Download Environmental Effects on Personality

How We Become Who We Are –
Processes & Patterns of Change
A General Framework for Personality Psychology
Life Events and
Broad Social Contexts
•Latent/Enduring Dispositions
Biology
Neural Structures
Biochemistry
Genes
Traits – the broad strokes of how we differ
from each other, eg N, E, O, A, C (& H?)
“In the Moment”
Occurrent
Cognitions
Objective Environmental
Properties
Social
and
Behavioral
Events
Perceived
Environmental
Properties
Occurrent
Emotions
Environmental Foundations
of Personality
Macrosystem
Exosystem
Microsystem
Child/
Person
Environmental Foundations
Goals
• Understand the basic processes through our
“environment” shapes our behavioral and emotional
tendencies. How your personality might be shaped by
the environment.
• Know what’s meant by the “environment” (i.e.,
Who/what shapes your personality)
• Understand (some of) the relevant empirical evidence,
demonstrating environmental effects
• Be able to explain what’s meant by an “interaction”
between biology and environment
Environmental Foundations:
How is your personality shaped?
Three kinds of conditioning/learning, each of which can
explain some aspects of personality and behavior
I.
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
(Pavlov)
II. Operant/Instrumental Conditioning
(Skinner)
III. Observational Conditioning (Bandura)
Classical Conditioning
“Classical Conditioning” – A type of learning in
which a previously neutral stimulus (e.g.,
clicking sound) acquires the capacity to evoke a
response (e.g., salivation) that was originally
evoked by another stimulus (e.g., food).
Classical Conditioning
A previously neutral stimulus acquires the
capacity to evoke a response that was originally
evoked by another stimulus.
Classical Conditioning
Examples:
Certain perfume/cologne – elicits attraction,
affection
What is the UCS, UCR, CS, CR?
Seinfeld episode
What is the UCS, UCR, CS, CR?
Phobias
Classical Conditioning
So a large part of the emotional side to our
personality may come from classical
conditioning processes.
But we don’t just respond to the environment
Behaviorist Approaches
(How is your personality shaped?)
Three kinds of conditioning, each of which can
explain some aspects of personality and
behavior
I.
II.
III.
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
(Pavlov)
Operant/Instrumental Conditioning
(Skinner)
Observational Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
“Operant conditioning” – responses are
controlled by their consequences
Organisms tend to repeat those responses that
are followed by favorable consequences
Operant Conditioning
Organisms tend to repeat those responses that
are followed by favorable consequences
Classical v Operant Conditioning
In Classical Conditioning,
Env stim (CS)  Resp
Stimulus elicits a response
In Operant Conditioning
Resp  Env Stim (Reinforcement)
Response elicits stimulus
Operant Conditioning
Forms of operant conditioning:
Increasing (or maintaining) the occurrence of a
behavior - reinforcement
Decreasing the occurrence of a behavior
Operant Conditioning - Reinforcement
2 kinds of reinforcement (two ways to increase
the occurrence of a behavior)
1) Positive reinforcement - the behavior is followed
by presentation of a rewarding stimulus.
2) Negative reinforcement – the behavior is
followed by removal of an aversive (unpleasant)
stimulus.
Operant Conditioning
2 ways to decrease the occurrence of a
behavior
1) Stop reinforcing the behavior
2) Punishment – the behavior is followed by
presenting an aversive stimulus or removing a
pleasant stimulus.
Behaviorist Approaches
(How is your personality shaped?)
Three kinds of conditioning, each of which can
explain some aspects of personality and
behavior
I.
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
II.
Operant Conditioning (Skinner)
III.
Observational Conditioning (Bandura)
Observational Conditioning
So far - learning through direct experience
We also learn by observing others, by watching other
people be conditioned. “Vicarious reinforcement”
Environmental Foundations
Goals
• Understand the basic processes through our
“environment” shapes our behavioral and
emotional tendencies. How your personality might
be shaped by the environment.
• Know what’s meant by the “environment” (i.e.,
Who/what shapes your personality)
• Understand (some of) the relevant empirical
evidence, demonstrating environmental effects
• Be able to explain what’s meant by an “interaction”
between biology and environment
Environmental Foundations: Parents
Parents & Parenting style (how
parents treat kids)
Example:
Shyness / “Behavioral Inhibition”
Environmental Foundations: Parents
Chen, Rubin et al. (1998) Developmental Psychology
Studied 150 Canadian mothers and children.
• All kids did a set of in-lab activities
• They were observed by research assistants, who
recorded “behavioral inhibition”
Environmental Foundations: Parents
Mothers completed questionnaire about six
parenting styles – How much do they use...
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acceptance
Rejection
Encouraging achievement
Encouraging indpendence
Punishment
Protection/concern
Environmental Foundations: Parents
Correlations between child shyness and mother
parenting styles:
(* = statistically significant)
• Acceptance
• Rejection
• Encouraging achievement
• Encouraging indpendence
• Punishment
• Protection/concern
-.22*
.10
-.21*
.12
.21*
.22*
Environmental Foundations: Parents
So, relatively shy kids had mothers who tended
to be:
•
•
•
•
less accepting
not enourage achievement
more punishing
more protective.
A. Caspi – Shyness is fairly consistent across
childhood and adutlhood
Environmental foundations
Siblings
How might siblings affect personality?
Birth order effects.
How might we study this empirically?
Environmental foundations
Siblings
In general, only little support for a clear link
between birth order and personality
Example –
Jefferson, Herbst, & McCrae (1998). Associations between
birth order and personality traits: Evidence from selfreports and observer ratings. Journal of Research in
Personality, 32, 498-509.
No links between birth order and personality ratings provided
by self or by spouses. Some evidence for ratings provided
by peers. (LB > FB, for O & A)
Environmental foundations
Siblings
Frank Sulloway Meta-analysis of 196 studies
First Borns
Later Borns
Antagonistic, aggressive Agreeable, friendly
Traditional-minded
Open-minded
Assertive, dominant
Obedient, rule-oriented Rebellious, non-conform.
Jealous, sensitive-threat
Environmental foundations
Siblings
Ho might these effects (though small) arise at
all?
Discuss
http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/video
s/9p0lhk/frank-sulloway
Environmental Foundations
Goals
• Understand the basic processes through our
“environment” shapes our behavioral and emotional
tendencies. How your personality might be shaped by
the environment.
• Know what’s meant by the “environment” (i.e.,
Who/what shapes your personality)
• Understand (some of) the relevant empirical evidence,
demonstrating environmental effects
• Be able to explain what’s meant by an “interaction”
between biology and environment
Environmental Foundations: Peers
Peers as socialization agents
Peers reinforce, punish, model and generally
exert pressure us to act, believe, and feel in
certain ways.
Example - “sex-appropriate” and “sexinappropriate” behavior
M. Lamb et al. (1980) Child Development
Environmental Foundations: Peers
Observed 3-5 year-olds as their playmates
exhibited “sex-appropriate” or “sexinappropriate” activities.
How did they react?
• Reinforced “sex-appropriate” activities and
criticized (punished) or disrupted “sexinappropriate” activities.
• Children stopped more quickly when punished for
“sex-inappropriate” behavior
Environmental Foundations
WHAT DETERMINES WHAT SHOULD AND
SHOULD NOT BE REINFORCED?
Society & Culture
Ecological systems model
(Urie Bronfenbrenner)
The developing individual is
embedded within several “nested”
environmental systems
Macrosystem
Exosystem
Microsystem
Child/
Person
Ecological systems model
Microsystem – Immediate contexts that the
individual actually experiences.
Exosystem – Settings that the child does not
directly experience, but that might affect his/her
development.
Macrosystem – Broad cultural ideologies and
values. Laws, Customs, History, Language,
Race, Gender Economic issues,
Collectivism/Individualism.
SES & Personality
Chapman et al (2010, Am J of
Epid)
•Close to truly random
sample of US adults:
•Random phone # dialing
across US in 1995
•N = 2,998
Results:
•Higher SES = Higher C,
O, E, Lower N and A
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
“Twenty Statements Test”
Who am I?
One way of becoming more self-aware is to notice the words you
use to describe yourself. Some important facts about our “public
selves” are revealed on the official forms we fill out, when we give
our name, age, birthplace, marital status, etc. Other, more subtle
aspects of our self-images are revealed in the way we introduce
ourselves, or the things we choose to reveal in the first few minutes
of a new acquaintance. In effect, the answers you just jotted down
in response to the question “Who Am I?” provide an outline for an
autobiography and give some insights about your self-image.
How can we organize and make sense of your
responses?
Eg, Roles, traits, physical, existential
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
Individualistic cultures –
• Emphasize individual freedom, self-determination,
choice, achievement, uniqueness, assertiveness
• “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”
• “Getting Ahead”
• 20ST –Abstract, internal, context-free traits
• List of adjectives to describe self - 96% Americans
checked “special” 18% checked “ordinary”
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
Collectivistic cultures –
•
•
•
•
•
Emphasize the group over the individual.
“The nail that sticks up gets pounded down”
“Getting Along”
20 ST –Relational or role ideas.
List of adjectives – 55% of Japanese checked
“Special” and 84% check “ordinary”!
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
Suggests that people from different cultures
have fundamentally different ways of seeing the
“self” – independent vs interconnected?
Indvidualism vs Collectivism as
personality characteristic
Your scores
Indvidualism vs Collectivism as
personality characteristic
Individualism - independent self-construals, exchange relationships, personal
goals.
Collectivism –interdependent self-construals, communal relationships, in-group
goals.
Vertical v. Horizontal –Differences/Hierarchy/Status vs Equality
Integrating these two dimensions:
• Vertical Collectivism – seeing the self as a part of a collective and being
willing to accept hierarchy and inequality within that collective
• Vertical Individualism – seeing the self as fully autonomous, but believing
that inequality will exist among individuals and that accepting this inequality.
• Horizontal Collectivism –seeing the self as part of a collective but perceiving
all the members of that collective as equal.
• Horizontal Individualism –seeing the self as fully autonomous, and believing
that equality between individuals is the ideal.
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
Characteristic of culture and of individuals
within cultures
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/map/hofstedeindividualism.html
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
Is shyness different in different cultures?
Chen, Rubin et al (1998) Developmental Psychology –
• Studied Canadian and Chinese mothers and
children.
• Kids did in-lab activities
• They were observed by research assistants, who
recorded “behavioral inhibition”
• Mothers completed questionnaire about parenting
styles - Acceptance, Rejection, Punishemnt
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
Correlations between child shyness and mother
parenting styles:
Can.
Chinese
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acceptance
-.22*
Rejection
.10
Encouraging achievement -.21*
Encouraging independ.
.12
Punishment
.21*
Protection/concern
.22*
.17*
-.18*
.18*
.18*
-.15*
.03
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
So shy CANADIAN kids have mothers who tend
to exhibit a negative style
Shy CHINESE kids have mothers who tended
to be more accepting, less rejecting, don’t use
punishemnt, and are not necessarily more
protective.
Cultural variables Indvidualism vs Collectivism
Why the difference?
Behavioral inhibition- not stand out, fit in, go
along
Individualistc culture – Get ahead
Collectivistic culture – Get along
Foundations of Personality –
How do you become who you are?
Biology and Environment – separately
Biology/Environment “Interactions”
- The environment affects people differently,
depending on their biological qualities.
Foundations of Personality –
How do you become who you are?
Biology/Environment “Interactions”
- Ex. – the effect of life stress on depression is
different for people with different genetic
characteristics (Caspi et al., 2002).
- In general, more stress = more depression
- But this effect was more pronounced for
people with specific genetic characteristic,
and less pronounced for people with a
different genetic characteristic
Foundations of Personality –
How do you become who you are?
Environmental Foundations
Goals
• Understand the basic processes through our
“environment” shapes our behavioral and
emotional tendencies. How your personality might
be shaped by the environment.
• Know what’s meant by the “environment” (i.e.,
Who/what shapes your personality)
• Understand (some of) the relevant empirical
evidence, demonstrating environmental effects
• Be able to explain what’s meant by an “interaction”
between biology and environment