Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Psychology and Sociology

Trait Theories

Assumption: Great men, or great leaders, were born that way.

The Big Five (Trait Theory)

The importance of leadership traits is the five-factor model of personality.

• Extroversion
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
• Emotional Stability
• Openness to Different Experiences

Leaders must recognize the importance of having an appropriate mix of the Big Five traits because an overreliance on any one trait can result in less than optimal personal and organizational performance.

Behavioral Theories

The types of theories that emerged have been characterized as the behavioral era of leadership study (Yukl, 1981).

The University of Michigan Study

A team studied the effects of leader behavior on job performance by interviewing a number of managers and subordinates.... Continue reading "Leadership Theories and Styles: Trait, Behavioral, Situational, and Transformational" »

Realistic Job Preview A realistic job preview (RJP) conveys both positive and negative job information to the applicant in an unbiased manner.

Interviewer Bias Often, a problem arising in interviews is interviewer bias, where interviewers make incorrect assumptions about interviewees, influencing selection decisions.

Reference checks validate information from applicant contacts, providing additional insight and verifying accuracy.

Negligent hiring is an employer's liability for failing to reasonably investigate an applicant's background, assigning a potentially dangerous person to a harmful position.

Selection Decision

Medical Examination: Typically, a job offer is contingent on the applicant passing this examination, determining their physical... Continue reading "Effective Recruitment and Selection Practices" »

Introduction

Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber are considered the founding fathers of sociology. Their theories have shaped our understanding of the relationship between individuals and society, particularly in the context of industrial capitalism.

Similarities in Theories

Division of Labor and Social Class

All three theorists recognized the profound impact of the division of labor and social class on individuals and society. Durkheim's concept of"organic solidarit" emphasized the interdependence of individuals in an industrial economy, while Marx's"dialectical materialis" highlighted the conflict between owners and workers.

Alienation

Marx and Weber both emphasized the concept of alienation, arguing that industrial capitalism alienated workers... Continue reading "Theories of Durkheim, Marx, and Weber: Individuality and Society in Industrial Capitalism" »

●Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Erikson proposed eight stages of development

A period of life that is characterized by a specific underlying Organization

These stages follow the epigenetic principle

Biological plan for growth allows each function to emerge systematically Until the individual has fully developed

1-Oral-sensory Infant 18 months (Basic trust vs mistrust)

2-Muscular-anal 18 months- 3 years (Autonomy vs shame, Doubt)

3-Locomotor-genital 3-5 (Initiative vs guilt)

4-Latency 5-13(Industry vs inferiority)

5-Puberty and adolescence 13-21 (Identity vs Role confusion)

6-Young adulthood 21-39(Intimacy vs Isolation)

7-Adulthood 40-65 (Generativity vs Stagnation)

8-Maturity 65-older(Ego integrity vs Despair)

●Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development

Oral... Continue reading "Born of affection" »

Ethics

Ethics refer to the study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or wrong and outcomes are good or bad.

Three Ethical Principles

Utilitarianism: Greatest good for the greatest number of people

Individual Rights: Fundamental entitlements in society

Distributive Justice: People who are similar should receive similar benefits

Influences on Ethical Conduct

• Moral intensity

• degree that issue demands ethical principles

• Ethical sensitivity

• ability to recognize the presence and determine the relative importance of an ethical issue

• Situational influences

• competitive pressures and other conditions affect ethical behavior

Four Factors that Directly Influence Individual Behavior and Performance (MARS)

Motivation:

• Internal

Caregiver Sensitivity

Caregiver sensitivity is the extent to which a parent responds to a child's signals appropriately and promptly, is positively involved during interactions, and provides a secure base for exploration.

Emotional Development

Emotions are key to understanding a child's interpretation of a situation.

Emotional Regulation

The ability to regulate emotions is crucial for healthy development.

Temperament

Temperament styles include easy, slow to warm up, and difficult.

Emotions in Communication

Emotions act as a two-way channel for adult-infant communication, establishing intersubjectivity through social referencing.

Empathic Attunement

Attunement describes how reactive a person is to another's emotional needs and moods. A well-attuned person... Continue reading "Child Development: Emotional Growth and Caregiver Sensitivity" »

Competència

Horrocks, 1987: «the speaker's internalised knowledge of his language, his tacit or unconscious knowledge of the system of rules and principles which underlies his capacity to speak and understand the language of his speech community» La projecció, de nou. (Chomsky, 1969): «the child constructs this ideal theory without explicit instruction, [...] he acquires this knowledge at a time when he is not capable of complex intellectual achievements in many other domains, and [...] this achievement is relatively independent of intelligence or the particular course of experience.

Language Acquisition Device

Chomsky, 1965: «This device takes as input the kind of data used by the child who acquires the language and gives as output the... Continue reading "Language Acquisition and Development: Theories and Competence" »

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Erikson proposed eight stages of development – A period of life that is characterized by a specific underlying organization

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Cognition: The process of organizing and making meaning of Experience:

Four stages of cognitive development:–Sensorimotor Stage (0-18 months)–Preoperational Stage (18 months-6 years)–Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years)•Enables scientific reasoning–Formal Operational Stage (11 Years on)–Knowledge is created through active engagement–Novelty promotes Cognitive development

Thanatology  The Field of science that addresses dying and death, as well as the psychological Mechanisms of coping with them

Integrity  the Ability to accept the... Continue reading "Divided attention" »

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Studies employing quantitative methods are often statistically sophisticated.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research studies prioritize interpretive observation.

Sociological Paradigms

Symbolic Interactionism

This paradigm emphasizes interaction and meaning as central to society. It assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction.

Conflict Theory

This paradigm posits social conflict as the basis of society and social change. It emphasizes a materialistic view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change. This perspective highlights the role of power and coercion in producing social order.

Structural Functionalism

This paradigm... Continue reading "Key Concepts in Sociology: A Comprehensive Overview" »

Mead's Theory of Social Self

Mead's theory of social self is based on the perspective that self emerges from social interactions, such as observing and interacting with others, and responding to others, among other factors.

The Social Aspect of Self

The social aspect of self is an important distinction because other sociologists of Mead's time believed that the self was based solely on biological factors and inherited traits.

Development of Self

Mead believed that the self is not present from birth but is developed over time through experiences and activities.

Reflexivity in Mead's Theory

Reflexivity plays a fundamental role in Mead's theory of mind. Vocal gestures allow individuals to hear their own gestures in the same way that others hear them.... Continue reading "Mead's Theory of Social Self: Emergence, Reflexivity, and Development" »