Biological Basis Of Personality Flashcards
(25 cards)
What does the behaviour genetics evaluate? (3 components)
Behaviour genetics evaluates the relationship between genes, the environment and behaviour.
What is a genotype
Is it biologically inherited
What is it made up of? What are genes made up of? What does DNA contain? (Instructions for building)
What do proteins control?
Where are genotypes found? (3) why? (What do they help in)
What functions do genotypes control?
Genotype: genetic code, biologically inherited
Made up of many genes which are made up of DNA which contains instructions for building protein in the body
Proteins control the structure and function of all the cells in the body
Genotypes are found in every cell, tissue and organ in the body as they helped design and build the structures
Genotypes also control biological functions like heat rate and the metabolism
What is important in behavioural genetics? (Two components, which one influences which)
In behavioural genetics l, it is important to evaluate how to genotype influences the phenotype.
Phenotype
What is the phenotype
What is the phenotype influenced by? (Information by)
Therefore the phenotype can be? Why? (What is the phenotype influenced by? (Information by)
The phenotype is the outward manifestation ie appearance. - determined by information in our genotype
Therefore our phenotype could also be our personality as the phenotype is determined by the information in the genotype.
It’s the sum of all things inside ie cells, tissues and organs.
What do behavioural geneticists believe? (How are genes passed, between?)
% from parents?
Behavioural geneticists
Genes are biological transmitted from biological patent to child
The child gets 50% of genes from mum and 50% from dad
What investigation does the concept of a child’s inherited genes from both parents initiate? (influence of?)
what is genetic heritability? (extent, phenotype or genotype passed? how are phenotypes caused?)
What is a phenotype?
The concept of the child receiving their genes from each parent is a starting point in exploring how genes influence personality
Genetic heritability: refers to the extent in which any phenotype is passed on from the parents to the child as a result of their genes
Phenotype: outward manifestations like appearance, personality, and behaviours
How is the variability of genetic heritability of a phenotype assessed?
Between?
What unit is it expressed in?
The variability in genetic heritability is assessed by the proportion of shared variability between the parent and child
Proportion of shared variability is expressed in % out of 100
For example if a parent and child have a similar characteristic the is low variability and high proportion of shared variance (near 100%)
Eysncks biological model of personality
First theorist to attempt?
How many mechanisms did he suggest the brain has? Names and what purpose?
What do these two mechanisms try to maintain?
What mechanism regulates this balance?
First theorist who attempted to relate biology to personality
Suggested the brain had two mumechansims- exictiry (keeps individual alert) and inhibitory ( inactivity)
These two mechanisms aren’t to have a balance which is regulated by the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS)
Eysncks biological theory of personality
What does ARAS stand for?
Where is it located?
What area of the brain does it connect to?
What do these areas in the brain do?
The ascending reticular activating system is located in the brain stem which connects to different area in the brain such as
Thalamus: manages and relays nerve impulses in the brain
Hypothalamus: regulates the metabolic process in the body
Cortex- responsible for sophisticated neural processing
Eysncks biological theory of personality
What does ARAS stand for?
What does it regulate?
How (what does it manage)
What does Eysnck see stimulation as in his personality theory? Name of the two circuits?
What does each of the circuits control?
What is the cortical? which part of the brain does it relate to? What is their function? examples?
The asecending reticular activating system regulates the balance between the exicitoty and inhibitory mechanisms of the brain by managing the amount of stimulation the brain receives and maintain alertness or inactivity.
Eysnck sees this stimulation as arousal with the reticule-cortical and reticulo-lambic circuits
Reticulo-cortical circuit controls the cortical arousal generated by incoming stimuli
Reticulo-limbic circuit controls arousal to emotional stimuli
Cortical: relating to the outer layer of the cerebrum- relate to the cortex- sophisticated neural processes ie memory, thinking, learning, reasoning
Eysncks biogical theory of personality
What type of variable does Eysnck suggest arousal is? What does this allow? (Personality can be linked to)
What model did Eysnck develop for trait theory? For his biological approach to personality, what did Eysnck link arousal to? (Which of his dimensions)
What traits are associated with these dimensions?
Which circuit is extroversion-introversion related to?
Which structure operates differently in introverts and extroverts?
Why do invites avoid stimulation?
Why do extroverts seek stimulation?
Eysnck suggests that arousal is a central variable. This allows personality to be linked to a many responses.
Eysnck developed the PEN model as being the basic structure of personality. For his biological approach to personality he linked arousal to two of his dimensions namely extraversion and neuroticism.
Neuroticism - anxiety, worry
Extraversion - sociability, sensation seeking
Extroversion-introversion are related to to the reticulo cortical circuit (incoming stimuli)
The ascending reticulur activating system of introverts and extroverts operate differently in response to arousal
The ascending reticular activating system of introverts provides a lot of arousal compared to an extroverts.
Eysncks theorised that because of the overstimulation from the ARAS individuals tend to avoid stimulation as they already have a lot (introvert)
Whereas the ARAS of extroverts do not provide much arousal meaning that they seek stimulation.
Eysncks biological approach to personality
Neuroticism and arousal
Which circuit is neuroticism related to?
What does this circuit respond to? Therefore who is most impacted?
When is the distinction between neuroticism and emotionally stable individuals more evident? (What type of situations)
Neuroticism is related to the arousal of the reticulo limbic circuit
The reticulo limbic circuit responds to emotional stimuli
Therefore Eysnck suggests that neurotics become more aroused to emotional stimuli via the reticulo limbic circuit whereas people who are not neurotic (emotionally stable) will be less aroused.
Difference between neuroticism and emotionally stable is most evident in stressful situations as these types of situations induce emotional reactions
Gray’s
BAS/BIS theory
Occupation?
Introduced what theory?
What does the theory state? (biological mechanisms move towards? away from?
What studies did he base his research into human personality?
Psychologist
Introduced the reinforcement sensitivity theory
States that biological mechanisms move towards things they desire and away from things that worry them or cause fear.
He used findings from animal studies to study human personality
Grays BAS/BIS theory
What interactions is personality based on? (interaction of? how many systems? located in?
What are the systems?
What is the BAS sensitive to?
What does the BIS cause? associated with what concepts? sensitive to?
What is the fff system? what kind of mechanisms are they? what is fight associated with? what is flight-freeze associated with?
Personality is based on the interaction of three basic systems in the brain
Behavioural approach system (consists of movations to approach, sensitive to rewards)
Behavioural inhibition system: consists of motivations to avoid based on the concept of anxiety, response is conditioned sensitive to potential punishment = avoid situations
Fight-flight-freeze system: natural mechanisms in humans in reactions of rage (fight) or panic (flight or freeze)- natural response to stimuli
Cloningers biologibal model of personality 1987 - 7 factor model
Occupation?
Produced what type of theory of personality?
How many personality dimensions did this theory include?
Broken down into
Psychiatrist
Proposed a psychobiological personality theory
Included 7 personality dimensions 1987
broken down into 4 temperament traits and 3 character traits.
Clonigers biological model of personality
What is the 7 dimensions of personality broken down into? (Name of domains)
Which domain is focused on for personality?
What systems are thought to be inherited?
What are the four temperament domains thought to be organised as?
What are the domains alinged to? (what kind of cells, what do these cells do? what chemical do they use ie chemical messenger in the body)
What neurotransmitters are linked to : novelty seeking, harm avoidance, ad reward dependence?
What does he link personality to?
What are these neurotransmitter’s responsible for?
Cloningers model of personality is broken down into 4 temperament domaines (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence and persistence) and 3 character domains (self directedness, cooperativeness and self transcendence
Focus on temperament domains for personality
Biological systems thought to be inherited
The 4 temperament domains are thought to be organised as independent brain systems aligned to specific nerve cells that transmit nerve impulses by neurotransmitters
Novelty seeking - dopamine
harm avoidance - serotonin
reward dependence - norepinephrine
Neurotransmitters: chemicals that relay, amplify, and regulate electrical signals in the brain
Links personality to the neurotransmitters responsible for the activation and inhibition of our behaviour and the learning and responses to both real and perceived rewards and punishments
How are Cloningers model of personality and Eysncks and Grays model of personality linked?
What dimension of Eysncks model is clonigers novelty seeking temperment linked to?
Cloningers novelty seeking temperament is linked to Eysncks extraversion dimension
Cloningers harm and avoidance is linked to Grays behavioural inhibition and Eysncks neuroticism
Cloningers reward dependence linked to Grays behavioural approach system
What is genetic heritability?
Genetic heritability refers to the extent to which any phenotype is passed from parents to children
Why is heritability variance greater and the proportional shared variance lower in personality?
The heritability of a human characteristic is not influenced by biological factors
But
Some aspects of human behaviour including personality, the environment does have an influence there is greater heritable variability and lower shared variance as differences are greater
What can personality be seen as?
Phenotype
What does the additive assumption suggest?
How many dimensions determine the heritability of a phenotype, example?
What are these dimensions?
What determines the heritability of a phenotype?
What % will these dimensions account for in the variance of behaviour?
What does personality determine?
Additive assumption suggests there are only two dimensions that determine heritability of phenotypes-such as personality-
Dimensions = genetic component and the environment
Heritability of a phenotype is estimated by the average strength of both dimensions- genetic and environmental influences will add to account for 100% of the variance in any behaviour
Remember - personality influences behaviour so if genetics and environment influences behaviour each of them makes up variances in behaviour
How does the biological approach explain the cause of personality traits?
What did Burger, 2008 state about the view of the biological approach to individual differences in personality?
The biological approach argues that we are genetically predisposed to certain personality traits
Burger 2008: physiological processes such as activity in the brain and inherited predispositions cause individual differences in personality
What does the biological theory believe about biological systems?
the biological approach argues that biological systems are inherited
Clonigers psychbiolobical theory
novelty seeking- what kind of behaviour does it reflect?
enjoy?
Related to which neurotransmitter?
what does this neurotransmitter control?
Novelty seeking causes/
4 tempermant domains
novelty seeking - reflects impulsive behaviour, enjoy the excitement. Seen to be connected to the dopamine neurotransmitter
Dopamine is important in the parts of the brain that control movement and associated with pleasure
Move towards rewards and relief of harm
