Chapter 2: Personality & Learning Flashcards
Personality
The relatively stable set of psychological characteristics that influences the way an individual interacts with his or her environment.
Dispositional approach
Individuals possess stable traits or characteristics that influence their attitudes and behaviours.
Situational approach
Characteristics of the organizational setting influence people’s attitudes and behaviour.
Interactionist approach
Individuals’ attitudes and behaviour are a function of both dispostions and the situation.
Trait activation theory
Traits lead to certain behaviours only when the situation makes the need for the trait salient. (p.46)
Five-Factor Model of Personality
Extraversion, Emotional stability/Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to experience.
Locus of control
A set of beliefs about whether one’s behaviour is controlled mainly by internal or external forces.
Self-monitoring
The extent to which people observe and regulate how they appear and behave in social settings and relationships.
Self-esteem
The degree to which a person has a positive self-evalution.
Behavioural plasticity theory
People with low self esteem tend to be more susceptible to external and social influences than those who have high self-esteem.
Positive affectivity
Propensity to view the world, including oneself and other people, in a positive light.
Negative affectivity
Propensity to view the world, including oneself and other people, in a negative light.
Proactive behaviour
Taking initiative to improve current circumstances or creating new ones.
General self-efficacy (GSE)
A general trait that refers to an individual’s belief in his or her ability to perform successfully in a variety of challenging situations.
Core self-evaluations
A broad personality concept that consists of more specific traits that reflect the evaluations people hold about themselves and their self-worth.
Learning
A relatively permanent change in behaviour potential that occurs due to practice or experience.
Operant learning
Learning by which the subject learns to operate on the environment to achieve certain consequences.
Reinforcement
The process by which stimuli strengthens behaviour.
Positive reinforcement
The application or addition of a stimulus that increases or maintains the probability of some behaviour.
Negative reinforcement
The removal of a stimulus that in turn increases or maintains the probability of some behaviour.
Performance feedback
Providing quantitative or qualitative information on past performance for the purpose of changing or maintaining performance in specific ways.
Social recognition
Informal ackowledgement, attention, praise, approval, or genuine appreciation for work well done from one individual or group to another.
Extinction
The gradual dissipation of behaviour following the termination of reinforcement.
Punishment
The application of an aversive stimulus following some behaviour designed to decrease the probability of that behaviour.
Continuous reinforcement and short delay of reinforcement lead to…
Fast acquisition
Partial reinforcement and long delay of reinforcement lead to…
Persistence
Social cognitive theory (SCT)
Emphasizes the role of cognitive processes in learning and in the regulation of people’s behaviour.
Observational learning
The process of observing and imitating the behaviour of others.
Self-efficacy beliefs
Beliefs people have about their ability to successfully perform a specific task.
Self-regulation
The use of learning principles to regulate one’s own behaviour.
Organizational behaviour modification (O.B. Mod)
The systematic use of learning principles to influence organizational behaviour.
Employee recognition programs
Formal organizational programs that publicly recognize and reward employees for specific behaviours.
Peer recognitions programs
Formal programs in which employees can publicly acknowledge, recognize, and reward their co-workers for exceptional work and performance.
Training and development
Training is planned organizational activities that are designed to facilitate knowledge and skill acquisition to change behaviour and improves one’s current job; development focuses on future job responsibilities.
Behaviour modelling training (BMT)
One of the most widely used and effective methods of training, involving five steps based on the observational learning component of social cognitive theory.
5 BMT Steps
- Describe behaviours to be learned
- Display effective use of behaviours
- Provide opportunity for practise
- Provide feedback/reinforcement on practise
- Maximize behaviours in the job
Career Development
An ongoing process in which individuals progress through a series of stages that consist of a unique set of issues, themes, and tasks.
Determinants of self-efficacy beliefs
Performance mastery
Observation
Verbal persuasion and social influence
Physiological state
