Ch 3 Flashcards
Interactional psychology
the psychological approach to understanding human behavior that involves knowing something about the person and about the situation
Individual differences
the way in which factors such as skills, abilities, personalities, perceptions, attitudes, values, and ethics differ from one individual to another
Personality
a relatively stable set of characteristics that influence an individual’s behavior
Trait theory
a personality theory that advocates breaking down behavior patterns into a series of observable traits in order to understand human behavior
Integrative approach
the broad theory that describes personality as a composite of an individual’s psychological processes
Strong situation
situation that overwhelms the effects of individual personalities by providing strong cues for appropriate behavior
Locus of control
an individual’s generalized belief about internal control (self-control) versus external control (control by the situation or others)
General self-efficacy
an individual’s general belief that he or she is capable of meeting job demands in a wide variety of situations
Self-esteem
an individual’s general feeling of self-worth
Self-monitoring
the extent to which people base their behavior on cues from other people and situations
Positive affect
an individual’s tendency to accentuate the positive aspects of herself or himself, other people, and the world in general
Negative affect
an individual’s tendency to accentuate the negative aspects of himself or herself, other people and the world in general
Projective test
a personality test that elicits an individual’s response to abstract stimuli
Behavioral measures
personality assessments that involve observing an individual’s behavior in a controlled situation
Self-report questionnaire
a common personality assessment that involves an individual’s responses to a serries of questions
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) instrument
an instrument developed to measure Carl Jung’s theory of individual differences
Extraversion
being emerged by interaction with other people
Introversion
being energized by spending time alone
Sensing
gathering information through the five senses and focusing on what actually exists
Intuition
gathering information through a “sixth sense” and focusing on what could be
Thinking
making decisions in a logical, objective fashion
Feeling
making decisions in a personal, value-oriented way
Judging
preferring closure and completion in making decisions
Perceiving
preferring to explore many alternatives with flexibility and spontaneity
Social perception
the process of interpreting information about another person
Discounting principle
the assumption that an individual’s behavior is accounted for by the situation
Selective perception
the tendency to select information that supports our individual viewpoints while discounting information that threatens our viewpoints
Stereotype
a generalization about a group of people
First-impression
forming lasting opinions about an individual based on initial perception
Projection
overestimating the number of people who share our own beliefs, values and behaviors
Self-fulfilling prophecy
allowing expectations about people to affect our interaction with them in such a way that those expectations are fulfilled
Impression management
the process by which individuals try to control the impressions others have of them
Attribution theory
a theory explanation that explains how individuals pinpoint the causes of their own and others’ behavior
