Perceptions, Attitudes & Personality – Unit 2

Vocabulary flashcards covering essential terms from Unit 2—Perceptions, Attitudes, Personality, Mindset and Values—to support exam preparation and concept mastery.

Perception

The cognitive process of selecting, organizing and interpreting sensory information to create a meaningful understanding of the world.

Sensation

The detection of stimuli by the sensory organs before any interpretation occurs.

Selection (Perceptual Stage)

Conscious or unconscious filtering of certain stimuli while ignoring others during perception.

Organization (Perceptual Stage)

Arranging selected stimuli into a coherent and meaningful pattern.

Interpretation (Perceptual Stage)

Assigning meaning to organized sensory input, producing subjective reality.

Internal Factors of Perception

Personal elements such as past experience, emotions, motivation, personality and cognitive biases that shape interpretation of stimuli.

External Factors of Perception

Environmental elements—context, culture, social influence, physical stimuli and media—that affect how information is perceived.

Selective Perception

The tendency to focus on certain aspects of the environment while ignoring others, creating a limited view of reality.

Cognitive Bias

A mental shortcut or prejudice that can systematically skew perception and judgment.

Attitude

A learned, relatively stable predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably toward an object, person, event or idea.

ABC Model of Attitudes

Framework dividing attitudes into Affective (feelings), Behavioural (actions/intentions) and Cognitive (beliefs/thoughts) components.

Affective Component

The emotional reactions or feelings associated with an attitude object.

Behavioural Component

The actions or intended actions driven by an attitude.

Cognitive Component

The beliefs, ideas and thoughts a person holds about an attitude object.

Cognitive Dissonance

Psychological discomfort caused by inconsistency between beliefs and behaviours, often motivating attitude change.

Central Route (Persuasion)

Influence strategy that relies on evidence, logic and careful argument when the audience is motivated to process information.

Peripheral Route (Persuasion)

Influence strategy that uses superficial cues—such as attractiveness or quantity of arguments—when motivation to process is low.

Social Proof

Persuasion principle where people look to what others are doing to guide their own behaviour.

Exposure Effect

The phenomenon whereby repeated contact with a stimulus increases liking for it.

Personality

The unique constellation of consistent behavioural, emotional and cognitive traits that characterise an individual.

Type A Personality

Competitive, time-urgent, ambitious and often prone to stress and aggressiveness.

Type B Personality

Relaxed, patient, creative and less driven by competition or deadlines.

Type C Personality

Detail-oriented, analytical, introverted and prone to emotion suppression, potentially leading to stress.

Type D Personality

Characterised by negative affectivity, anxiety, pessimism and social inhibition.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

A personality assessment categorising individuals into 16 types based on four dichotomies: I–E, S–N, T–F, J–P.

Big Five Personality Traits

Widely accepted model summarising personality into Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism.

Openness to Experience

Trait reflecting curiosity, creativity and willingness to embrace new ideas and experiences.

Conscientiousness

Trait denoting organization, dependability, discipline and goal-directed behaviour.

Extraversion

Trait involving sociability, assertiveness and energy derived from social interaction.

Agreeableness

Trait associated with compassion, cooperation and trust toward others.

Neuroticism

Trait indicating emotional instability and susceptibility to stress and negative emotions.

Growth Mindset

Belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning and persistence.

Fixed Mindset

Belief that abilities and intelligence are static and cannot change significantly over time.

Self-Efficacy

An individual’s belief in their capability to succeed in specific situations, integral to motivation and perseverance.

Reciprocal Determinism

Bandura’s concept that behaviour, personal factors and environment interact and influence one another continuously.

Core Values

Deeply held, enduring principles that form the foundation of an individual’s identity, decisions and behaviour.

Value Alignment

Consistency between one’s actions and one’s core values, fostering integrity and fulfilment.

Complementary Theory

Compatibility concept proposing that opposite or balancing personality traits enhance relationships.

Similarity Theory

Compatibility concept suggesting that shared traits and values improve relational harmony.

Conflict Resolution

Processes and strategies used to address and settle disagreements effectively.

Active Listening

Communication technique involving full attention, reflection and clarification to understand another’s viewpoint.

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to recognise, understand and manage one’s own emotions and those of others, aiding social and conflict skills.