Download Pervin (Controversies): Chapter 6 - K-State Courses

PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
Psychology 620, Fall 2004 Reference #22870
Kansas State University - www.ksu.edu/psych
Exam 3 Learning Goals
Pervin & John: Chapter 9/Dabbs et al
1. What is temperament and how does it differ from personality traits? How is it similar?
Describe the early views regarding the links between the body/brain and personality
including those of: Greeks and the humors, Gall and phrenology, Kretschmer, Sheldon and
body types. Describe the evidence supporting these links and the problems with this work.
2. Describe the work on temperament in children including the New York Longitudinal Study
and the work by Kagan and Buss & Plomin. What sorts of temperaments have been
identified? Has this work been supportive of the temperament construct (e.g., is temperament
evident in infants, is it stable, does it impact later functioning)?
3. What are ultimate causes? How does evolutionary theory use ultimate causes to explain
current behavior? What are evolved psychological mechanisms? Describe the rationale and
nature of evolutionary predictions regarding individual differences including stabilizing
selection, directional selection, niches, and gender differences in mate preferences and
jealousy. Describe the research examining these predictions. Does the evidence support these
claims? What problems are seen with this evidence? What of the work by Harris (2002)?
How does Social Exchange Theory explain differences in jealousy and mate preference?
4. How has the Big-5 been incorporated into evolutionary theory? What is the lexical
hypothesis? How might have the Big-5 (and terms describing them) evolved?
5. What is behavioral genetics and what is its goal? Describe the three methodologies used by
behavioral geneticists and how they each address the goals of this field.
6. What is a heritability coefficient? What does the work computing heritability coefficients tell
you about the heritability of personality?, about the influence of the environment? Describe
the caveats the authors point out here.
7. What are non-shared and shared environments? Explain their relative importance in
personality development. What is the average heritability coefficient for each type of
environmental effect on personality? Describe the 3 types of gene-environment interactions.
How important are they and how might genes impact the environment?
8. Describe the various brain structures and systems thought to be involved with personality
(e.g., amygdala, RAS, BIS/BAS). How are these systems measured and how are they related
to personality structure (e.g., Big-5) and function?
9. Describe the role of neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin), the amygdala and hemispheric
dominance in personality/temperament dimensions such as PE, NE and DvC. How do these
various neurological features impact personality? What are some limitations to these
conclusions? What of plasticity and behavior impacting biological processes?
10. What was the purpose of the Dabbs study? Describe the procedure and summarize the
findings. What do these results reveal about the connection between biology and personality?
Pervin (Controversies): Chapter 5
1. How heritable is intelligence? How do we know this? Describe the various controversies &
potential explanations regarding the heritability of intelligence (e.g., Flynn effect). What are
the conclusions from APA’s Task Force on Intelligence?
2. How heritable are temperament, personality traits, gender identity, sexual orientation and
psychopathology? Describe the social and biological influences on gender identity and sexual
orientation. In the case of gender identity does it appear that nurture can outweigh nature
(e.g., Brenda)?
3. Describe Baumeister’s view regarding the relative role of genetics and environment in the
erotic plasticity of men and women. What are the hypotheses drawn from this view and is
there any support for them?
4. What are some of the social implications of the heritability of everything from intelligence
and psychopathology to personality and gender orientation? What about the role of the
environment and parenting influences? Are they really as negligible as behavioral geneticists
claim? Is our fate really that closely tied to our genetic heritage?
Pervin (Controversies): Chapter 6
1. Describe the basic distinction between an evolutionary approach emphasizing universals in
personality structure and function and a cultural relativism position emphasizing diversity.
2. What is trait relevance and how is it important for the two positions (evolution-biologynature and culture-environment-nurture) discussed in this chapter. If a trait is not relevant for
all people what does this mean for its ‘universality’?
3.
Describe the 5 basics elements of the evolutionary perspective. What does this perspective
predict regarding universals in cognition? What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? Has
empirical research supported this hypothesis? What does this mean for universals v. diversity
in cognition?
4. What is emotion? Describe the 4 types of responses involved and the evolutionary
perspectives’ predictions regarding basic emotions? Why might emotions be adaptive?
5. Describe the basic principles of Tomkin’s Basic Emotions Theory. How is this relevant for
personality and the Big-5? Is there any support for this theory? For instance what has the
work on facial expressions of emotion found? How are display rules important here?
6. What predictions does evolutionary theory make regarding attachment? Discuss the relevant
evidence (e.g., from primate species). How is culture important here?
7. Describe the basics of the cultural approach to personality. What is this perspective’s view of
the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? What evidence exists supporting it (e.g., fundamental
attribution error)?
8. Summarize the cultural arguments for basic emotions and attachment.
9. How does the cultural position explain gender differences in mate selection and jealousy?
What is the social structural theory? What does the work by Harris show? Explain.
Pervin & John: Chapter 10
1. Describe the learning view of the person and science. How is the focus here different from
trait theorists and those who emphasize biology in personality development?
2. Describe the basic principles of classical conditioning, including stimulus generalization and
discrimination and extinction. In this view how does personality develop?
3. Describe how classical conditioning could produce complex learned behaviors and emotional
responses. How is emotional conditioning (e.g., little Albert experiment) and the principles of
generalization relevant to the understanding of individual differences in emotionality (e.g.,
neuroticism)?
4. How has classical conditioning been applied in therapy and other settings?
5. For Skinner, what are the basic structural units of personality and how do they develop?
What causes individual differences in behavior?
6. Describe the basics of operant conditioning, and how it could produce complex learned
behavior/personality.
7. How does the S-R theory explain personality development? What is the importance of habits
and drives? Where do these comes from and how do they impact behavior?
8. What is the primary process involved in the S-R (Hullian) theory of personality?
9. Describe the strengths and limitations of the learning approach to personality.