Glossary / Lexicon

Deutsch: Aktivitäts-/Passivitätsproblem / Español: Problema de Actividad/ Pasividad / Português: Questão de Atividade/Passividade / Français: Problème d'activité/passivité / Italiano: Problema di attività/passività /

Activity/passivity issue is the debate among developmental theorists about whether children are active contributors to their own development or, rather, passive recipients of environmental influence. Activity/passivity issue is also known as Activity/passivity theme.

In psychology, an additive task is a type of task where the contributions of each individual team member add up to create a final outcome. In other words, the performance of the group as a whole is the sum of the contributions of each member. In an additive task, the team's output is determined by the sum of the inputs of the individual members.

Here are some examples of additive tasks:

1. Group presentation: In a group presentation, each member contributes information and slides to create a final presentation. The quality of the final presentation is the sum of the contributions of each individual member.

2. Tug-of-war: In a tug-of-war competition, each team member contributes pulling force to move the rope and win the competition. The performance of the team is the sum of the pulling force of each individual member.

3. Group fundraising: In a group fundraising campaign, each team member solicits donations from their personal network. The amount of money raised by the group is the sum of the donations received by each individual member.

In an additive task, team members are able to work independently and the performance of the group is based on the contributions of each individual member. This type of task tends to be less interdependent and less complex than other types of tasks, such as conjunctive or disjunctive tasks, which require more coordination and collaboration among team members.

Summary

In psychology, the activity/passivity issue refers to the debate about whether individuals are primarily active agents in shaping their own behavior or if they are passive recipients of external influences. Those who favor the activity perspective believe that individuals play an active role in determining their thoughts, feelings, and actions through their choices and decisions. On the other hand, proponents of the passivity perspective argue that external factors such as social norms, cultural influences, and biological factors have a greater impact on an individual's behavior. This debate has important implications for understanding human behavior and has been a long-standing topic of discussion in the field of psychology.

--