biological perspective Flashcards
what is the fundamental question regarding the role of biology on personality?
considering that everyone has similar biological systems, how does biology affect individual differences?
what are the 3 assumptions of the biological perspective on personality?
- personality rooted in biology
- human behavior reflects operations of complex biological system
- biological processes systematically influences behavior and experiences
whose early biological ideas is the lecture based on?
hans eysenck
hans eyesenk based taxonomy of traits on being rooted in human _____________.
biology
Eysenck faced controversy due to some of his views on ______ and ________.
intelligence; genetics
what are the 2 supertraits under Eysenck’s views?
extraversion
neuroticism
what are the 2 states of brain function according to Eysenck?
- activaction - alert
- non-activation - drowsy
according to eysenck, what is the fundamental diff btwn extraverts and introverts?
brain function, whether activated or not
what is ARAS?
Ascending Reticular Activating System
- network of nerve pathways in the brainstem that plays a crucial role in regulating arousal and wakefulness
- influences levels of alertness, attention, and overall brain activity
_______ activity is key to understanding differences in introversion and extraversion.
ARAS - Ascending Reticular Activating System
People strive to keep ARAS activity ________.
Introverts have _______ levels of ARAS activity (________ alert when nothing is happening), leading to _______ baseline arousal. So, they tend to _______ highly stimulating environments because they are already easily aroused.
Extraverts have ________ ARAS activity (________ alert when nothing is happening), so they ______ more stimulation to reach optimal arousal levels.
optimal
higher; more; greater; avoid
lower; less; seek
what are the key differences between introverts and extraverts on tasks of vigilance?
- introverts make fewer mistakes
- extraverts get bored at repetitive tasks
the key difference between introverts and extraverts in drug/medication trials is that:
A) introverts require more __________ to reach given level of ________/___________.
B) extraverts require more _________ to reach given level of ________/___________.
A) depressants; calmness; unalertness
B) stimulants; arousal; excitation
According to Eysenck, what caused the differences in neuroticism?
reactivity of emotion centers in brain aka limbic system
**The limbic system, which includes structures like the amygdala and hippocampus, plays a key role in regulating emotions, arousal, and stress responses, which are central to Eysenck’s explanation of neuroticism.
what is neuroticism?
personality trait
tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, sadness, irritability, and emotional instability
high neuroticism reflects __________ aroused emotion centers.
emotional arousal exaggerates ___________ responses for introverts and extraverts, making them become ______ of what they are.
easily
behavioral; more
true or false. extraverts are neurotic while introverts are non-neurotic.
false.
both extraverts and introverst can be neurotic and non-neurotic. being neurotic just makes them more introverted/extraverted.
according to jeffrey gray, what are 2 hypothesised brain systems that underlie motivational systems?
- BAS - behavioral activation system
- BIS - behavioral inhibition system
what is BAS?
behavioral activation system - regulates movement towards incentive
responsible for positive emotions
relates to conditioning involving positive outcomes
BAS sensitivity (high/low) demonstrates differences in _________ and ________ responses to __________.
behavioral; emotional; incentives
BAS is implicated in the _____________________ and ________ of the brain, while BIS is in the _____________.
left prefrontal cortex; ventral striatum of basal ganglia; right prefrontal cortex
BAS may be related to which neurotransmitter?
dopamine
dopamine is involved in which areas?
dopamine helps regulate what?
reward n pleasure
motivation
movement
cognition n attention
helps regulate mood, motivation, and various aspects of behavior and cognition
what is BIS?
behavioral inhibition system - regulates movement away from disincentive
associated with anxiety
relates to conditioning involving negative outcomes
BIS sensitivity (high/low) demonstrates differences in _________ and ________ responses to __________.
behavioral; emotional; punishment
BIS may be related to which neurotransmitters and what do they do?
Serotonin: Regulates mood, anxiety, sleep
GABA: Inhibits neural activity - reduce anxiety, promote relaxation
true or false. BIS is related to introversion while BAS is related to extraversion.
false. BIS is related to neuroticism/emotionality while BAS is related to extraversion.
people with high BAS respond to __________ manipulations while those with high BIS respond to ________ manipulations.
positive mood; anxiety
what are the 3 main differences of the biological perspective on extroversion between eysenck and gray?
main differences of the biological perspective on extroversion (eysenck vs gray):
1) low ARAS (low arousal level) vs BAS (high sensitivity to rewards)
2) arousal levels vs sensitivity to rewards
3) cortical activation vs left prefrontal activation
What are the two main issues of contention regarding Gray’s theories on biological personality?
**Contention refers to disagreement or debate over a particular issue or point.
1) sociability - gray ignored this completely despite extraverts exhibiting it often. his theory hold up if BAS sensitivity is viewed as a social incentive, which extraverts will move towards for the positive outcome.
2) impulsivity - impulsive people dont learn well from punishment, they seek rewards (high BAS) without considering consequences or learning from punishment (weak BIS)
according to Gray, impulsive people has __ BAS and ____ BIS.
high; weak
what is the 3rd dimension of biological perspective on personality by marvin zuckerman called?
sensation-seeking, constraint, and effortful control
according to marvin zuckerman, people high on “sensation-seeking” trait have ____ level of internal arousal, thus they are drawn to novel and excited experiences.
low
what is the neurological enzyme related to sensation seeking? list 2 traits this enzyme is associated with.
monamine oxidase (MAO)
MAO associated with:
- social dominance
- aggression
- gene linked to impulsivity
Sensation seeking _________ how much _____________ intensity someone desires. It has a __________ effect on stimulus intensity.
influences; stimulus; regulatory
who shuts down under intense conditions? high or low sensation seekers? what conditions can they then better adapt to?
low sensation seekers can shut down under intense conditions. they adapt better to ordinary conditions.
1) what is impulsive unsocialised sensation seeking (IUSS)?
2) IUSS has high levels of _________ and low levels of _______.
3) give 2 examples of IUSS behavior.
4) what is the neurotransmitter related to IUSS?
1) inability to exhibit behavior appropriate to social constraints.
2) impulsivity; effortful control/restraint
3) examples:
substance abuse
reckless driving
impulsive financial decisions
dangerous sports
unplanned criminal activities
4) low serotonin - anger/impulsive aggression/poor impulse control
what are androgens?
sex hormones that facilitate virilisation (development and maintenance of male characteristics, concerning when it happens to females)
the developmental human default is male or female?
female
the developmental human default is female. exposure to ______ (eg. _________) cause physical and neurophysical changes towards ______ characteristics.
androgens; testosterone; male
Testosterone influences changes in the _________ system during ______ development.
List 3 instances when testosterone levels rise in a male.
nervous; fetal
- prenatal weeks 8-24
- 1-5 months after birth
- during and after puberty
what are the toy types in berenbaum and hines’ study on prenatal exposure to androgen?
- boys - transport n construction
- girls - dolls, kitchen, telephone, crayon, paper
- neutral/control - books, board games, jigsaw
In berenbaum and hines’ study, prenatal exposure to androgen has a __________ effect on girls aged 3 to 8. They prefer ______ toys than ______ toys, spending more time playing with the former.
masculizing; boys’; girls’
Testosterone is associated with what kinds of behavior?
give 2 examples in criminals and another 2 in military veterans.
- dominance
- anti-social behavior
criminals with high testosterone:
- violated prsion rules more often
- more likely to have committed violent crimes
- premeditation of acts
- killed someone they knew
military veterans:
- increased risky behaviors ( sex/drugs/alcohol)
- more likely to AWOL
- more likely to have assaulted someone
- more likely to have trouble with parents/teachers/classmates while growing up
*effects of testosterone strongest in low SES backgrounds
people high on testosterone perform ____ in high-status jobs and ________ in low-status ones.
better; poorer
in relationships, people high on testosterone are:
_____ likely to get married
_____ likely to have divorced
_____ likely to have affairs
_____ likely to commit domestic abuse
less
more
more
more
people high on testosterone loaded with these 3 traits. what are they?
- sensation seeking
- dominance
- impulsiveness
Levels of testosterone shift wrt social situations.
It rises after ___________ events like competitive win, after sexual intercourse and fooling around with gun.
It is more sensitive to potential _________ rather than ______.
positive
rewards; losses
Males have the fight or flight response when facing threats. However, females have the ______ and ________ response.
This reflects differing ________ pressures on males and females due to _____ investment.
tend; befriend
evolutionary; offspring
which hormone is involved in the bonding system?
oxytocin
what effect can oxytocin have?
relaxation
calming
monther-infant bond
general social bonding
adult pair-bonding
do females or males have higher levels of oxytocin?
females
why do females have higher levels of oxytocin than males do?
estrogen (female sex hormone) activates release of oxytocin under stress while in the same situation, androgen (male sex hormone) inhibits the release of oxytocin.
what other situations other than stress, trigger the release of oxytocin?
- childbirth
- orgasm
- breast-feeding
- massage
what are 2 common assessment procedures in studying the biology of personality?
- EEG - electrical brain activity
- PET - mapping brain activity from metabolic functions
- MRI - images of brain function from magnetic fields created from neural actvity
- fMRI assesses lvls of activation at rest and during mental activity - Hormones (through sweat/saliva/blood/urine)
Does BIS or BAS create anxiety? what are some clinical symptoms?
High BIS creates anxiety in presence of impending punishment
- learning of anxiety responses and cues
- clinical symptoms: phobias, panic attacks, OCD
Does BIS or BAS create depression? what are some clinical symptoms?
weak BAS - little motivation to approach incentives, common in those with depression
clinical symptoms: lifelessness, low motivation
antisocial personality:
_______ BAS - just pursue what they want
Low BIS - Issues in ____ system, don’t learn from ____________ (or not motivated to avoid)
High _________ - Issues in impulse control
Low ____ enzyme + environment also contribute to antisocial personality
overactive
threat; punishments
impulsivity
MAO-A
**Low MAO-A Levels: Reduced MAO-A activity can lead to higher levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. This imbalance is associated with increased impulsivity, aggression, and risk-taking behaviors, which are characteristic of ASPD.
what is pharmacotherapy?
altering biological functioning through drugs to change/manifest behaviours
give an example of pharmacotherapy?
- lithium for bipolar disorder
- dopamine inhibitors for schizophrenia
- SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for anxiety
