Unit 5

Question 1

What is perception?

Answer 1

Interpretation of a stimulus based on personal experience; not just seeing, but making sense of what we see.

Question 2

What is field dependence?

Answer 2

A perceptual style where individuals focus on the whole picture and are more socially oriented.

Question 3

What is field independence?

Answer 3

A style where individuals focus on specific details and prefer working independently.

Question 4

What are personal constructs according to Kelly?

Answer 4

Mental filters we use to understand and predict events in life; bipolar in nature (e.g., kind vs unkind).

Question 5

What causes anxiety in Kelly’s theory?

Answer 5

When personal constructs fail to make sense of events, leading to unpredictability.

Question 6

What is expectancy-value theory?

Answer 6

We act based on how likely we think we’ll succeed (expectancy) and how much we care about the result (value).

Question 7

What is locus of control?

Answer 7

Belief about what controls life events—either internal (you control outcomes) or external (outside forces do).

Question 8

What is learned helplessness?

Answer 8

The belief that nothing you do can change your situation, even if that’s not true.

Question 9

What is attributional style?

Answer 9

Habitual ways of explaining events: internal vs. external, stable vs. unstable, global vs. specific.

Question 10

What is self-efficacy?

Answer 10

The belief that you can successfully perform a task.

Question 11

What is Dweck’s mastery orientation theory?

Answer 11

Belief that intelligence can grow through effort leads to persistence; belief it’s fixed leads to giving up.

Question 12

What is Mischel’s CAPS model?

Answer 12

Personality is a system of thoughts and emotions that interact with situations to shape behavior.

Question 13

What are the three components of emotions?

Answer 13

Subjective feelings, bodily changes, and action tendencies.

Question 14

What is an emotional state?

Answer 14

A short-term emotional response to a specific event.

Question 15

What is an emotional trait?

Answer 15

A person’s usual emotional pattern across situations.

Question 16

What is the categorical approach to emotions?

Answer 16

Emotions are distinct categories (e.g., anger, fear, happiness).

Question 17

What is the dimensional approach to emotions?

Answer 17

Emotions fall along scales like pleasantness and arousal.

Question 18

What is happiness?

Answer 18

A positive emotional state of joy, satisfaction, and well-being.

Question 19

What is the indirect pathway between personality and happiness?

Answer 19

Personality influences the experiences we seek, which shape our happiness.

Question 20

What is the direct link between personality and happiness?

Answer 20

Personality directly influences emotional tendencies regardless of experiences.

Question 21

What is neuroticism?

Answer 21

A trait characterized by moodiness, worry, irritability, and emotional instability.

Question 22

What is trait anxiety?

Answer 22

A consistent tendency to perceive situations as threatening and respond with anxiety.

Question 23

What is depression?

Answer 23

A state of sadness, apathy, and loss of interest in life activities.

Question 24

What is affect intensity?

Answer 24

How strongly a person typically experiences emotions.

Question 25

What is high affect intensity?

Answer 25

Strong and frequent emotional highs and lows.

Question 26

What is low affect intensity?

Answer 26

Mild, stable emotional responses with fewer extremes.

Question 27

What is self-concept?

Answer 27

The knowledge and beliefs a person has about themselves—“Who am I?”

Question 28

What is self-esteem?

Answer 28

A general evaluation of oneself as good or bad.

Question 29

What is social identity?

Answer 29

The part of the self shown to others; how we want others to perceive us.

Question 30

How does neuroticism affect emotional processing?

Answer 30

Individuals pay more attention to, remember, and are affected by negative events.

Question 31

What is the Stroop task result for high neuroticism?

Answer 31

They respond more slowly to negative words, showing they are more affected by them.

Question 32

What is the role of schemas in self-concept?

Answer 32

Schemas are mental frameworks that help organize information about the self.

Question 33

What are possible selves?

Answer 33

Ideas about who we might become, want to become, or fear becoming.

Question 34

What defines a psychological disorder?

Answer 34

A distressing pattern of behavior that causes dysfunction and risk of suffering.

Question 35

What is statistical rarity?

Answer 35

The idea that abnormal behavior is infrequent in the population.

Question 36

What is the DSM-5?

Answer 36

A manual used to diagnose and classify mental disorders.

Question 37

What is the dimensional model?

Answer 37

Psychological traits exist on a spectrum; disorders are extremes of normal traits.

Question 38

What is the categorical model?

Answer 38

Disorders are distinct and separate from normal traits.

Question 39

What is borderline personality disorder?

Answer 39

Characterized by unstable relationships, emotions, behavior, and self-image.

Question 40

What is antisocial personality disorder?

Answer 40

Disregard for others' rights, lying, impulsivity, and lack of remorse.

Question 41

What is obsessive-compulsive personality disorder?

Answer 41

Preoccupation with perfection, order, and control—at the expense of flexibility.

Question 42

What is avoidant personality disorder?

Answer 42

Fear of rejection, social avoidance, and feelings of inadequacy.