Question

People's scores on personality tests often fail to predict their behavior in a real-life situation. According to Walter Mischel, this should make us more cautious about emphasizing the consistency of which of the following?

1) self-efficacy
2) personality traits
3) reciprocal determinism
4) unconditional positive regard
5) self-actualization

Answer 1

Walter Mischel's research indicates that the consistency of personality traits should be viewed with caution, as behavior is more consistent within the same situations rather than across different ones.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Walter Mischel, we should be more cautious about emphasizing the consistency of personality traits. Mischel's research found that behaviors were not consistently predicted by personality traits across different situations. However, behaviors were more consistent within the same situation and over time within equivalent situations. This sparked the person-situation debate in personality psychology, leading to a better understanding of how situational factors and personal factors, such as cognition and interpretation of the situation, contribute to behavior.