Marcus's high internal locus of control means he most likely believes:

Answer: Outcomes in his life are largely determined by his own actions Rotter's internal locus of control reflects the belief that one's own behavior controls outcomes. External locus attributes outcomes to luck, fate, or powerful others. Self-efficacy is task-specific belief in capability, distinct but related.

Trait theory describes personality in terms of

Answer: Stable characteristic patterns of behavior Allport, Cattell, Eysenck used factor analysis to identify trait dimensions.

These results best support which view in the trait-versus-state debate?

Answer: Mischel's interactionist position—broad traits exist but specific behavior is highly situation-dependent Aggregated stability with low single-situation correlations is the classic Mischel/interactionist pattern: traits are real but moderated by situations.

AP Psychology · Topic 4.5

Social-Cognitive and Trait Theories of Personality Practice

Part of Social Psychology and Personality.

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Sample questions

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Sample 1difficulty 3/5
$A researcher administers a Big Five inventory to 500 employees. Marcus scores high on Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, low on Neuroticism, and average on Openness and Extraversion. The researcher also measures self-efficacy and locus of control, finding Marcus has high self-efficacy and a strong internal locus of control.$
$Marcus's high internal locus of control means he most likely believes:$
- A
  $Outcomes are mostly due to luck or powerful others$
- B
  $Outcomes in his life are largely determined by his own actions$
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- C
  $Personality traits are genetically fixed$
- D
  $He cannot succeed at challenging tasks$
Why
$Rotter's internal locus of control reflects the belief that one's own behavior controls outcomes. External locus attributes outcomes to luck, fate, or powerful others. Self-efficacy is task-specific belief in capability, distinct but related.$
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Sample 2difficulty 3/5
$Trait theory describes personality in terms of$
- A
  $Innate striving toward self-actualization and growth$
- B
  $Unconscious conflicts between id, ego, and superego$
- C
  $Conditioned responses shaped by environmental reinforcement$
- D
  $Stable characteristic patterns of behavior$
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Why
$Allport, Cattell, Eysenck used factor analysis to identify trait dimensions.$
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Sample 3difficulty 3/5
$A personality researcher follows 200 employees for one year, sampling their honesty across multiple contexts (taxes, expense reports, returning a found wallet, anonymous online survey). Aggregate scores show stable individual differences, but cross-situational correlations between any two specific situations average only about r = .20.$
$These results best support which view in the trait-versus-state debate?$
- A
  $Pure behaviorism rejecting any role for personality$
- B
  $Freudian psychodynamic personality structure$
- C
  $Strict trait theory predicting near-perfect cross-situational consistency$
- D
  $Mischel's interactionist position—broad traits exist but specific behavior is highly situation-dependent$
  check_circle
Why
$Aggregated stability with low single-situation correlations is the classic Mischel/interactionist pattern: traits are real but moderated by situations.$
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Sample 4difficulty 4/5
$The Big Five personality dimensions are$
- A
  $Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism$
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- B
  $Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic, Mixed$
- C
  $Verbal, Mathematical, Spatial, Musical, Bodily$
- D
  $Id, Ego, Superego, Libido, Persona$
Why
$OCEAN is the standard five-factor framework — empirically derived from factor analysis of trait descriptors across cultures.$
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Sample 5difficulty 4/5
$Across the lifespan, Big Five traits show$
- A
  $Identical trait levels at every age and stage$
- B
  $Substantial stability with some maturation (e.g., increased conscientiousness, agreeableness)$
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- C
  $Random fluctuation with no predictable pattern$
- D
  $No measurable stability across the adult lifespan$
Why
$Most change occurs in young adulthood; relative rank-order is fairly stable.$
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