presents problems for labelling people as one internal disposition






2. Conscious ideas about the self - others and situations






3. External and internal locus of control






4. Studies androgyny; created Bem Sex Role Inventory






5. Only circumstances determine behavior






6. 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-






7. 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






8. 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






9. Hierarchy of needs






10. People who emphasize internal determinants of behavior






11. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and California Personality Inventory (CPI)






12. 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)






13. Sheldon - Somatotypes' short - plump means pleasure-seeking - social






14. Belief that one can effectively perform a task






15. Picking all possible traits out of dictionary






16. Focuses on individual'S unique self and experiences






17. Studied Type A personality






18. Capture individual'S unique - defining characteristics






19. 1) dispositionist 2) situationist 3) interactionists






20. Muscular - athletic means energetic - aggressive






21. Possessing both male and female qualities






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






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






24. 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






25. 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






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






27. Practice of examining head and skull shape to discern personality






28. 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






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






30. Have a great need for arousal






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






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






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






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






35. Suggested females shun masculine-type successes not because of fear or failure or lack of interest - but they fear success and its negative repercussions (i.e. resentment and rejection)






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






37. Personal constructs determine personality and behaviour






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






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






40. 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






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






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






43. Cognitive training against learned helplessness






44. 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






45. 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






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


47. Critical of personality trait theory






48. Personality changes little after age 30






49. Learned helplessness






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