Unit 10: Personality and Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences

Question 1

personality

Answer 1

patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique

Question 2

Perspectives of personality

Answer 2

Psychodynamic perspective: unconscious thoughts and internal conflicts influence personality
Trait perspective: describes the personality trait types, not how they are formed
Behavioral perspective: personality is a collection of operantly conditioned responses to certain stimuli
Humanistic perspective: human feelings and personal beliefs influence personality

Question 3

the three psychodynamic perspective theories

Answer 3

Psychoanalytic theory: unconscious thoughts and internal conflicts influence personality (Sigmund Freud)
Analytical psychological theory: the personal and collective unconscious influence personality (Carl Jung)
Individual psychological theory: one’s strive for superiority influences personality (Alfred Adler)

Question 4

Sigmund Freud’s contributions to psychology

Answer 4

1. Psychoanalytical theory: unconscious thoughts and internal conflicts influence behavior and cognition
2. Personality Structures: three components of personality according to Freud
3. Levels of Awareness: types of consciousness according to Freud
4. Defense Mechanisms: unconscious reactions to protect oneself from anxiety
5. Theory of Psychosexual development: stage theory describing 5 psychosexual challenges throughout one’s life that one must conquer to psychosexual develop

Question 5

what are the three personality structures

Answer 5

id: instinctive component of personality
ego: decision-making component of personality
superego: moral component of personality

Question 6

What are the levels of awareness?

Answer 6

conscious: the information one is aware of at a certain time
preconscious: the information one is not aware of at a certain time but can easily retrieve
unconscious: repressed thoughts, desires, and urges

Question 7

What are the defense mechanisms?

Answer 7

1. repression: burying stressful thoughts and feelings in the unconscious
2. projection: blame others for one’s state of anxiety
3. displacement: taking out emotional feelings on an innocent target
4. reaction formation: behaving oppositely to how you truly feel
5. regression: returning to immature/childish behavior
6. rationalization: self-justification for a behavior
7. identification: connecting with people to improve self-esteem

Question 8

theory of psychosexual development

Answer 8

1. Oral Stage (0-1): pleasure focuses on the mouth
2. Anal Stage (2-3): pleasure focuses on waste excretion
3. Phallic Stage (4-5): pleasure focuses on the genitals
4. Latency Stage (6-puberty): begin to express sexuality
5. Genital Stage (puberty+): pleasure focuses on genitals

Question 9

trait theory of personality

Answer 9

describes personality via personality traits

Question 10

personality trait

Answer 10

behavior that an individual generally expresses in most situations

Question 11

Big 5 personality traits

Answer 11

Openness to Experience: inventive and curious
Conscientiousness: efficient and organized
Extroversion: social and energetic
Agreeableness: helpful and cooperative
Neuroticism: worried and insecure

Question 12

What was the definition of personality according to behaviorism?

Answer 12

Personality is the collection of operantly conditioned behaviors due to various stimuli

Question 13

Albert Bandura contributions to psychology

Answer 13

1. Social-Cognitive Theory: both social and cognitive factors influence behavior
2. Social Learning Theory: we can learn by observing others

Question 14

Carl Rogers contributions to psychology

Answer 14

1. one of the founders of humanistic theory

2. developed person-centered theory: emphasized the influence of self-concept (how one views oneself) on behavior

Question 15

Abraham Maslow contributions to psychology

Answer 15

developed the hierarchy of needs: progressive list of needs from most to least basic

Question 16

Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs

Answer 16

1. Self Actualization: realization of one’s full potential
2. Esteem: independence, respect and recognition, self-esteem, and achievement
3. Belongingness and Love: to love and be loved, to be accepted and avoid loneliness
4. Safety: to feel safe from danger
5. Physiological: Food, Water, and Shelter

Question 17

intelligence

Answer 17

ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt new situations

Question 18

What are the types of intelligences?

Answer 18

Crystallized Intelligence: Already accumulated knowledge
Fluid Intelligence: Ability to use knowledge and logic to solve problems
General Intelligence: general ability that is shown in every daily task done
Emotional Intelligence: ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

Question 19

Types of intelligence tests

Answer 19

Binet-Simon Scale: measured mental age to define relative student intelligence
Stanford-Binet: measured IQ via dividing mental age by chronological age and multiplying by 100
Weschler Intelligence Scale (separate for child and adult): determines intelligence based on verbal and analytic reasoning
Aptitude test: predict how one will do in the future
Achievement test: measure what have already learned

Question 20

theories of intelligence

Answer 20

Spearman’s General Intelligence: there is an underlying general intelligence that predicts our abilities in various areas
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory: there are 7 types of intelligence one can have
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory: There are three areas of intelligence; analytical (logic and reasoning), creative (ability to come up with new ideas), and practical (abilities useful in day-to-day life) intelligence

Question 21

standardization

Answer 21

process of establishing average scores for a test to compare to others

Question 22

validity

Answer 22

extent to which a test predicts or measures what it is supposed to

Question 23

reliability

Answer 23

extent to which a test yields consistent results