AP Psychology : Personality

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #451 : Ap Psychology

What is Jung's theory of the collective unconscious?

Possible Answers:

The collective unconscious is a repository of defense mechanisms, which we use when our ego is threatened. These would include repression, sublimination, denial, displacement, projection, reaction formation, regression, rationalization, and intellectualization.

The collective unconscious is the unconscious instincts that all living species on earth have in common. This would include our instincts to maintain our survival and to reproduce.

All of these represent different aspects of the collective unconscious.

That there are certain unconscious beliefs that a species will share in common and inherit, which are not learned in our environment. In the human collective unconscious, there are recurring archetypes and instincts that represent our desires and fears.

Correct answer:

That there are certain unconscious beliefs that a species will share in common and inherit, which are not learned in our environment. In the human collective unconscious, there are recurring archetypes and instincts that represent our desires and fears.

Explanation:

Jung's theory of collective unconscious is that we inherit unconscious desires and fears, which can be represented by a variety of recurring archetypes and instinctual impulses. In contrast to Freud, who saw the unconscious mind to primarily represent repressed sexual desires and memories specific to the individual, Jung saw it as a storehouse of individual, as well as ancestral, instincts and memories.

This was inspired by the fact that across many cultures, similar patterns and symbols come up in a recurring manner. The four primary symbols were that of the "persona" (our socially acceptable selves we present to the world), "anima/animus" (the traits we have in ourselves that represent our opposite sex), "shadow" (our creative and destructive selves), and "self" (our unique identities). Jung believed these were manifested in varying ways across cultures in religion, dreams, art, and culture. 

Example Question #453 : Ap Psychology

According to Freud, which part of the mind is government by the reality principle?

Possible Answers:

Ego

Oral

Genital

Superego

Id

Correct answer:

Ego

Explanation:

According to Freud, the human mind includes the id, ego, and superego. The id is unconscious and governed by the pleasure principle. It seeks immediate gratification of its needs. The superego is both conscious and unconscious. It is the moral part of the mind and motivated to do what is right and wrong. The ego is governed by the reality principle and seeks to negotiate between the id and the superego. It typically develops between ages two and three. Oral and genital refer to stages in Freud's psychosexual theory of development. 

Example Question #1 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

Which of the following is not a dimension of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test?

Possible Answers:

Extraversion-intraversion

Judgment-perception

Intuition-sensation

Immediacy-patience

Thought-feeling

Correct answer:

Immediacy-patience

Explanation:

The Myers-Briggs Test classifies people into 16 different personality types based on four personality dimensions: extraversion-intraversion, intuition-sensation, thought-feeling, and judgment-perception

Example Question #2 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

Which five personality factors make up the "big five"?

Possible Answers:

Conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

Conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, overt behaviorism, introversion

Creativity, argumentation, need for maturation, openness, extraversion

Creativity, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

Conscientiousness, arguementation, nagging, openness, introversion

Correct answer:

Conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

Explanation:

The "big five" personality traits are conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion. The acronym "CANOE" can aid you in remembering these empirically-supported personality trait continuums.

Example Question #3 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

What is the MMPI?

Possible Answers:

A personality test for adults

A behavioral analysis test for children

A personality disorder associated with an eating dysfunction

A calculation used when conducting chi-square analyses

A mnemonic device to remember the four fathers of modern psychology

Correct answer:

A personality test for adults

Explanation:

The MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) is the world's most widely used personality test for adults. In the modern day, it is used to screen job applicants, answer legal questions, and help psychologists make diagnoses and subsequent treatment plans.

Example Question #4 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

How is sublimination different from repression?

Possible Answers:

Sublimination is when a person regresses, perhaps to an infantile state, whereas repression is when the person represses a desire, which can manifest into psychosis.

Sublimination is when a person denies a characteristic they have and projects it onto other people. Repression is when a person represses a desire.

Sublimination is when someone takes a socially unacceptable desire and channels it in socially appropriate ways. Repression is when someone buries desires or fears from conscious awareness.

Sublimination is when a desire is eradicated completely, whereas repression is when a desire is repressed out of conscious awareness.

Correct answer:

Sublimination is when someone takes a socially unacceptable desire and channels it in socially appropriate ways. Repression is when someone buries desires or fears from conscious awareness.

Explanation:

Sublimination is the taking of a certain energy, which could be the product of fear or desire, and channeling it in socially appropriate ways. For example, one may have the impulse to be violent towards other people, but then challenge this impulse into a sport, a socially condoned form of violence.

Repression is generally considered slightly less healthy, in that the desire or fear is buried from conscious awareness and can manifest in certain psychotic tendencies.

Example Question #4 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

Which of these characteristics is a basic tenet of a fantasy-prone personality?

Possible Answers:

Dislike of authority

Strong fluid reasoning

Left-handedness

Ability to speak a second language

Vivid imagination

Correct answer:

Vivid imagination

Explanation:

Those with a fantasy-prone personality spend much time daydreaming, thus utilizing their vivid imagination. They are often able to recall their fantasies with near perfect accuracy.

Example Question #6 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

Which of the following is not a method of assessing personality?

Possible Answers:

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

Acquisition testing

Big five personality traits test

Self-reporting

Rorschach inkblot test

Correct answer:

Acquisition testing

Explanation:

The MMPI, the Rorschach inkblot test, the big five test, and self-reporting are all ways of measuring personality. The MMPI is a standardized test that gauges personality by asking questions that seem unrelated to personality traits; for example, "I enjoy breaking things" might be used as a measure of aggression. The Rorschach test determines personality traits by examining a way a person interprets ambiguous inkblot shapes. The big five test determines where a person falls on five main personality traits: agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. Self-reporting is a larger concept that is defined as an individual answering questions about their own internal states; examples of this include the MMPI and the big five test. 

Acquisition is a concept in classical conditioning that refers to the learning of the unconditioned stimulus and conditioned stimulus pairing.

Example Question #2 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

Which of the following indicates that Suzie has an internal locus of control?

Possible Answers:

She believes that the A on her test was just luck

She thinks she won the science fair because none of the other kids tried very hard this year

She believes fate led her to fail her driver's test

She feels hopeless when she is put in the highest level English class; no amount of hard work could help her succeed

She believes she scored on both of the free throws in her last basketball game because she's been working so hard on her free throws in practices

Correct answer:

She believes she scored on both of the free throws in her last basketball game because she's been working so hard on her free throws in practices

Explanation:

An internal locus of control is when a person believes that his/her hard work (practicing free throws) leads to the consequences (scored on both of the free throws in the game). An external locus of control is when a person believes that his/her life is determined by external forces—such as luck, fate, and the other kids not trying hard—and often leads to a sense of hopelessness. 

Example Question #5 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

The ability to stay on schedule and keep track of deadlines is associated with which of the Big Five Personality Traits?

Possible Answers:

Openness

Conscientiousness

Agreeableness

Neuroticism

Extraversion

Correct answer:

Conscientiousness

Explanation:

Conscientiousness is defined as the quality of being thorough, careful, and/or vigilant. Obviously, the ability to stay on schedule and keep track of deadlines meets this description. Each of the answers is a Big Five trait, but conscientiousness is the best fit for the traits described in the question.

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