CHAPTER 12 Cognitive Topics in Personality © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood 1.

© 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood

CHAPTER 12

Cognitive Topics in Personality

1


2

Part II. The Cognitive/Experiential Domain

Cognitive Experiences

Emotions

Individual Differences in Cognition


3

Individual differences in how people process information

Perception

Interpretation

Goals

Individual Differences in Perception


4

Field Dependence-Independence Theory

Reducer-Augmenter Theory

Field Dependence-Independence (Witkin,1962)


5

Field Dependent Perceptions of environment based on

external cues from the environment (“the field”).

Field Independent Perceptions of environment based on

internal cues from their own bodily sensations.


Measuring field independence6

Rod and Frame Test (RFT)


Measuring field independence7

Embedded Figures Test (EFT)


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Dependent or Independent?

1. More attentive to social cues

2. Greater Responsibility-taking, more self-reliant

3. Warm, affectionate, tactful, accepting of others

4. Demanding, inconsiderate, manipulative, cold and distant in relationships

5. Shows Initiative


Field Dependence-Independence: What does research say?

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Education: Field independent: natural sciences, math,

engineering, language Field dependent: social sciences and

education

Careers: Field independent officers performed better

on shooting task and gave more accurate description of critical event

Reducer-Augmenter Theory (Petrie)


10

People differ in their reactions to sensory stimulation

Reducers: Nervous system dampens, or “reduces,” the effects of sensory stimulation.

Augmenters: Nervous system amplified, or “augments,” the subjective impact of sensory cues.


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For each pair of activities or events, choose the response that best indicates your preference:

1 2 3 4 5 6

Hard Rock Music

Soft Pop Music

Action Movies

Comedy Movies

Contact Sports

Noncontact Sports

A drum solo

A flute solo

Too much exercise

Too Little Exercise

ReducersAugmenter

s

Reducer-Augmenter Theory (Petrie)


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Ex: Individual Difference in Pain Tolerance: when people undergo same physical stimulus, but react differently to the stimulus (report a different level of pain). Pain

ToleranceLow High

Augmenters Reducers

Research Says!


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Reducers show relatively small brain responses to flashes of light and bursts of noise compared to augmenters

Reducers seek strong stimulation, drink more coffee, smoke more, and have a lower threshold to become bored

Reducers tend to start smoking at an earlier age, and to engage in minor delinquencies as adolescents


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Match similar terms together! Reducer Augmenter Field-Independence Field-Dependence Extraversion Introversion Psychology Students

INTERPRETATION

Individual Differences in Interpretation


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Individual differences that determine our construal of the world


Client names a set of 10 to 20 people who

are important in his/her life.


Researcher selects 3 elements (people) and

asks client which 2 elements are similar and which element is

different?

Mys

elf

Sig

nifi

can

t O

ther

An

ex


Mys

elf

Sig

nifi

can

t O

ther

An

ex

Client provides label for similarity.

Laid-back


Mys

elf

Sig

nifi

can

t O

ther

An

ex

Client provides label for difference.

Laid-back Nervous


Mys

elf

Sig

nifi

can

t O

ther

An

ex

Laid-back Nervous

Label for similarity and label for difference make up similarity-contrast construct.

Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory


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Construct Systems: personal theories that help us to understand, control and predict life events.

The ways in which people describe the self and others (i.e., adjectives) shows how people interpret the world.

Personal constructs: Mature------Childish Bad influence-----------Mentor Oddball-----------Mainstream


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Rotter’s Locus of Control:How responsible are you for the events that occur in your life?

External

Internal

Events are outside the person’s control

Events are under the person’s

controlIf I study (behavior), then I will receive an A.

Even if I study (behavior), I may not receive an A.

**Achievement/Success Expectancy**Failure Expectancy


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Example Items-Which are External or Internal?

#2 Many of the unhappy things in people's lives

are partly due to bad luck. People's misfortunes result from the mistakes

they make. #10

In the case of the well prepared student there is rarely if ever such a thing as an unfair test.

Many times exam questions tend to be so unrelated to course work that studying in really useless.


Learned Helplessness25

2-Part Study

Learned Helplessness


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Explanatory style: The way in which people explain (“attribute”) bad or good events that happen in their lives

External or internal Stable or unstable Global or specific


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• Did I or an outside force cause this event?

Internal vs.

External• Will this good or bad event

happen again?

Stable vs.

Unstable• Is this good or bad event a

reflection of my global self or a specific life domain?

Universal vs.

Specific


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Bad Event

•External•Unstable•Specific

Optimist

•Internal•Stable•Universal

Pessimist


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Good Event

•Internal•Stable•Universal

Optimist

•External•Unstable•Specific

Pessimist


On Spring Break in Vegas, Alan wins $3,000 playing

blackjack. Alan is a pessimist. How

would Alan explain the reason for his

winnings?

On Spring Break in Vegas, Kate wins $3,000

playing blackjack. Kate is an

optimist. How would Kate explain the

reason for her winnings?


Meg received a D on her psychology mid-term. Meg is a pessimist. How

would Meg explain the reason for her

poor grade?

Calvin received a D on his

psychology mid-term. Calvin is an optimist. How would

Calving explain the reason for his

poor grade?


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Need for Cognition (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982)

Individual difference variable in interpretation

Need to understand and explain the world


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NFC- Example Items

I would prefer complex to simple problems.

Thinking is not my idea of fun. R I feel relief rather than satisfaction after

completing a task that required a lot of mental effort. R

The notion of thinking abstractly is appealing to me.


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Need for Cognition is positively correlated with:

A. AgreeablenessB. ConscientiousnessC. Emotional StabilityD. Openness to ExperienceE. Extraversion


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For each print ad…

1. What was the product?

2. What was the brand?

3. What did the ad claim?

Individual Differences in Goals


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People differ in their goals, and these differences are part of personality


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Dweck: Lay Theories of Intelligence

• Intelligence is a fixed internal characteristic

• People cannot change their intelligence level

Entity Theory

• Intelligence is not fixed and is changeable

• Intelligence can improve through effort, persistence, etc.

Incremental

Theory


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Knee: Lay Theories of Relationships (ITRs)

• Entity theory• Relationship is or is

not meant to last

Destiny

Theory • Incremental Theory

• Relationships can be improved and worked on

Growth

Theory

(Knee, Patrick, & Lonsbary, 2003)


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ITR: Example Items: Growth or Destiny?

1. The ideal relationship develops gradually over time.

2. Problems in a relationship can bring partners closer together.

3. Relationships that do not start off well inevitably fail.

4. Potential relationship partners are either destined to get along or they are not.


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ITR: Example Items: Growth or Destiny?

The ideal relationship develops gradually over time. G

Problems in a relationship can bring partners closer together. G

Relationships that do not start off well inevitably fail. D

Potential relationship partners are either destined to get along or they are not. D

Life Outcomes? Favorable? Unfavorable?


Growth

Fewer one night-stands

More time dating same person

More likely to repair relationship when

problems arise

DestinyIf believe RR is meant to

be, then RR lasts long time

If problem arises early on, more likely to

terminate

If initial satisfaction/closeness is

low, more likely to terminate

Greater use of ineffective coping strategies


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ITRs and Big Five

Destiny

Growth


Growth

↑ Conscientiousness

↑ Agreeableness

Destiny

↑ Openness to Experience

↑ Extraversion

↑ Neuroticism


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Higgins: Theory of Regulatory Focus

• Focused on advancement, growth, accomplishments

• Behaviors = eagerness, approach

Promotion

Focus

• Focused on protection, safety, prevention of negative outcomes and failures

• Behaviors = vigilance, caution, attempts

Prevention

Focus


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Focus determines motivation Promotion-Focus

“If you solve 22 of the 25 anagrams, you will play Wheel of Fortune”

Prevention Focus “If you get 4 or more of the 25 anagrams

wrong, you will play the unvaried repetition task”

DV = Time spent working on unsolvable anagrams


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Higgins: Theory of Regulatory Focus

• Focused on advancement, growth, accomplishments

• Behaviors = eagerness, approach

Promotion

Focus

• Focused on protection, safety, prevention of negative outcomes and failures

• Behaviors = vigilance, caution, attempts

Prevention

Focus

Positively correlated with E and Behavioral

Activation

Positively correlated with N and Harm

Avoidance

CHAPTER 12 Cognitive Topics in Personality © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood 1.

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Transcript of CHAPTER 12 Cognitive Topics in Personality © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood 1.