AP Psychology : Motivation, Emotion, and Personality

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #461 : Ap Psychology

Which of the following is not one of the Big 5 Personality Factors?

Possible Answers:

Warmth

Neuroticism

Conscientiousness

Extraversion

Agreeableness

Correct answer:

Warmth

Explanation:

The Big 5 personality factors are conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and extraversion. To remember the Big 5, you can use the acronym CANOE!

Example Question #462 : Ap Psychology

People who are high in Extraversion on the Big Five personality traits tend to have a high need for __________.

Possible Answers:

attention and social interaction 

new experiences 

familiar experiences 

isolation and alone time 

Correct answer:

attention and social interaction 

Explanation:

People who score high on Extraversion in the Big Five personality traits tend to have a need for social interaction and attention. This is the counterpart to introversion, which correlates with a high need for alone time. While an extremely extraverted person may be more likely to have a high need for new experiences, this is not as directly relevant to the main aspects of extraversion, which have to do with the personal need for social interaction.

The other four of the Big Five personality traits are Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Example Question #463 : Ap Psychology

People who score high on Conscientiousness on the Big Five tend to have a strong need for __________.

Possible Answers:

social interaction and attention

alone time 

following rules and completing tasks 

creative stimulation 

Correct answer:

following rules and completing tasks 

Explanation:

People who score high on Conscientiousness on the Big Five personality traits tend to have a strong need for completing tasks and following rules. These people tend to get along well in large groups as they have also tend to have a high regard for social norms. 

Example Question #61 : Personality

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is a standardized test commonly used to assess personality and which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Cognitive maturity

Professional aptitude

General intelligence

Psychopathology

Correct answer:

Psychopathology

Explanation:

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a psychometric test that is often used to detect personality traits and psychopathological tendencies. It consists of a long series of statements such as "I never seem to get enough sleep" that the subject endorses by marking "True" or does not endorse by marking "False." It was created by administering a large list of these "I..." statements to individuals who were known to have mental illnesses before they took the test; analysts then ran statistical tests to find the test items that were often endorsed by individuals with a certain illness. The modern test uses the test-taker's answering patterns to detect personality traits that may be associated with a mental illness. Answering patterns are also analyzed for possible intentional deceit (i.e. answering two similar questions oppositely) or hypochondriasis. 

Example Question #12 : Assessing And Classifying Personality

Which of the following classifies personality based on Carl Jung's personality types?

Possible Answers:

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)

Astrology

Conners 3

Correct answer:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Explanation:

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. By using Jung's research on personality types, the MBTI is able to classify people into 16 different personality categories. 

Example Question #62 : Personality

What is an instance of reaction formation? 

Possible Answers:

Forming an improper reaction due to displacement of certain emotions onto a different object

When someone consistently displays affection towards another, but unconsciously dislikes them

When someone reacts in a regressive or infantile way to a situation

When someone forms a rationalization of an unpleasant event in order to reduce its stressful impact

Correct answer:

When someone consistently displays affection towards another, but unconsciously dislikes them

Explanation:

Reaction formation is one of the more subtle defense mechanisms and can be a bit difficult to define. Essentially, one may feel an emotion unconsciously, and then express behaviors that reflect its opposite. For instance, one may continually express altruistic beliefs, but in actuality be motivated by selfishness. One may feel animosity towards another, but express affection and love towards them. 

Example Question #62 : Motivation, Emotion, And Personality

Which term describes the interacting influences between personality and environmental factors?

Possible Answers:

Refraction

Repression

Cycle of evocation

Regression

Reciprocal determinism

Correct answer:

Reciprocal determinism

Explanation:

Reciprocal determinism depicts the interacting influences between personality and environmental factors. Thus, we choose to place ourselves in certain environments based on our personality, and those environments influence our behavior and the way we think. 

Example Question #61 : Personality

Which of the following is NOT an example of a projective test?

Possible Answers:

Draw-A-Person test

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Picture arrangement test

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Word association test

Correct answer:

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Explanation:

Projective tests, such as the TAT, Word association, Rorschach inkblot, and Draw-A-Person, are used to examine hidden emotions and internal conflicts. These methods are rooted in psychoanalytic theories of personality. The MMPI is a widely-used psychometric personality test used for diagnoses, job screenings, or legal reasons. 

Example Question #64 : Personality

Which of the following is not part of Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory of personality?

Possible Answers:

Reaction Formation

The Superego

Ectomorphs

Oral Fixation

Penis Envy

Correct answer:

Ectomorphs

Explanation:

All of these are part of Freud's theory except for ectomorphs. Ectomorphs are a part of William Sheldon's (largely discredited) Somatotype theory of personality in which there are three body types, each being associated with certain personality traits.

Example Question #2 : Personality Changes And Growth

Sally blames her failing test grade on bad luck. Sally has a(n) __________.

Possible Answers:

reciprocal locus of control

external locus of control

internal locus of control

self-actualized personality

determined locus of control

Correct answer:

external locus of control

Explanation:

When people have an external locus of control, it means that they are likely to believe that luck and outside forces determine what happens. This is the opposite of an internal locus of control, which means that one feels that he/she is responsible for that which happens to him/her. The other answer choices are not terms referring to loci of control.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors