Personality and attitudes Flashcards
Define personality
Characteristics and traits that influence behaviour and make a person unique
Describe the trait theory of personality
That personality is innate (inherited), therefore personality is stable (consistent), therefore it is predictable
Give the characteristics of a type A personality
Likes control, strong desire to succeed, prone to suffer from stress, works quickly
Give the characteristics of a type B personality
Doesn’t like control, lacks desire to succeed, less prone to stress, works slowly
Give a characteristic of an Introvert personality
Shy/concentrated, less easily aroused
Give a characteristic of an extrovert personality
Sociable/outgoing/lacks concentration, aroused easily
Give a characteristic of a stable personality
Predictable/calm/constant, doesn’t experience high stress
Give a characteristic of a an unstable personality
unpredictable/eratic/not constant, experiences high stress
Describe the social learning theory of personality (2 marks)
We first observe and then copy behaviours of significant others or role models, learning this behaviour requires reinforcement
Describe the interactionist theory of personality
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
Give a strength of trait theory
If theory is correct it will allow us to predict personality
Some evidence for personality being genetic
Give a strength of social learning theory of personality
Bobo doll experiment supports the idea and adds validity
Some evidence to suggest that watching and copying significant others
Give a strength of interactionist theory of personality
It takes into account both theories which is more realistic
Explains why behaviour is unpredictable
Explains why people in the same environment behave differently
Give a weakness of trait theory of personality
May not be accurate as genetics may not be the only factor
Doesn’t account for how personality changes in different environments
Give a weakness of social learning theory of personality
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
Give a weakness of interactionist theory of personality
Ignores the importance of social structures and group dynamics
Define the term attitude
The way in which we might act towards something or someone
Identify 2 factors which may affect our attitude/Explain how attitudes can be formed
Peer group, parents, religion, past experiences
Describe the three components of attitude
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
Describe cognitive dissonance
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
Explain three factors that influence the effectiveness of ‘Persuasive communication’
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
