Personality and attitudes

Question 1

Define personality

Answer 1

Characteristics and traits that influence behaviour and make a person unique

Question 2

Describe the trait theory of personality

Answer 2

That personality is innate (inherited), therefore personality is stable (consistent), therefore it is predictable

Question 3

Give the characteristics of a type A personality

Answer 3

Likes control, strong desire to succeed, prone to suffer from stress, works quickly

Question 4

Give the characteristics of a type B personality

Answer 4

Doesn’t like control, lacks desire to succeed, less prone to stress, works slowly

Question 5

Give a characteristic of an Introvert personality

Answer 5

Shy/concentrated, less easily aroused

Question 6

Give a characteristic of an extrovert personality

Answer 6

Sociable/outgoing/lacks concentration, aroused easily

Question 7

Give a characteristic of a stable personality

Answer 7

Predictable/calm/constant, doesn’t experience high stress

Question 8

Give a characteristic of a an unstable personality

Answer 8

unpredictable/eratic/not constant, experiences high stress

Question 9

Describe the social learning theory of personality (2 marks)

Answer 9

We first observe and then copy behaviours of significant others or role models, learning this behaviour requires reinforcement

Question 10

Describe the interactionist theory of personality

Answer 10

Personality is determined by both traits and the situation in front of us, behaviour changes depending on the situation and therefore personality is not predictable

Question 11

Give a strength of trait theory

Answer 11

If theory is correct it will allow us to predict personality
Some evidence for personality being genetic

Question 12

Give a strength of social learning theory of personality

Answer 12

Bobo doll experiment supports the idea and adds validity
Some evidence to suggest that watching and copying significant others

Question 13

Give a strength of interactionist theory of personality

Answer 13

It takes into account both theories which is more realistic
Explains why behaviour is unpredictable
Explains why people in the same environment behave differently

Question 14

Give a weakness of trait theory of personality

Answer 14

May not be accurate as genetics may not be the only factor
Doesn’t account for how personality changes in different environments

Question 15

Give a weakness of social learning theory of personality

Answer 15

May be viewed as too simplistic and that genetics are not factored in
If the theory was true, we would all have the same personality which we don’t

Question 16

Give a weakness of interactionist theory of personality

Answer 16

Ignores the importance of social structures and group dynamics

Question 17

Define the term attitude

Answer 17

The way in which we might act towards something or someone

Question 18

Identify 2 factors which may affect our attitude/Explain how attitudes can be formed

Answer 18

Peer group, parents, religion, past experiences

Question 19

Describe the three components of attitude

Answer 19

Cognitive - Our beliefs and knowledge about something that is usually formed through past experiences and from others
Affective - Our emotional reactions towards something, if we like or dislike something
Behavioural - How we actually behave or respond to these feelings and knowledge

Question 20

Describe cognitive dissonance

Answer 20

Individual holds two or more opposing attitudes
New information is introduced to challenge the current belief
This brings the attitude components in line by removing discomfort
The more uncomfortable the individual is, the greater the desire to change on of their attitudes

Question 21

Explain three factors that influence the effectiveness of ‘Persuasive communication’

Answer 21

Persuader - A high status persuader or more people persuading is more effective
Message - A good quality message that is evidenced and backed up and well presented is more effective
Recipient - Recipient needs to be open to persuasion and not stubborn