Nomothetic vs. Idiographic Approach to Personality Quiz

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Questions and Answers

When describing personality to a new roommate, which of the following would be the most appropriate approach based on the text?

Discussing personal interests and hobbies

In the context of the text, what is the main focus of the Trait Approach theory?

Exploring the structure of personality through factor analysis

What is the central controversy discussed in the text regarding personality assessment?

The impact of situational factors on personality

Which method is highlighted in the text as a common approach for assessing personality?

Completing self-report inventories Signup and view all the answers

What does the text suggest as a challenge in describing one's personality to a new roommate?

Conveying an accurate representation of one's personality Signup and view all the answers

According to the text, what is a significant aspect of personality assessment discussed in the Trait Approach?

Understanding the structure and organization of personality Signup and view all the answers

Who used his knowledge of personality traits to select undercover agents for the Office of Strategic Services?

Murray Signup and view all the answers

What was Murray's academic background?

English literature Signup and view all the answers

What statistical technique did Murray use to determine the relationship between personality traits?

Factor analysis Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following traits might form two groups: achievement and interpersonal warmth?

Friendliness and tenderness Signup and view all the answers

Who identified 16 basic traits using various sources of data and created the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF)?

Cattell Signup and view all the answers

What was a topic of ongoing debate in personality research?

The number of basic personality dimensions Signup and view all the answers

What did Cattell believe in the existence of?

Source traits Signup and view all the answers

What is the widely used personality inventory today?

The 16 PF questionnaire Signup and view all the answers

What did Murray argue psychologists should not start with?

A preconceived list of personality traits Signup and view all the answers

What did Murray use to examine relationships between scores on different tests?

Correlation coefficients Signup and view all the answers

What did Cattell gather to identify 16 basic traits?

Data from various sources including personal records and lifelike situations Signup and view all the answers

Who is credited with teaching the first college course on personality in the US?

Gordon Allport Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of trait researchers?

Predicting typical behavior of people with certain trait scores Signup and view all the answers

According to Allport, what are the two general strategies used by trait researchers?

Nomothetic approach and idiographic approach Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport emphasize about the significance of a person's score on a trait measure?

It lies in how that individual compares to others, not an absolute value Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport believe about traits and their physical components?

Traits have physical components in our nervous systems Signup and view all the answers

Which theorist had an influential meeting with Gordon Allport in 1922?

Sigmund Freud Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport predict about the future of identifying personality traits?

Scientists would develop technology to identify personality traits by examining neurological structures Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport emphasize about common traits?

They are presumed to apply to everyone and distinguished from individual differences Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of trait researchers according to the given information?

To predict typical behavior of people with certain trait scores Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant limitation that Allport acknowledged about the trait concept?

Behavior is influenced by various environmental factors Signup and view all the answers

What is the distinction between nomothetic and idiographic approaches according to Allport?

The nomothetic approach assumes all people can be described along a single trait dimension, while the idiographic approach focuses on the unique qualities of an individual. Signup and view all the answers

What was the main reason why Gordon Allport felt out of place as a child?

His love for words and lack of interest in games Signup and view all the answers

Who influenced Gordon Allport to attend Harvard and study psychology?

His brother Floyd Signup and view all the answers

What was the title of Gordon Allport's well-received 1937 book?

Personality: A Psychological Interpretation Signup and view all the answers

In what year was Gordon Allport elected president of the American Psychological Association?

1929 Signup and view all the answers

Which approach to personality research did Gordon Allport champion?

The idiographic approach Signup and view all the answers

What did Gordon Allport believe occasionally dominates a personality, making the person synonymous with that trait?

A single trait Signup and view all the answers

In what year did Gordon Allport receive the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association?

1964 Signup and view all the answers

What was a turning point in Gordon Allport's career?

His decision to pursue his own interests in psychology despite resistance Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport believe was advantageous about the idiographic approach to personality research?

The person, not the researcher, determines which traits to examine Signup and view all the answers

How did Gordon Allport's background and career get influenced?

By his older brother Floyd, who attended Harvard before him and influenced his academic path. Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary focus of Gordon Allport's academic career?

Promoting individual differences and personality traits. Signup and view all the answers

What did Gordon Allport believe occasionally dominates a personality, making the person synonymous with that trait?

A single trait Signup and view all the answers

According to the trait approach to personality, how are characteristics identified?

As relatively stable features of an individual's personality Signup and view all the answers

Who among the following identified over 4,000 adjectives in the English language for the purpose of describing personality?

Gordon Allport Signup and view all the answers

Which early effort classified people into four types: sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic?

Ancient Greeks' approach Signup and view all the answers

What did the typology approach assume about each person?

Fits into one category and has stable personality traits Signup and view all the answers

What did the typology approach assume about the behaviors of individuals within each category?

They are distinctly different and empirically justified Signup and view all the answers

What did the trait approach assume about personality characteristics?

They remain constant and unchanging over time and across situations Signup and view all the answers

What did the trait approach assume about placing individuals along a trait continuum?

It is possible and the scores would be normally distributed Signup and view all the answers

According to the text, what has been challenged in research regarding trait stability?

Trait stability over time and across situations Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of the typology approach to personality?

Classifying people into different categories based on general physique Signup and view all the answers

What term did Henry Murray use to describe the basic elements of his approach to personality?

Psychogenic needs Signup and view all the answers

How many psychogenic needs did Henry Murray eventually identify?

27 Signup and view all the answers

Which scientific technique was borrowed by Raymond Cattell to identify the structure of personality?

Factor analysis Signup and view all the answers

What was Henry Murray's academic background before he became a successful lecturer at Harvard?

Biochemistry Signup and view all the answers

Who played a significant role in developing the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) alongside Henry Murray?

Christiana Morgan Signup and view all the answers

What did Murray believe about the needs he identified in his approach to personality?

They are largely unconscious needs Signup and view all the answers

What influenced Henry Murray's work early in his career?

Carl Jung's work Signup and view all the answers

Who borrowed factor analysis from other sciences to identify the structure of personality?

Raymond Cattell Signup and view all the answers

What was Raymond Cattell's academic background before he developed the trait approach?

Psychology Signup and view all the answers

Which concept did Henry Murray not believe psychologists should start with?

The unconscious mind Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used by Henry Murray to describe the readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions?

Psychogenic need Signup and view all the answers

What was the main focus of Henry Murray's approach to personality?

Psychogenic needs hierarchy Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Trait researchers focus on predicting typical behavior of people with certain trait scores, rather than predicting behavior of an individual in a specific situation.
Significance of a person's score on a trait measure lies in how that individual compares to others, not an absolute value.
Trait researchers are more likely to be academic researchers than practicing therapists, but their work can be useful for therapists in diagnoses and progress charting.
Trait approach became widely accepted in personality psychology, with researchers from various fields using traits and trait measures in their work.
Gordon Allport, a pioneering trait theorist, published the first work on personality traits in 1921 and is credited with teaching the first college course on personality in the US.
Allport emphasized conscious motives and acknowledged the limitations of the trait concept, accepting that behavior is influenced by various environmental factors.
Allport predicted that scientists would eventually develop technology to identify personality traits by examining neurological structures.
Trait researchers use two general strategies: nomothetic approach, assuming all people can be described along a single trait dimension, and idiographic approach, focusing on the unique qualities of an individual.
Allport identified common traits as those presumed to apply to everyone and distinguished them from individual differences.
Allport believed that traits have physical components in our nervous systems.
Allport had an influential meeting with Sigmund Freud in 1922 and emphasized the importance of manifest motives in psychology.
Henry Murray was an influential personality theorist who blended psychoanalytic and trait concepts.
Murray had extensive interaction with Carl Jung early in his career, which influenced his work.
Murray's approach to personality was called personology, and he identified psychogenic needs as the basic elements.
He described psychogenic needs as a "readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions."
Murray eventually identified 27 psychogenic needs, including the need for Autonomy, Achievement, Dominance, and Order.
Murray believed these needs were largely unconscious and that each person has a personal hierarchy of needs.
Factor analysis was borrowed from other sciences by Raymond Cattell, another pioneer of the trait approach, to identify the structure of personality.
Murray attended one psychology lecture as an undergraduate and found it boring, earning a degree in history instead.
Later in life, Murray became interested in psychology after being exposed to Carl Jung's writings.
Murray's academic background was in biochemistry, but he became a successful lecturer at Harvard despite being a stutterer.
Murray's partner, Christiana Morgan, played a significant role in developing the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) but received no credit.

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Idiographic vs. Nomothetic Approach Quiz

Questions and Answers

When describing personality to a new roommate, which of the following would be the most appropriate approach based on the text?

In the context of the text, what is the main focus of the Trait Approach theory?

What is the central controversy discussed in the text regarding personality assessment?

Which method is highlighted in the text as a common approach for assessing personality?

What does the text suggest as a challenge in describing one's personality to a new roommate?

According to the text, what is a significant aspect of personality assessment discussed in the Trait Approach?

Who used his knowledge of personality traits to select undercover agents for the Office of Strategic Services?

What was Murray's academic background?

What statistical technique did Murray use to determine the relationship between personality traits?

Which of the following traits might form two groups: achievement and interpersonal warmth?

Who identified 16 basic traits using various sources of data and created the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF)?

What was a topic of ongoing debate in personality research?

What did Cattell believe in the existence of?

What is the widely used personality inventory today?

What did Murray argue psychologists should not start with?

What did Murray use to examine relationships between scores on different tests?

What did Cattell gather to identify 16 basic traits?

Who is credited with teaching the first college course on personality in the US?

What is the primary focus of trait researchers?

According to Allport, what are the two general strategies used by trait researchers?

What did Allport emphasize about the significance of a person's score on a trait measure?

What did Allport believe about traits and their physical components?

Which theorist had an influential meeting with Gordon Allport in 1922?

What did Allport predict about the future of identifying personality traits?

What did Allport emphasize about common traits?

What is the primary role of trait researchers according to the given information?

What was a significant limitation that Allport acknowledged about the trait concept?

What is the distinction between nomothetic and idiographic approaches according to Allport?

What was the main reason why Gordon Allport felt out of place as a child?

Who influenced Gordon Allport to attend Harvard and study psychology?

What was the title of Gordon Allport's well-received 1937 book?

In what year was Gordon Allport elected president of the American Psychological Association?

Which approach to personality research did Gordon Allport champion?

What did Gordon Allport believe occasionally dominates a personality, making the person synonymous with that trait?

In what year did Gordon Allport receive the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association?

What was a turning point in Gordon Allport's career?

What did Allport believe was advantageous about the idiographic approach to personality research?

How did Gordon Allport's background and career get influenced?

What was the primary focus of Gordon Allport's academic career?

What did Gordon Allport believe occasionally dominates a personality, making the person synonymous with that trait?

According to the trait approach to personality, how are characteristics identified?

Who among the following identified over 4,000 adjectives in the English language for the purpose of describing personality?

Which early effort classified people into four types: sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic?

What did the typology approach assume about each person?

What did the typology approach assume about the behaviors of individuals within each category?

What did the trait approach assume about personality characteristics?

What did the trait approach assume about placing individuals along a trait continuum?

According to the text, what has been challenged in research regarding trait stability?

What is the main focus of the typology approach to personality?

What term did Henry Murray use to describe the basic elements of his approach to personality?

How many psychogenic needs did Henry Murray eventually identify?

Which scientific technique was borrowed by Raymond Cattell to identify the structure of personality?

What was Henry Murray's academic background before he became a successful lecturer at Harvard?

Who played a significant role in developing the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) alongside Henry Murray?

What did Murray believe about the needs he identified in his approach to personality?

What influenced Henry Murray's work early in his career?

Who borrowed factor analysis from other sciences to identify the structure of personality?

What was Raymond Cattell's academic background before he developed the trait approach?

Which concept did Henry Murray not believe psychologists should start with?

What is the term used by Henry Murray to describe the readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions?

What was the main focus of Henry Murray's approach to personality?

Study Notes

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