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biological perspective Flashcards

1
Q

what is the fundamental question regarding the role of biology on personality?

A

considering that everyone has similar biological systems, how does biology affect individual differences?

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2
Q

what are the 3 assumptions of the biological perspective on personality?

A
  1. personality rooted in biology
  2. human behavior reflects operations of complex biological system
  3. biological processes systematically influences behavior and experiences
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3
Q

whose early biological ideas is the lecture based on?

A

hans eysenck

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4
Q

hans eyesenk based taxonomy of traits on being rooted in human _____________.

A

biology

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5
Q

Eysenck faced controversy due to some of his views on ______ and ________.

A

intelligence; genetics

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6
Q

what are the 2 supertraits under Eysenck’s views?

A

extraversion
neuroticism

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7
Q

what are the 2 states of brain function according to Eysenck?

A
  1. activaction - alert
  2. non-activation - drowsy
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8
Q

according to eysenck, what is the fundamental diff btwn extraverts and introverts?

A

brain function, whether activated or not

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9
Q

what is ARAS?

A

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
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10
Q

_______ activity is key to understanding differences in introversion and extraversion.

A

ARAS - Ascending Reticular Activating System

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11
Q

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.

A

optimal

higher; more; greater; avoid

lower; less; seek

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12
Q

what are the key differences between introverts and extraverts on tasks of vigilance?

A
  • introverts make fewer mistakes
  • extraverts get bored at repetitive tasks
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13
Q

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

A) depressants; calmness; unalertness

B) stimulants; arousal; excitation

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14
Q

According to Eysenck, what caused the differences in neuroticism?

A

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.

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15
Q

what is neuroticism?

A

personality trait

tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, sadness, irritability, and emotional instability

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16
Q

high neuroticism reflects __________ aroused emotion centers.

emotional arousal exaggerates ___________ responses for introverts and extraverts, making them become ______ of what they are.

A

easily

behavioral; more

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17
Q

true or false. extraverts are neurotic while introverts are non-neurotic.

A

false.

both extraverts and introverst can be neurotic and non-neurotic. being neurotic just makes them more introverted/extraverted.

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18
Q

according to jeffrey gray, what are 2 hypothesised brain systems that underlie motivational systems?

A
  1. BAS - behavioral activation system
  2. BIS - behavioral inhibition system
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19
Q

what is BAS?

A

behavioral activation system - regulates movement towards incentive

responsible for positive emotions

relates to conditioning involving positive outcomes

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20
Q

BAS sensitivity (high/low) demonstrates differences in _________ and ________ responses to __________.

A

behavioral; emotional; incentives

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21
Q

BAS is implicated in the _____________________ and ________ of the brain, while BIS is in the _____________.

A

left prefrontal cortex; ventral striatum of basal ganglia; right prefrontal cortex

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22
Q

BAS may be related to which neurotransmitter?

A

dopamine

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23
Q

dopamine is involved in which areas?

dopamine helps regulate what?

A

reward n pleasure
motivation
movement
cognition n attention

helps regulate mood, motivation, and various aspects of behavior and cognition

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24
Q

what is BIS?

A

behavioral inhibition system - regulates movement away from disincentive

associated with anxiety

relates to conditioning involving negative outcomes

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25
Q

BIS sensitivity (high/low) demonstrates differences in _________ and ________ responses to __________.

A

behavioral; emotional; punishment

26
Q

BIS may be related to which neurotransmitters and what do they do?

A

Serotonin: Regulates mood, anxiety, sleep

GABA: Inhibits neural activity - reduce anxiety, promote relaxation

27
Q

true or false. BIS is related to introversion while BAS is related to extraversion.

A

false. BIS is related to neuroticism/emotionality while BAS is related to extraversion.

28
Q

people with high BAS respond to __________ manipulations while those with high BIS respond to ________ manipulations.

A

positive mood; anxiety

29
Q

what are the 3 main differences of the biological perspective on extroversion between eysenck and gray?

A

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

30
Q

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.

A

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)

31
Q

according to Gray, impulsive people has __ BAS and ____ BIS.

A

high; weak

32
Q

what is the 3rd dimension of biological perspective on personality by marvin zuckerman called?

A

sensation-seeking, constraint, and effortful control

33
Q

according to marvin zuckerman, people high on “sensation-seeking” trait have ____ level of internal arousal, thus they are drawn to novel and excited experiences.

A

low

34
Q

what is the neurological enzyme related to sensation seeking? list 2 traits this enzyme is associated with.

A

monamine oxidase (MAO)

MAO associated with:
- social dominance
- aggression
- gene linked to impulsivity

35
Q

Sensation seeking _________ how much _____________ intensity someone desires. It has a __________ effect on stimulus intensity.

A

influences; stimulus; regulatory

36
Q

who shuts down under intense conditions? high or low sensation seekers? what conditions can they then better adapt to?

A

low sensation seekers can shut down under intense conditions. they adapt better to ordinary conditions.

37
Q

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?

A

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

38
Q

what are androgens?

A

sex hormones that facilitate virilisation (development and maintenance of male characteristics, concerning when it happens to females)

39
Q

the developmental human default is male or female?

A

female

40
Q

the developmental human default is female. exposure to ______ (eg. _________) cause physical and neurophysical changes towards ______ characteristics.

A

androgens; testosterone; male

41
Q

Testosterone influences changes in the _________ system during ______ development.

List 3 instances when testosterone levels rise in a male.

A

nervous; fetal

  1. prenatal weeks 8-24
  2. 1-5 months after birth
  3. during and after puberty
42
Q

what are the toy types in berenbaum and hines’ study on prenatal exposure to androgen?

A
  1. boys - transport n construction
  2. girls - dolls, kitchen, telephone, crayon, paper
  3. neutral/control - books, board games, jigsaw
43
Q

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.

A

masculizing; boys’; girls’

44
Q

Testosterone is associated with what kinds of behavior?

give 2 examples in criminals and another 2 in military veterans.

A
  1. dominance
  2. 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

45
Q

people high on testosterone perform ____ in high-status jobs and ________ in low-status ones.

A

better; poorer

46
Q

in relationships, people high on testosterone are:

_____ likely to get married
_____ likely to have divorced
_____ likely to have affairs
_____ likely to commit domestic abuse

A

less
more
more
more

47
Q

people high on testosterone loaded with these 3 traits. what are they?

A
  1. sensation seeking
  2. dominance
  3. impulsiveness
48
Q

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 ______.

A

positive

rewards; losses

49
Q

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.

A

tend; befriend

evolutionary; offspring

50
Q

which hormone is involved in the bonding system?

A

oxytocin

51
Q

what effect can oxytocin have?

A

relaxation

calming

monther-infant bond

general social bonding

adult pair-bonding

52
Q

do females or males have higher levels of oxytocin?

A

females

53
Q

why do females have higher levels of oxytocin than males do?

A

estrogen (female sex hormone) activates release of oxytocin under stress while in the same situation, androgen (male sex hormone) inhibits the release of oxytocin.

54
Q

what other situations other than stress, trigger the release of oxytocin?

A
  1. childbirth
  2. orgasm
  3. breast-feeding
  4. massage
55
Q

what are 2 common assessment procedures in studying the biology of personality?

A
  1. EEG - electrical brain activity
  2. PET - mapping brain activity from metabolic functions
  3. MRI - images of brain function from magnetic fields created from neural actvity
    - fMRI assesses lvls of activation at rest and during mental activity
  4. Hormones (through sweat/saliva/blood/urine)
56
Q

Does BIS or BAS create anxiety? what are some clinical symptoms?

A

High BIS creates anxiety in presence of impending punishment
- learning of anxiety responses and cues
- clinical symptoms: phobias, panic attacks, OCD

57
Q

Does BIS or BAS create depression? what are some clinical symptoms?

A

weak BAS - little motivation to approach incentives, common in those with depression

clinical symptoms: lifelessness, low motivation

58
Q

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

A

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.

59
Q

what is pharmacotherapy?

A

altering biological functioning through drugs to change/manifest behaviours

60
Q

give an example of pharmacotherapy?

A
  • lithium for bipolar disorder
  • dopamine inhibitors for schizophrenia
  • SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for anxiety

personality and individual differences (9 decks)

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