Final answer:
Walter Mischel posited that behavior consistency lies in situational similarities and that individual cognitive processes like self-regulation play a crucial role. His work spurred the person-situation debate in personality psychology, stressing the importance of both situational factors and traits in understanding behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
Walter Mischel's Beliefs in Psychology:
Walter Mischel believed that personality consistency varies based on situational factors rather than being uniform across all situations. He argued that people's behaviors are more likely to be consistent within similar situations, and this potential for variation is linked to individual cognitive processes and self-regulation.
This conception was exemplified in his marshmallow test, which demonstrated that children's ability to delay gratification predicted later success, though recent studies suggest that the strength of this relationship can be influenced by various situational factors. Mischel's view shook the foundations of personality psychology during the person-situation debate, a period of intense scrutiny within the field.