A Cumulative Model for
Understanding Behavior
Genetic Influences
Physiological Influences
Personal Tendency
Toward Behavior
Learning Influences
______________________________________
Situational Factors
Situational Tendency
Toward Behavior
Cognitive Reasoning
Opportunity
1
Genetics









90% of height
70% of major depression
60% of intelligence
50% of smoking
40% of personality
40% of job satisfaction
50% of criminality
50% of aggression
Many mental health
problems
2
Physiological Influences







Head injuries and
brain abnormalities
Neurotransmitters
Hormones
Arousal levels
Diet
Physical
appearance
Illness and disability
3
Physical Appearance




Infancy
 attractive babies are held, cuddled, and kissed more
Attractive Children
 have more friends
 are seen by teachers as being smarter
 are disciplined less often
Adolescence
 attractive teens have more dates
Attractive Adults
 receive higher interview scores
 receive higher performance appraisal scores
 are sent to jail less often
 are committed to mental health facilities less often
 receive more help in emergencies
4
Physical Attractiveness
and Crime

Masters and Graves (1967)
 60%
of criminals have facial
defects
 20% of controls

Thompson (1990)
 Reviewed
9 studies and
found that in 6, recidivism
decreased after plastic
surgery
5
Learning History

Types of Learning
 Social
learning
 Operant conditioning

We Learn
 Consequences
 How
to be reinforced
 Anger and resentment
 Social needs and skills
 Attachment to the
community
 Coping skills
6
Learning Influences







Developmental era
Where we were raised
Family
Friends
School and church
Gender, race, and
culture
Significant emotional
events
7
Developmental Era
Decade
Important Event
Characteristics
1980s
Drugs, video games, videos,
computers, car phones, fax
Bored, smart,
conservative,
individualistic
1970s
Watergate, travel
Distrust, urbane
1960s
Drugs, civil rights, Vietnam
Spoiled, unrealistic,
assertive
1950s
TV, economic boom
Questioning
1940s
World War II
Angry, confused
1930s
Depression
Frugal, security
8
Birth Order




Only child
 higher intelligence
 more independent
First born
 achievement oriented
 conservative
Middle born
 outgoing
 good social skills
Youngest
 creative
 rebels
9
Demographics






Gender
Race
National origin
Religion
Disability
Age
10
Television and the Media





We watch five hours of TV per day
8 of 10 shows contain violence
Cartoons have 18 acts of violence per
hour
Romance and sex
Exposure to tragedy
11
When is Our Personality Set?





Birth
Freud
Massey
Never
Significant
emotional events
12
Situational Factors

Environmental stress
 frustration
 heat,
noise, darkness,
crowding




Behavior of others
Time and resource
limitations
Competing values
Availability of alternatives
13
Cognitive Reasoning


Expectancy theory
 Expectancy
 Instrumentality
 Valence
Reasoning is affected by
 Alcohol and drugs
 Anger
 Stress
 Emotion
 Intelligence
 Knowledge/experience
14
Opportunity
15
Personality Characteristics
Personality Type
Characteristics
Thinker
creative, inquisitive
Director
competitive, independent
Communicator
friendly, outgoing
Soother
calm, loyal, helpful
Organizer
organized, detailed
16
Communication Styles
Personality
Speaking style
Listens for
Thinker
ideas
ideas
Director
direct
main point
Communicator
stories/jokes
fun, humor
Soother
calm, never critical feelings
Organizer
facts, details
facts, details
17