The Research On The Development And The Relation Of Beliefs About The Stability And The Origins Of Traits

Research into people's beliefs about the stability and the origins of traits has been very hot in recent years. The type and property of traits and the age of a person have a great influence on the beliefs about the stability and the origins of traits. The present study explores the development and the relation of beliefs about the stability and the origins of traits.There were 216 participants (5 years old, 7 years old, 9 years old, 13 years old, 19 years old and 65 years old, Ns =36, respectively) in the study. In the study of beliefs about the stability of traits, they heard or read a series of short stories about the development of a main character's trait, then predicted the stability of the trait 10 years later. In the study of beliefs about the origins of traits, they heard or read a series of stories about babies switched-at-birth, then predicted whether the switched-at-birth baby would be like his mother or his foster mother when he grew up. The conclusions are the follows:1. For positive traits, psychological traits were more likely to be seen as stable than were hybrid traits and physical traits. For negative traits, physical traits were more likely to be seen as stable than were hybrid traits and psychological traits. Positive traits were more likely to be seen as stable than were negative traits. Children of 7 years old believed positive traits more stable and negative traits more changeable than did elder children and adults.2. All groups gave more nurture explanations for psychological traits than to hybrid and physical traits, and gave more nurture explanations for negative traits than to positive traits. Age 7 to age 8 was the critical period for the development of beliefs about the origins of traits.3. Respondents believed nurture was a greater factor for psychological traits, and believed those traits to be more changeable than were hybrid traits and physical traits. Respondents believed nurture was a greater factor for negative traits, and believed those traits to be more changeable than were positive traits. The younger children gave more nurture responses to the origins of traits than did elder children and adults, and believed the traits more changeable.