Foundations of Individual

Behavior
Individual Behavior
Companies who are looking for employees look for
individual characteristics that will improve the
chances of success
Individual differences exist
Biographical characteristics
Abilities
Personality
Perception
Attitudes
Emotions
Moods
Each interacts with the other and with the task to
impact the way the employee does the job
So, lets look at the task and try to
decide what kind of person we
need to successfully accomplish
it. – A task/ability fit.
Lets start with ability

Physical ability
Intellectual or mental ability
Companies measure both and use
the results to help with the hiring
decisions
Physical Abilities
Physical Abilities
The capacity to do tasks
demanding stamina, dexterity,
strength, and similar
characteristics
Nine Physical Abilities
Strength
StrengthFactors
Factors
1.1. Dynamic
Dynamicstrength
strength
2.2. Trunk
Trunkstrength
strength
3.3. Static
Staticstrength
strength
4.4. Explosive strength Flexibility
Explosivestrength FlexibilityFactors
Factors
5.5. Extent
Extentflexibility
flexibility
Other 6.6. Dynamic
Dynamicflexibility
OtherFactors
Factors flexibility
7.7. Body
Bodycoordination
coordination
Source: Adapted from
8.8. Balance
Balance
HRMagazine published
by the Society for Human
Resource Management,

9.9. Stamina
Stamina
Alexandria, VA.

E X H I B I T 2–2
E X H I B I T 2–2
Next, comes intellectual, or mental
ability
Intellect, and Intelligence

Intellectual Ability
The capacity to do mental activities

Multiple Intelligences
Intelligence contains four subparts: cognitive,
social, emotional, and cultural
Cognitive Intelligence
Intelligence tests are supposed to measure
Abstract reasoning
Practical reasoning
Declarative knowledge
Context free
Episodic- autobiographical
Procedural knowledge
Rules, skills, strategies to manipulate
declarative knowledge
Dimensions of Intellectual
Ability

••Number
Numberaptitude
aptitude
••Verbal
Verbalcomprehension
comprehension
••Perceptual
Perceptualspeed
speed
••Inductive
Inductivereasoning
reasoning
••Deductive
Deductivereasoning
reasoning
••Spatial
Spatialvisualization
visualization
••Memory
Memory
E X H I B I T 2–1
E X H I B I T 2–1
Social Intelligence
How well we get along with each other.
Dimensions central to the concept of Social
Intelligence
Understands people’s thoughts, feelings and intentions
well
Is good at dealing with people
Has extensive knowledge of rules and norms in human
relations
Is good at taking the perspective of other people
Adapts well in social situations
Is warm and caring
Is open to new experiences, ideas and values (Kosmitzki
and John, 1993)
Social Intelligence
Social Competence depends on
Extraversion
Warmth
Social influence
Social insight
Social openness
Social appropriateness
Social maladjustment (Schneider,
Ackerman and Kanfer, 1996)
Emotional Intellegence
Definitions
Affect
Generic term covers a broad range of
feelings people experience
Emotions
Intense feelings directed at someone or
something
Moods
Feelings that tend to be less intense and
lack context.
Emotional Intelligence

Jennifer George
Feelings (moods and emotions) play an
important role in the leadership process
Moods and emotions affect the way
people think, their motivations, decisions
made and behaviors engaged in.
Emotional Intelligence
The ability to manage moods and emotions
in self and others.
Cultural Intelligence

The ability to function in a cultural

environment that is different than your
own.
The ability to recognize cultures
different than your own and adjust
your behavior
Biographical Characteristics

Measuring the impact of intelligence

or physical ability on productivity,
absence, turnover and satisfaction is
often complicated
Other factors are easily definable and
readily available from historical data
Age, gender, job tenure.
Learning
Companies look for employees
that have the capabilities to do
the job the company needs
done….

But nobody comes with

everything that is needed.
What is missing has to be learned
Behaviorism
All complex behavior is learned
A theory about human behavior (explain
and predict) must address how humans
learn
Definition
Permanent changes in behavior as a result of
experiences
Learning is inferred – we see the result-change-
and infer that learning has taken place
The learning process
Conditioning is the universal learning
process according to this theory of
learning
Two different types of conditioning
yield different behavior pattern
Classical conditioning –Pavlov’s dogs
and The Manchurian Candidate
Operant conditioning – Reward and
punishment to train animals and people
to perform. A feedback system
Criticisms of Behavioral Learning
Theory
Doesn’t account for all types of
learning. Disregards activities of the
mind.
Only explains the results of learning,
not the learning itself.
Impact of behaviorism on learning

Simple to understand
Relies on observable behavior
Reinforces good behavior and
punishes bad behavior
Teacher/student relationships
Human disorders and antisocial behavior
Other theories of learning

Constructivism
Behaviorism
Piaget's Developmental Theory
Neuroscience
Brain-Based Learning
Learning Styles
Multiple Intelligences
Right Brain/Left Brain Thinking
Communities of Practice
Control Theory
Observational Learning
Vygotsky and Social Cognition

   
Learning Styles Theory

Definition
This approach to learning emphasizes
the fact that individuals perceive and
process information in very different
ways. The learning styles theory
implies that how much individuals
learn has to do with whether the
educational experience is geared
toward their particular style of learning
Learning Styles Theory
Different individuals have a tendency to both
perceive and process information differently.
Because of different heredity, upbringing, and
current environmental demands
Perceive information
Concrete – doing, acting, sensing, feeling
Abstract – analysis, observation, thinking
Process information-make sense of information
Active processor- do something with the information now
Reflective processor – reflect on and think about
information
Traditional schooling tends to
favor abstract perceiving and
reflective processing. Other
kinds of learning aren't
rewarded and reflected in
curriculum, instruction, and
assessment nearly as much
Constructivism

Definition
Constructivism is a philosophy of learning
founded on the premise that, by reflecting
on our experiences, we construct our own
understanding of the world we live in. Each
of us generates our own "rules" and
"mental models," which we use to make
sense of our experiences. Learning,
therefore, is simply the process of adjusting
our mental models to accommodate new
experiences.
Discussion
Learning is a search for meaning.
Meaning requires understanding wholes as well
as parts. And parts must be understood in the
context of wholes. Therefore, the learning process
focuses on primary concepts, not isolated facts.
In order to teach well, we must understand the
mental models that students use to perceive the
world and the assumptions they make to support
those models.
The purpose of learning is for an individual to
construct his or her own meaning, not just
memorize the "right" answers and regurgitate
someone else's meaning.
For more information

http://www.funderstanding.
com/about_learning.cfm