Psychological Explanations: Eysenck's Theory

Question 1

What did Eysenck (1947) propose?

Answer 1

Personality can be represented along three dimensions

Question 2

What are the three dimensions?

Answer 2

• Introversion-extraversion (E)
• Neuroticism-stability (N)
• Psychoticism-socialisation (P)

Question 3

What does the combination of the three dimensions do?

Answer 3

Forms a variety of personality characteristics

Question 4

Where did Eysenck (1947) the personality types come from?

Answer 4

The nervous system

Question 5

Are personality types learnt or innate according to Eysenk?

Answer 5

Innate

Question 6

What kind of nervous system does extraverts have?

Answer 6

Underactive nervous system

Question 7

What does it mean to have an underactive nervous system?

Answer 7

Seek excitement and stimulation and engage in risk taking activities

Question 8

What kind of sympathetic nervous system does more neurotic individuals have?

Answer 8

Higher levels of reactivity

Question 9

What do people with a higher sympathetic nervous system behave?

Answer 9

Nervous, jumpy, and over-anxious

Question 10

Is it easier or more difficult to predict the behaviours of neurotic individuals?

Answer 10

More difficult

Question 11

What hormone do psychotic individuals have a higher level of?

Answer 11

Testosterone

Question 12

What are the behaviours of psychotic individuals?

Answer 12

Cold, unemotional and prone to aggression

Question 13

What three types of personality does a criminal have?

Answer 13

Extraverts, neurotic and high psychoticism

Question 14

How does a criminal behave according to Eysenck?

Answer 14

• Unstable so prone to overreact to threat
• Seek more arousal so engages in dangerous activities
• Aggressive
• Lacks empathy

Question 15

Are criminals behaviour developmentally mature?

Answer 15

No, immature

Question 16

Why are criminals behaviours immature?

Answer 16

Selfish and concerned with immediate gratification

Question 17

What normally occurs during socialisation of children?

Answer 17

• Delay gratification

- More socially orientated

Question 18

Why do criminals (with a high extravesion and neuroticism) find it difficult to learn during socialisation?

Answer 18

Nervous system makes it more difficult for them to learn

Question 19

What are criminals less likely to learn?

Answer 19

Anxiety responses to antisocial impulses

Question 20

How did Eysenck measure the type of personality an individual may have?

Answer 20

With the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI)

Question 21

What was the original Eysenck Personality Inventory?

Answer 21

Psychological test that locates respondents along the E and N dimensions

Question 22

How is the newer version of Eysenck Personality Inventory different?

Answer 22

Adding of psychoticism

Question 23

Who supports the Eysenck’s theory?

Answer 23

Eysenck and Eysenck (1977)

Question 24

How did Eysenck and Eysenck (1977) support the EPI?

Answer 24

Compared 2070 male prisoners with a control group of 2422 non-criminal

Question 25

What did Eysenck and Eysenck (1977) find?

Answer 25

Prisoners scored higher on P, E and N

Question 26

Who could you use as a counter argument to Eysenck and Eysenck (1977)?

Answer 26

Farrington et al (1982)

Question 27

What did Farrington et al (1982) find?

Answer 27

- Offenders score higher on P but not on E or N | - EEGs show little consistencies of difference between extraverts and introverts

Question 28

Did Eysenck believe there to be multiple or just one type of criminal?

Answer 28

One

Question 29

Who showed that there are more than one type of criminal?

Answer 29

Moffitt (1993)

Question 30

What did Moffitt (1993) propose?

Answer 30

Several distinct types of adult male offenders based on the time of the first offence and how long offending persists

Question 31

Who proposed the five factor model?

Answer 31

Digman (1990)

Question 32

What is the five factor model?

Answer 32

Three more dimensions being openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness

Question 33

What Eysenck's study culturally biased?

Answer 33

Yes

Question 34

Is Eysenck's theory a type of imposed etic?

Answer 34

Yes

Question 35

How showed Eysenck's theory to culturally biased?

Answer 35

Bartol and Holanchock (1979)

Question 36

What did Bartol and Holanchock (1979) study?

Answer 36

Hispanic and African-American offender in New York in maximum security completed the EPI

Question 37

What was Bartol and Holanchock (1979) findings?

Answer 37

Less extraverted than non-criminals

Question 38

Does the Eysenck theory have good generalisability?

Answer 38

No

Question 39

Is Eysenck's theory reductionism or holism?

Answer 39

Reductionism

Question 40

Why is Eynseck's theory reductionism?

Answer 40

As simplifies personality to a score

Question 41

Does Eynseck's theory fit other biological approaches?

Answer 41

Yes

Question 42

How does Eyseck's theory fit other biological approaches?

Answer 42

- Recognises personality may have a genetic basis - ADP due to brain structure - Link to nervous system

Question 43

What can Eseck's theory suffer from due to using some biological approaches?

Answer 43

Biologically determinism and reductionism