One of the Criticisms of the Cognitive Approach to Personality

question 55

Multiple Choice

One of the criticisms of the cognitive approach to personality is that many of the concepts introduced by cognitive theorists may not be necessary to explain human behavior. This criticism refers to the

• A) need to limit science to observable behaviors.
• B) lack of evidence for consistency in personality over time and across situations.
• C) law of parsimony.
• D) need for empirical evidence to support hypotheses derived from theory.

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Definitions:

Phenotypes

The observable physical or physiological traits of an organism, which result from both genetic makeup and environmental influences.

Niche Construction

the process by which organisms actively modify their environment or create new environments, influencing the selection pressures they and future generations face.

Phenotypic Plasticity

The ability of an organism to modify its phenotype in response to environmental changes, demonstrating the flexibility and adaptability of biological organisms.

Heritability

A measure of the degree to which a variation in a particular trait among individuals in a specific population is related to genetic differences among those individuals.