Individual Differences Flashcards
Sports psychologists have stated that people with a Type A personality are highly competitive, whereas people with a Type B personality are non-competitive.
Give one other characteristic of a Type A personality and one other characteristic of a Type B personality (2,4;4)
Type A:
- Works fast
- Strong desire to succeed
- Likes control
- Prone to suffer stress
Type B:
- Works more slowly
- Lacking in desire to succeed
- Does not enjoy control
- Less prone to stress
Which two of the following sources of motivation are examples of intrinsic motivation (2):
A) Coach pressure
B) Enjoyment
C) Self-satisfaction
D) Trophy
B
C
Define the term attitude and identify one factor that affects how attitudes are formed (2,1;8)
A predisposition towards an attitude object/stimulus
Socialisation, peer group/friends, parents, media, religion, culture, past experiences, positive reinforcement
Define the terms intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (2)
Intrinsic: The internal drive to participate/perform well
Extrinsic: External drive/desire to participate
Give one factor that affects the formation of a positive attitude in sport (1,6)
Past experience, socialisation, peer group, parental influence, media/role models, culture/race/religion
Explain three ways in which persuasive communication might change a sports performer’s attitude (3,5)
High status persuader/more people persuading
Accurate, well presented, backed up, relevant information
Recipient needs to be open to persuasion
The environment should be one where the recipient feels comfortable or time needs to be right for message to be received
Used to create cognitive dissonance
Evaluate trait and social learning theories of personality formation (4,2;3;2;3)
Trait +: Personality/behaviour can be predicted, some evidence that personality is influences by genetics
Trait -: Not likely to be just genetic input that determines personality, doesn’t account for change in personality in different environments, identical twins brought up in different environments do not demonstrate the same personality
Social +: Bobo doll experiment adds validity to theory, evidence for some aspects of personality being learned by watching and copying role models
Social -: Too simplistic, twins brought up in the same environment don’t always display the same personality, If the theory was true we would all have the same personality as role models
Describe the following terms in relation to personality: Type A, Type B, Introvert, Extrovert (4)
Type A: Prone to anxiety/stress
Type B: Works at a slower pace
Introvert: Less sociable/likes to be on their own
Extrovert: May lack concentration
Define personality (1)
What makes a person unique, characteristics/traits that influence behaviour
Explain trait theory of personality (2;5)
Innate - trait theory states you are born with your personality
Stable - Personality is constant
Enduring - Personality remains the same over the course of a lifetime
Predictable - Personality is predictable
Examples of theories - Eysenck’s, Girdano/narrow band approach
Suggest one reason why trait theory might not be an accurate theory of personality (1,4)
Not likely to be just gene factors that determines personality
Doesn’t account for environmental influence causing changes in personality
Identical twins brought up in the same environment do not demonstrate the same personality
Personality can change over time
Describe the behaviour of a stable extrovert (2,2;2)
Stable: predictable, doesn’t experience high stress
Extrovert: Sociable/outgoing, aroused more slowly than introvert
Give two strengths of the interactionist theory of personality (2,3)
More realistic as it takes into account the effect of both traits and the environment
It explains how behaviour is often unpredictable
Explains why people in the same environment behave differently
Explain the term cognitive dissonance in relation to changing an attitude in sport (2,4)
Emotional conflict is created due to an individual holding two or more opposing attitudes/ideas/beliefs
Introduction of new information to challenge current belief or change emotion
…in order to bring attitude components in line/create cognitive consonance
The more uncomfortable the individual is the greater the desire to change the attitude
Name and describe the three components of attitude (6)
Cognitive - Beliefs/knowledge about the attitude object
Affective - Emotions/emotional reaction to the attitude object
Behavioural - How we act/behave towards the attitude object
