9/15/2014 1 CHAPTER 4 Self and Personality Personality  Personality:  The specific pattern of traits and dispositions that make each of each unique as a person (and different from others).  The consistent expression of our traits and dispositions across time and across situations in ways that make our behavior predictable and “familiar” to those who know us.9/15/2014 2 Major approaches to personality  The trait approach: the search for basic traits  Allport: cardinal traits, central traits, secondary traits  Adult personality traits: the “Big Five”  The social learning approach  The humanistic approach  The cognitive approach: Mischel’s “person variables” Traits are hierarchically structured (trait, habit pattern, specific surface behavior) Conscientiousness Punctuality Attention to detail Orderliness Computer files are organized into folders Doesn’t leave “loose ends” On time for appointments Never late to work Puts finishing touches on projects Closets at home are organized9/15/2014 3 Major approaches to personality  The trait approach: the search for basic traits  Allport: cardinal traits, central traits, secondary traits  Adult personality traits: the “Big Five”  The social learning approach  The humanistic approach  The cognitive approach: Mischel’s “person variables” Gordon Allport: The father of personality psychology  Cardinal traits  Central traits  Secondary traits9/15/2014 4 Major approaches to personality  The trait approach: the search for basic traits  Allport: cardinal traits, central traits, secondary traits  Adult personality traits: the “Big Five”  The social learning approach  The humanistic approach  The cognitive approach: Mischel’s “person variables” The Big Five personality factors Factor Characteristics Extraversion Sociable versus retiring, fun-loving versus sober, affectionate versus reserved Agreeableness Softhearted versus ruthless, trusting versus suspicious, helpful versus uncooperative Conscientiousness Well-organized versus disorganized, careful versus careless, self-disciplined versus weak-willed Neuroticism Worried versus calm, insecure versus secure, self-pitying versus self-satisfied Openness Imaginative versus down-to-earth, preference for variety versus preference for routine, independent versus conforming9/15/2014 5 Historical identification of the Big Five personality dimensions Investigator(s) Factor I Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 Factor 5 Fiske (1949) Confident self-expression Social adaptability Conformity Emotional control Inquiring intellect Tupes & Christal (1961) Surgency Agreeableness Dependability Emotional stability Culture Norman (1963) Surgency Agreeableness Conscientiousness Emotional stability Culture Borgatta (1964) Assertiveness Likeability Task interest Emotionality Intelligence Digman & Take-moto-Chock (1981) Extraversion Friendly compliance Will to achieve Ego strength (Anxiety) Intellect Goldberg (1981, 1989) Surgency Agreeableness Conscientiousness Emotional stability Intellect McCrae & Costa (1985) Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism Openness to experience Conley (1985) Social extraversion Agreeableness Impulse control Neuroticism Intellectual interests Botwin & Buss (1989) Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Dominant-assured Intellectance-culture Peabody & Goldberg (1989) Power Love Work Affect Intellect Major approaches to personality  The trait approach: the search for basic traits  Allport: cardinal traits, central traits, secondary traits  Adult personality traits: the “Big Five”  The social learning approach  The humanistic approach  The cognitive approach: Mischel’s “person variables”9/15/2014 6 Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning (aka “signal learning”)  Classical conditioning begins with an existing stimulus-response (S-R) association.  Pavlov, a Russian physiologist who was studying the process of digestion in dogs, was astute enough to recognize the importance of the fact that the dogs learned to salivate even before they were given the food.  Understanding that there was an existing S-R association between the food (S) and the dog’s salivation, he quickly perceived that there might also be a learned or “conditioned” association between cues associated with feeding (S) and the dog’s salivation (R).  Using the sound of either a bell or a tuning fork as his conditioned stimuli, he found that he could indeed “condition” the response of salivation to the sound of a bell or a tuning fork. Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning (aka “signal learning”)  Once the new S-R association is established, it can be used to condition yet another S-R association in a process called second-order conditioning.  For example, once the dog is reliably salivating to the sound of the bell, the bell can be paired with a green light and soon the dog will salivate whenever the green light comes on.  Both first-order and second-order classical conditioning are subject to extinction.9/15/2014 7 Operant (instrumental) conditioning (aka “consequence learning”)  Operant conditioning concerns the effect certain kinds of consequences have on the frequency of behavior.  A consequence that increases the frequency of a behavior is called a reinforcement.  A consequence that decreases the frequency of a behavior is called a punishment.  Whether a consequence is reinforcing or punishing varies according to the person and the situation.  There are two basic strategies for increasing the frequency of a behavior: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.  There are two basic strategies for decreasing the frequency of a behavior: extinction and punishment. Operant conditioning procedures Procedure Purpose Application Positive reinforcement Increase behavior Give reward following behavior Negative reinforcement Increase behavior Remove aversive stimulus following behavior Extinction Decrease behavior Do not reward behavior Punishment Decrease behavior Give aversive stimulus following behavior or take away positive stimulus9/15/2014 8 Major approaches to personality  The trait approach: the search for basic traits  Allport: cardinal traits, central traits, secondary traits  Adult personality traits: the