The Influence of Micro contexts Macro contexts on Personality January 16 2014 The silly nature vs nurture debate o Experiment 1 Maze Bright vs Maze Dull rats Tryon 1940 Maze solving abilitiy is genetically heritable since IQ test cannot be given the researches timed how long it took to run the maze Selectively bred over generations based on of errors After seven generations there was no overlap between bright and dull rats the only smartest dull ones are only as bright as the dumbest bright ones o The Effect of Environment on Maze Bright Maze Dull rats Cooper and Zubek 1958 What happens when we raise them in different environments New experiment manipulate the environment 1 Normal environment had soft bedding enclosed spaces moderate stimulation 2 Restrictive environment had just a food box and a water pan 3 Enriched environment had lots of toys ramps slides tunnels mirrors highly stimulating Advantage of bright rates was completely wiped out when raised impoverished o What do we learn Disadvantage of dull rates overcome when raised enriched Evolution and DNA are not just the first draft but rather the blue print In other words it is not nature OR nurture it is interactionism G x E Genes X Environment Phenotype of a trait Our cards are dealt from two decks combination of two Macro contexts vs Micro contexts o What constitutes of environment Macro contexts culture social structure gender and history 1 Micro contexts All of the social and physical features of a situation where am I who s with me 2 Psychological Affordances our subjective experiences of and interpretations of situations break ups fights car crashes Cultures effect of Personality o Experiment 2 The Cultural Brain Children and chimps are shown clear and opaque boxes must do certain tasks before they get the reward o Three important dimensions of culture 1 Culture means We do it this way a Dr Sapolsky s kind baboons example 2 An organized body of rules concerning the way in which individuals should Communicate and interact with one another Think about themselves and their obligations To have a culture brain means readily absorb all these rules Set and pursue certain life goals However the rules of reward punishment significantly differ and expectations across cultures Macro context Culture o Ask people to fill in I am In America 80 of responses are personal traits I am calm tall mischevious whereas 20 refer to social roles I am married an American an Arsenal soccer fan In China most responses were precedent to the group o Individualist cultures are cultures in which the gals of the individual take precedence over the goals of the group success is measured by how far one stands out Self made millionaire employees of the month o Collectivist culture is a culture in which the goals of the group take precedence over the goals of the individual Success and self esteem are a reflection of one s contributions to the group as a whole fulfilling one s social obligations Ex loyalty to company or family specialized skills fitting in The consequence for Personality o It shapes how we define ourselves as we saw o It shapes our sense of what obligations we must meet and what traits we must possess be deemed a good person Locus of Control cultures tell us who is in control of our lives their ability to get rewards and avoid punishment o Western Individualistic cultures tend to have an internal locus of control The person is in charge and individually responsible for outcomes o Eastern Collectivist tend to have an external locus of control An individual s outcomes are largely a product of a social circumstance political historical events or fate out of one s control
View Full Document
Unlocking...