Social Cognitive & Trait Theories Module 20 Social Cognitive & Trait Theories

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY Definition says that personality development is shaped primarily by three forces: environmental conditions (learning) cognitive-personal factors behavior all interact to influence how we evaluate, interpret, organize, and apply information

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.) Interaction of three factors Cognitive-personal factors cognitive factors Include our beliefs, expectations, values, intentions, and social roles personal factors include our emotional makeup and our biological and genetic influences Behaviors include a variety of personal actions, such as the things we do and say

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.) Interaction of three factors Environmental factors include our social, political, and cultural influences, as well as our particular learning experiences

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.)

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.) Bandura’s social cognitive theory assumes that personality development, growth, and change are influenced by four distinctively human cognitive processes: highly developed language ability observational learning purposeful behavior self analysis Bandura: much of human personality and behavior is shaped by our own thoughts and beliefs

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.) Four cognitive factors Language ability powerful tool for processing and understanding information that influences personality development Observational learning we observe parents, brothers, sisters, peers, friends, and teachers we learn a great deal

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.) Four cognitive factors Purposeful behavior capacity to anticipate events, plan ahead, and set goals influences our personality development, growth, and change 4. Self-analysis internal process allows us to monitor our own thoughts and actions deciding to change our goals or values, we can significantly affect our personality development

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.) Locus of control refers to our beliefs about how much control we have over situations or rewards Internal locus of control believe that we have control over situations and rewards External locus of control believe that we do not have control over situations and rewards and that events outside ourselves (fate) determine what happens

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (CONT.) Delay of gratification refers to not taking an immediate but less desirable reward and instead waiting and using an object or completing a task that promises a better reward in the future Self-efficacy refers to the confidence in your ability to organize and execute a given course of action to solve a problem or accomplish a task use previous experiences compare listen use feedback

TRAIT THEORY Definition an approach for analyzing the structure of personality by measuring, identifying, and classifying similarities and differences in personality characteristics or traits Trait relatively stable and enduring tendency to behave in a particular way Gordon Allport found 18,000 terms; out of these 4,500 were considered to fit definition of personality traits stable and consistent tendencies in how and individual adjusts to his or her environment

TRAIT THEORY (CONT.) Raymond Cattell took Allport’s list of 4,500 traits and used factor analysis to reduce the list to the most basic traits factor analysis complicated statistical method that finds relationships among different or diverse items and allows them to be grouped together 35 basic traits Cattell called source traits describe all differences among personalities

TRAIT THEORY (CONT.) Finding traits: big five Five factor model organizes personality traits and describes differences in personality using five categories openness conscientiousness extraversion agreeableness neuroticism

TRAIT THEORY (CONT.)

TRAIT THEORY (CONT.) Person Versus Situation person-situation interaction person’s behavior results from an interaction between his or her traits and the effects of being in or responding to cues from a particular situation example: Rush Limbaugh could be righteous in criticizing Jerry Garcia’s drug use while being a drug addict himself

GENETIC INFLUENCES ON TRAITS Behavioral genetics study of how inherited or genetic factors influence and interact with psychological factors to shape our personality, intelligence, emotions, and motivation and also how we behave, adapt, and adjust to our environment Studying genetic influences Heritability statistical measure that estimates how much of some cognitive, personality, or behavioral trait is influenced by genetic factors

GENETIC INFLUENCES ON TRAITS Influences on Personality one reason for brothers and sisters developing different personalities is: 50% of their genes are different 50% are shared another reason is: each brother’s or sister’s unique set of genetic factors interacts differently with his or her environment

GENETIC INFLUENCES ON TRAITS Researchers have broken down the contributions to personality development into the four factors: 40% genetic factors 27% nonshared environmental factors 26% error 7% shared environmental factors

APPLICATION Objective personality tests (self-report questionnaires) specific written statements that require individuals to indicate (example) checking “true” or “false” whether the statements apply to them Objective personality tests are used in: business settings clinical settings

APPLICATION Integrity Tests supposed to assess whether individuals have high levels of the trait of honesy focus on measuring a single personality trait honesty Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 true-false self report questionnaire that consists of 338 statements describing a wide range of normal and abnormal behaviors measures the personality style and emotional adjustment in individuals with mental illness

APPLICATION Horoscopes 78% of women 70% of men believe that horoscopes are so correct that they were written especially for them Reliability and Validity Barnum principle (Named after P. T. Barnum) method of listing many general traits so that almost everyone who reads the horoscope thinks that these traits apply specifically to him or her traits are so general that they apply almost to everyone

APPLICATION Reliability and Validity Validity: tests measures what it claims or is supposed to measure Reliability: Consistency person’s score on a test at one point in time should be similar to the score obtained by the same person on a similar tests later in time