Trait and Social learning approaches

Question 1

What are personality traits?

Answer 1

• Internal dispositions
• Fairly stable throughout the lifespan
• Has a more scientific basis than psychoanalytic approach

Question 2

How are traits identified?

Answer 2

Lexical - through languages
Statistical approach - factor analysis
Theoretical - using theory

Question 3

What are the three hierarchal model of personality super traits?

Answer 3

psychoticism
extraversion
neuroticism

Question 4

What is psychoticism?

Answer 4

• Measures conformity, aggressiveness, and empathy
• High scorers are impulsive, aggressive, lack empathy
• Low scorers are sociable and cooperative

Question 5

What is extraversion?

Answer 5

• Extraverts are sociable, optimistic, more pleasant emotions
• High scorers are sociable and optimistic
• Low scorers are quiet and passive, pessimistic
• Strong hereditary link

Question 6

What is neuroticism?

Answer 6

• Degree of problem arising in the autonomic nervous system

- High scorers are vulnerable to psychiatric illness

Question 7

Who created the 16 dimensions of personality?

Answer 7

Raymond Cattell

Question 8

What is the limitation of the 16 dimensions of personality?

Answer 8

Researchers have failed to replicate the 16 dimensions

Question 9

What are the five traits covered in the 5 factor model of personality?

Answer 9

• extraversion
• neuroticism
• agreeableness
• consciousness
• openness

Question 10

What are the strengths of the trait approach?

Answer 10

• Factors provide a convenient and accurate framework and description of personality
• 5-FM generated a significant amount of empirical research; fairly stable over the lifespan

Question 11

What are the weaknesses of the trait approach?

Answer 11

• Claim that personality is largely based on genetics
• Social and family interactions during childhood have little influence
• Much of Eysenck’s results have not be replicated by other researchers

Question 12

How are the psychodynamic explanations of behaviour flawed?

Answer 12

• Based on inferred drives/needs
• Ignores conscious cognitions
• Ignores situational influences

Question 13

What is Bandura’s social learning theory?

Answer 13

People learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modelling people learn through observing others behaviour and attitudes

Question 14

What are the conditions for effective modelling in Bandura’s theory?

Answer 14

• attention
• retention
• reproduction
• motivation

Question 15

What is reciprocal determinism?

Answer 15

The world and a person’s behaviour cause each other

Question 16

What are the four requirements for human agency in Bandura’s model?

Answer 16

• Intentionality
• Forethought
• Self reactiveness
• Self reflectiveness

Question 17

What are the four concepts underpinning Rotter’s theory of social learning?

Answer 17

• assumes cognitive factors shape how people react to environment
• expectations of future events are prime determinants of performance
• focus on interaction of people with meaningful environments
• examines consistency of personality

Question 18

What are the hypotheses of Rotter’s theory?

Answer 18

• human behaviour stems from interaction of environment and personal factors
• personality is learned –> can be changed or modified as long as people can learn
• basic unity –> personality has some basic stability
• motivation is goal directed
• people can anticipate events, so they’re capable of changing their environment and personality

Question 19

What is behaviour potential?

Answer 19

Behavior Potential (BE) = Expectancy (E/Estimation of outcome) + Reinforcement Value(RV)

Expectancy
- confidence in expectancies grows the more you are in a certain situation

Reinforcement value
- degree to which we prefer one reinforcement over another