Chapter 9: The Biological Approach Flashcards
(89 cards)
1
Q
how did Eysenck identify supertraits?
A
through factor analysis
2
Q
Eysenck on personality traits
A
concluded that all traits can be subsumed within 3 basic personality dimensions
3
Q
Eysenck’s 3 dimensions of personality
A
- extraversion
- neuroticism
- psychoticism
4
Q
extraversion
A
characterized by a tendency to be outgoing, impulsive, and uninhibited
5
Q
neuroticism
A
characterized by a tendency to respond emotionally
6
Q
psychoticism
A
characterized by a lack of concern for the rights and welfare of other people
7
Q
how did Eysenck organize elements of personality?
A
into units that can be arranged hierarchically
8
Q
Eysenck’s personality hierarchy
A
- supertrait level (st)
- trait level (tl)
- habitual response level (hr)
- specific response level (sr)
9
Q
specific response level (Eysenck)
A
consists of specific behaviours
10
Q
habitual response (Eysenck)
A
consistent specific responses
11
Q
trait (Eysenck)
A
an important aspect of one’ s personality
12
Q
supertrait (Eysenck)
A
one of Eysenck’s 3 basic personality dimensions
13
Q
why did Eysenck believe that individual personality differences are based on biology
A
- the consistency of introversion-extraversion over time
- cross-cultural research
- several studies indicate that genetics play an important role in determining one’s placement in each of the three personality dimensions
14
Q
the consistency of introversion-extraversion over time and the biological basis of personality
A
Participants’ scores of introversion-extraversion remained fairly consistent over 45 years
15
Q
cross-cultural research and the biological basis of personality
A
- Investigators often find the same three dimensions of personality in many different countries and cultures
- Eysenck maintains that this would be unlikely unless biological factors were largely responsible for personality
16
Q
how much variance in personality development did Eysenck attribute to biology?
A
about 2/3 of the variance
17
Q
Eysenck’s cortical arousal hypothesis
A
Eysenck argued that extraverts have lower levels of cortical arousal, causing them to seek out highly arousing social behaviour, while introverts have cortical arousal levels that are near or perhaps even above the optimal amount
18
Q
has research found evidence for Eysenck’s cortical arousal hypothesis?
A
no
19
Q
differences in neural responses of introverts and extraverts
A
- Introverts and extraverts differ in how certain parts of their brains respond to emotional stimuli
- Introverts are more sensitive to stimulation than extraverts (both external and chemical stimuli)
20
Q
similarities in the neural responses of introverts and extraverts
A
Introverts and extraverts show no differences in brain-wave activity when at rest or when asleep
21
Q
reinforcement sensitvity theory
A
argues that individuals differ in the strength of the BAS & BIS and that these individual differences are relatively stable over time
22
Q
Behavioural approach system (BAS)
A
A hypothetical biological system that is focused on seeking out and achieving pleasurable goals.
23
Q
Behavioural inhibition system (BIS)
A
A hypothetical biological system that is focused on avoiding dangerous and unpleasant experiences.
24
Q
People with a highly active BAS
A
- Are motivated to seek out and achieve pleasurable goals
- Get pleasure out of rewards and anticipate those rewards
- Experience more anger and frustration when they fall short of reaching anticipated sources of pleasure
25
People with a highly active BIS
- Tend to be more apprehensive
- Approach new situations warily, are on a constant lookout for signs of danger, and are quick to retreat from a situation that they sense might lead to problems
- Are more likely to experience anxiety
26
reinforcement sensitvity theory and Eysenck's supertraits
- Most researchers see a connection between BAS & extraversion and BIS & neuroticism
- Scales measuring extraversion and neuroticism are correlated with scales measuring BAS & BIS respectively. Thus, they are related, but not the same
27
how does reinforcement sensitivity theory view extraverts?
- extraverts can be viewed as those who are more aware of and more attracted to situations that promise rewards
- extraverts aren’t necessarily attracted to all social situations, but only those that are likely to be enjoyable
28
extraverts and nonsocial situations study
Extraverts preferred nonsocial situations more than introverts did if they thought the experience would be pleasant
29
Temperaments
general behavioural dispositions
30
how many basic temperaments are there?
- Researchers often disagree on the number of basic temperaments
- One model identifies three basic temperaments
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3 main temperaments
emotionality
activity
sociability
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emotionality
the intensity of emotional reactions
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activity
a person’s general level of energy
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sociability
a general tendency to affiliate and interact with others
35
basis of temperaments
Temperaments are largely inherited because we can identify them in babies
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gender differences in temperament
- Gender differences in temperament can be found in children as young as 3 months
- Research finds that girls are more likely than boys to exhibit an effortful control temperament
- Boys are more likely than girls to be identified with a surgency temperament
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efforful control temperament
the ability to focus attention and exercise control over impulsive urges
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surgency temperament
high levels of activity and sociability
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temperament in childhood vs. adulthood
Temperament levels in preschool children predict adult personality
40
3 categories of temperament used in longitudinal studies
- well-adjusted
- undercontrolled
- inhibited
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well-adjusted children
exhibited self-control and self-confidence and approached new people and situations with little difficulty
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undercontrolled children
impulsive, restless, and easily distracted
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well-adjusted children in adulthood
well-adjusted children became relatively healthy and well-adjusted adults
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undercontrolled children in adulthood
- were more likely to have problems during adolescence with fighting, lying, and disobeying both at home and at school.
- As young adults, they were more likely to experience legal, employment, and relationship problems.
- By the time they reached 32, they were twice as likely to have a problem with excessive gambling than well-adjusted participants
45
inhibited children in adulthood
- less socially engaged
- more likely to suffer from depression
46
development of temperament
The process through which temperament develops into personality traits is complex and influenced by many factors
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temperament and the environment
- the child’s temperament influences the type of environment they live in
- Temperament generates expectations that can affect the way people treat a child
48
shyness over time
found that children who were passive and cautious at 2-3 years old usually grew up to be adults who showed similar patterns of shyness around strangers
49
how did Kagan & Moss explain their finding of shyness over time
They argue that these differences are the result of inherited dispositions
50
inhibited children
- Controlled and gentle
- Cling to their parents when meeting new children
- Are slow to explore new toys or equipment and may go for several minutes without saying a word
51
prevalence of inhibited children
around 10% of children
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uninhibited children
- jump right in to play with a new toy or piece of playground equipment
- Start talking soon after they enter a play area, even if they don’t know the other children playing there
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prevalence of uninhibited children
around 25% of children
54
what distinguishes inhibited children from uninhibited children
anxiety to novelty
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anxiety to novelty
cautious and at times fearful of new people and new situations
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anxiety to novelty over time
How they express this anxiety changes as they mature, but it is present throughout childhood and into adulthood
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physiological differences in inhibited children
- They differ in terms of their body build, susceptibility to allergies, and eye colour (more likely to have blue eyes)
- They are more likely to show signs of irritability, sleep disturbances, and chronic constipation during the first few months of life
- They respond to unfamiliar stimuli with increased heart rate and pupil dilation
58
brain responses of inhibited vs. uninhibited children
- 10-12-year-old inhibited children reacted to noises with different brain stem responses than unhibited children
- Inhibited children have abnormally high amygdala responses and increased striatum activity when presented with a novel or uncertain stimulus
59
inhibited infants at 14 and 21 months
40% of inhibited children showed signs of fear in response to unfamiliar events at 14 and 21 months, but none of the uninhibited children did
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inhibited infants at 5.5 years
showed similar inhibited behaviour patterns
61
inhibited behavour patterns of 5.5 year olds
their scores at 5.5 years were correlated with their scores at 21 months in the following domains:
1. playing with unfamiliar children
2. laboratory level activity
3. looking at the experimenter
4. playing with new toys
5. spontaneous falling
6. ball-toss riskiness
7. social interaction at school
8. mother's rating of shyness
62
inhibited children and shyness
Inhibited children are significantly more likely than uninhibited children to become shy teenagers
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inhibited children and social anxiety
Inhibited children are 7 times more likely to suffer from social anxiety in adolescence than children not identified as inhibited
64
inhibition over time
researchers measured inhibition in a group of children between 8-12 and then again 10 years later. Found a high correlation of .57 between the two measures
65
inhibition and adult anxiety
being an inhibited child was a risk factor for adult anxiety disorders, especially social phobia
66
how can parents of inhibited children help their child?
becoming sensitive to the child’s discomfort in unfamiliar situations and teaching the child how to deal with new situations
67
inhibited children in China
In Chinese children, toddlers identified as inhibited at age 2 had better social relationships at age 7 than the average child
68
uninhibited children and behaviour
Uninhibited children are more likely to exhibit disruptive behavioural disorders, including aggressiveness, and to have attention problems
69
Evolutionary personality psychology
a theory of personality based on the theory of evolution
70
Natural selection
some members of a species possess inherited characteristics that help them meet and survive the threats from the natural environment. These survivors are more likely to reproduce and pass their inherited characteristics off to their offspring. The net result over many generations is the evolution of species-specific features
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Psychological mechanisms
characteristically human functions that allow us to effectively deal with common human problems or needs
72
natural selection and psychological mechanisms
Through natural selection, mechanisms that increase the chance of human survival have been retained
73
examples of psychological mechanisms
- fear of strangers
- anger
- need to belong to a group and form attachments
- compassion
74
how is a fear of strangers evolutionarily adaptive?
evolved to meet the problem of attack by those not belonging to our group or tribe
75
how is anger evolutionarily adaptive?
might have assisted our ancestors in survival behaviours like asserting authority and overcoming enemies
76
how is the need to belong to groups and form attachments evolutionarily adaptive?
species that worked together survived better than those that did not
77
how is compassion evolutionarily adaptive?
helps the species survive because it leads to the protection of individuals in need
78
what is one of the main causes of anxiety?
a fear of social exclusion
79
why is anxiety evolutionarily adaptive?
- Social exclusion was evolutionarily very harmful, so a fear of it would help one survive
- Behaviours that lead to social exclusion are typically those that impair the survival of the species
80
anxiety across cultures
anxiety is found in nearly all cultures
81
strengths of the biological approach
- Provides a bridge between the study of personality and biology
- Identifies some realistic parameters for psychologists interested in behaviour change
- Most of its advocates are academic psychologists with a strong interest in testing their ideas through research
82
criticisms of the biological approach
- Difficulties testing these ideas
- Researchers have not agreed upon a single model for temperament
- Provides very little information about behavioural change
83
what did initial factor research reveal about supertraits?
yielded two dimensions (extraversion & neuroticism)
84
how do Eysenck's supertraits relate to each other?
they're independent
85
emotionality in children vs. adults
- Children high on emotionality frequently express anger
- As adults, they are easily upset and have quick temper
86
activity in children
Highly active children move around a lot and prefer games that require running and jumping
87
sociability in children vs. adults
- Social children seek out other children to play
- As adults, they have a lot of friends and enjoy social gatherings
88
surgency in adults
Similar to extraversion
89
what do inhibited vs. uninhibited styles represent?
inherited biological temperaments
