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Cognitive Social Learning Variables and the Characteristics of Leaders 1
Author(s) -
Florin Paul,
Mednick Marc,
Wandersman Abraham
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1986.tb01170.x
Subject(s) - psychology , operationalization , comparability , social psychology , personality , set (abstract data type) , cognition , context (archaeology) , variables , social learning , social environment , statistics , sociology , social science , computer science , epistemology , neuroscience , paleontology , philosophy , pedagogy , mathematics , combinatorics , biology , programming language
This study explored the potential of a person × situation approach to identifying the characteristics of leaders in a voluntary community organization. A set of variables based on Mischel's “cognitive social learning variables” was operationalized to provide variables which assess the characteristics of individuals in relation to the specific context in which some emerge as leaders. This set of variables was compared with a larger set of traditional demographic and personality variables. Analyses indicated the approximate statistical comparability of the two sets. Advantages of the cognitive social learning approach for understanding and intervening in leader emergence and development in voluntary community organizations are discussed.