#20 - A research psychologist used a personality test to classify

[lemonade42]

So I interpreted "the repressor's characteristics" in the Q to also include the part where the author says "repressors repress upsetting thoughts and feelings". Isn't that a characteristic of being a repressor? So wouldn't (D) also be correct because it suggests that their desire for success also leads to that "characteristic"?
Also I originally chose B because I thought it was contradicting what the stimulus said. I was thinking how could they express their emotions if they repress their thoughts and feelings? Is B still correct because even though repressors repress upsetting thoughts and feelings, they could still express other emotions, more than sensitizers?

[Dana D]

Hey Lemonade,

Answer (D) is the correct answer for this question. If repressors' tendency to repress is strengthened by their desire to maintain success, that still fails to explain why they are less shy or anxious and have the better social skills and grades. Answer (D) validates that repressors keep repressing, but it doesn't explain why they have such better outputs than "sensitizers" - that's the paradox we need to resolve.

Answer choice (B) resolves this paradox by saying repressors are less likely to alienate others - this would explain why they have better social skills and greater sense of self esteem than "sensitizers".

[HarmonRabb]

After reading this thread, I'm confused about what the stem is asking for us to solve.
The stem says

"explanation of the repressors’ characteristics...except "

I took that to mean "which one of these does not explain why repressors do the things they do" but reading the thread here and answers from PS admins, it seems like it should be interpreted to mean "which does not explain the difference between the two groups". Is that right and if so can you help me understand why?

[sxzhao]

I have problem eliminating D. Here's my reasoning:

First and foremost, what are we asked to explain? Well, we're asked to find a explanations for what the researchers found, i.e., "repressors were less shy and anxious ... greater sense of self-esteem." Let's be clear that what's quoted above is a phenomenon, a correlation observed, NOT a causal statement. The researchers did NOT find that being a repressor CAUSES someone to be less shy ... greater sense of self-esteem.

And as we all are aware, a correlation can be explained in three ways - A causes B, B causes A, or C causes both A and B. While Choice A, B, E follows the "A causes B" explanation, Choice D is the other way around.

C, on the other hand, states that behaviors of repressors are rewarded more, but it could be because repressors DO present those reward-worthy behaviors. This statement can potentially explain why repressors can ride a positive cycle to demonstrate even more desirable behaviors and traits over time, but it does NOT help explain why they are "less shy ... greater self-esteem" to begin with.

Please help me understand where my anlysis went wrong. Thanks!

[Jeff Wren]

Hi sxzhao,

First, if you haven't done so already, I'd recommend reading through the entire forum discussion on this question, as there are several prior explanations that you may find helpful.

It's important to note that the description of the repressors' characteristics are all relative to the sensitizers. To resolve these facts, we don't want to just explain why repressors are successful academically and socially, but specifically why they are more successful academically and socially than sensitizers. Even though the question only mentions repressors, to explain how/why repressors did "better" in these characteristics than sensitizers, we need to address both groups.

Besides D, all of the other answers (including C) distinguish repressors from sensitizers in a way that is directly relevant to the differences in their characteristics, and thus do help to explain the differences between these groups.

Answer C provides an additional motive for repressors to achieve academic success and desired social behavior than sensitizers. If repressors are rewarded more for these behaviors/characteristics, that is possible reason/explanation for why they develop them more.

Answer D is the only answer that does not compare repressors to sensitizers. While it may explain a possible motive for wanting to repress upsetting thoughts and feelings, it does not explain why the repressors were more successful to begin with, especially in comparison to sensitizers. Answer D is basically hypothesizing that, for repressors who are already successful, the desire to maintain this success increases their repressing tendencies, but this doesn't imply that repressing actually leads to success initially or that sensitizers would be less successful.