Chapter 9:Biological Approach Flashcards
Specific Response Level
Consists of specific behaviors
3 basic personality dimensions
- Extraversion-Introversion
- Neuroticism
- Psychoticism
Habitual Response
Observing behavior over a long period of time that could be associated with a situation
The structure of personality
Hierarchical Model
Eysenck’s Theory includes
Specific, Habitual, Trait, and Supertrait
Prototypic Extravert
Outgoing, impulsive, and uninhibited, having many social contacts and frequently taking part in group activities
Typical Extravert
- Sociable, likes parties, has many friends, needs to have people to talk to, and does not like reading or studying by himself
- People who are more aware of and more attracted to situations that promise rewards
Introvert
- Quiet, retiring sort of person, introspective, fond of books rather than people; he is reserved and distant except to intimate friends
- More sensitive to stimulation
- More quickly and strongly aroused when exposed to external stimulation
- More likely to be aroused when encountering loud music
- More responsive when exposed to chemical stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine
Neuroticism
- high scores=tendency to respond emotionally.
- people high in this dimension are unstable or highly emotional
- Easily upset, angered, and depressed than most of us
Psychoticism
- People who score high are egocentric,aggressive,impersonal,cold,lacking in empathy,impulsive,lacking in concern for others, and generally unconcerned about the rights and welfare of other people
- Usually good candidates for psychotherapy
Eysenck’s 3 arguments when making the case that individual differences in personality are based in biology
- The consistency of extraversion-introversion over time.
- Results of cross-cultural research
- Results of several studies indicating that genetics play an important role in determining a persons placement on each of the three personality dimensions
Different levels of cerebral cortex arousal when in a nonstimulating, resting state
- Extraverts: generally have a lower level of cortical arousal than do introverts
- Extraverts problem is feeding their need for stimulation, they try to avoid unpleasant boredom
- Introverts typically operate at cortical arousal level that is near or perhaps even above the optimal amount
- Introverts select solitude and nonstimulating environments in an effort to keep their already high arousal level from becoming too aversive
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory
Each human brain has a behavioral approach system (BAS) and a behavioral inhibition system(BIS)
Behavioral Approach System (BAS)
- A hypothetical biological system that is focused on seeking out and achieving pleasurable goals
- People highly active in BAS are intensely motivated to seek out and achieve pleasurable goals.
- People with an active BAS also experience more anger and frustration when they fall short of reaching anticipated sources of pleasure
- People low in this dimension get more pleasure out of rewards and more enjoyment out of simply anticipating that rewards are coming
- Related to extraversion
Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)
- A hypothetical biological system that is focused on avoiding dangerous and unpleasant experiences
- People with a highly active BIS tend to be more apprehensive than others. They approach new situations warily, are on the constant lookout for signs of danger, and are quick to retreat from a situation that they sense might lead to problems
- Also more likely to experience anxiety than people low in this dimension
- Connection with neuroticism
Temperaments
General patterns of behavior and mood that can be expressed in many different ways and that, depending on one’s experiences, develop into different personality traits
3 temperament dimensions
- Emotionality
- Activity
- Sociability
Emotionality
- Refers to intensity of emotional reactions
- Children high in this temperament cry frequently, are easily frightened, & often express anger
- As adults, these individuals are easily upset and may have a “quick temper”
Activity
- Refers to a person’s general level of energy
- Children high in this temperament move around a lot, prefer games that require running an jumping, and tend to fidget and squirm when fired to sit still for an extended period of time
- Adults high in this dimension are always on the go and prefer high-energy activities like playing sports and dancing
Sociability
- Relates to a general tendency to affiliate and interact with others
- Sociable children seek out other children to play with
- Adults high in this temperament have a lot of friends and enjoy social gatherings
Gender differences in temperament
- Girls are more likely than boys to exhibit an effortful control temperament, which includes the ability to focus attention and excessive control over impulsive urges
- Boys are more likely than girls to be identified with a surgency temperament. This temperament pattern includes high levels of activity and sociability
- Gender differences can be seen in children as young as 3 months of age
Effortful control temperament
Ability to focus attention and exercise control over impulsive urges
Surgency Temperament
Temperament pattern includes high levels of activity and sociability
Well Adjusted (New Zealand study)
These children exhibited self-control and self-confidence and we’re capable of approaching new people and situations with little difficulty
Undercontrolled (New Zealand study)
These children were impulsive and restless and easily distracted
Inhibited (New Zealand study)
These children were fearful, reluctant to get involved in social activities, and uneasy in presence of strangers
Investigation on Personality Trait Stability
- Psychologists measured traits when participants were 2 or 3 years old and again when they were 20
- Most traits showed at least a little change over time
- Stable over time=passiveness and cautious
- Children who were cautious and passive when faced with a new situation grew up to be adults who showed similar patterns of shyness around strangers
- Researchers believed this was “acquired fearfulness” shaped by parents during childhood
- Psychologists today believe that this is the result of inherited dispositions
Inhibited Children
- Controlled and gentle
- 10% of Caucasian American children
- When they throw a ball or knock over a tower of blocks, they do so in a manner that is “monitored, restrained, almost soft”
- Cling to mother/father when entering a new playroom or meeting new children
- Slow to explore new toys or equipment
- May go several minutes without saying a word
- Vulnerable to a specific form of anxiety referred to as anxiety to novelty
- Cautious about and at times fearful of new people and situations
- Usually turn away from strangers and bury face in mother or fathers legs
- As adults they express discomfort in a new situation by withdrawing socially and waiting for others to speak first
Uninhibited Children
- 25% of children in this study fell into this category
- Children jump right in to play with a new toy or to climb on a new piece of playground equipment
- Usually start talking soon after they enter a new play area
Differences between inhibited and uninhibited Children
- Show physical differences almost from the moment of birth
- Differ in terms of body build, susceptibility to allergies, and even eye color
- Inhibited children are more likely to have blue eyes
- Inhibited children are more likely to show signs of irritability, sleep disturbances, and chronic constipation during first few months of life
- Respond to unfamiliar stimuli with increased heart rate and pupil dilation •Brains react differently to events and images
- Inhibited children have an abnormally high amygdala response or increased striatum activity
- Inhibited children are at risk of developing social anxiety disorder or social phobia
- Uninhibited children are more likely to develop disruptive behavior disorders including aggressiveness and attention problems
Social evaluation reactions as our ancestors
Inherited tendency to become nervous and upset in certain situations allowed our species to survive
Evolutionary Personality Theory
Process of natural selection, borrowed from the theory of evolution, to explain universal human characteristics such as anxiety
Key to the evolutionary personality psychology theory
Natural Selection
Psychological Mechanisms (Evolutionary Personality Theory)
Characteristically human functions that allow us to deal effectively with common human problems or needs
Mechanisms that have been identified
- Humans have an innate fear of strangers
- Anger=Asserting authority and overcoming enemies
- Humans have an innate need to eking to groups and form attachments
- Characteristic of compassion helps survive bc it leads to protection of individuals in need
Purpose of anxiety
Motivates people to avoid behaviors that might lead to their exclusion from the group which helps the species survive
Easy Child
- This child eagerly approaches new situations, is adaptive, and generally experiences a positive mood
- Most teachers would prefer and entire classroom of these students
Difficult Child
These children have difficulty adapting to new environments and are often in a negative mood
Slow-To-Warm-Up Child
These children are similar to the inhibited child. They tend to withdraw from unfamiliar situations and are slow to adapt to new academic tasks and new activities
How does temperament affect a child’s academic performance?
- Some temperaments are probably more compatible with the requirements of the typical classroom than others
- A student’s behavior evokes responses from the teacher
- Teachers sometimes misinterpret temperamental differences in their students
Goodness of Fit Model
According to this approach, how well a child does in school is partly a function of how well the learning environment matches the child’s “capabilities, characteristics, and style of behaving.”
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
- procedure is relatively easy and does not harm individual in any way
- Measures electrical activity in different parts of the human brain
- Records brain activity in very quick intervals
- Described in cycles per second, or waves
- Alpha wave: useful for research on personality and emotion
- Lower the alpha wave activity, the more activation in that region of the brain
Cerebral Asymmetry
- Differences in right and left hemisphere activity
* different patterns of cerebral asymmetry are associated with differences in emotional experience
Can we use EEG data to predict differences in emotion?
Yes, people can have either higher left hemisphere or higher right hemisphere activity when resting
What is the left hemisphere responsible for?
- Positive moods
- Require a less intense positive event before they experience happiness
- ex: an enjoyable convo or a fave song trigger pleasant emotions
- Related to movement toward the source of emotion
What is the right hemisphere responsible for?
- Negative moods
- Require a less intense mega you’ve event to experience fear or sadness
- Minor disappointment or rude remark could be enough to send them into a negative emotional state
- Related to a movement away
Strengths of Biological Approach
- Provides a bridge between the study of personality and the discipline of bio
- Succeeded in identifying some realistic parameters for psychologists interested in behavior change
- Most of its advocates are academic psychologists with a strong interest in testing their ideas through research
Criticisms of Biological Approach
- Face limits in testing their ideas/hypotheses
- Every human characteristic must serve a survival function
- Theory and research on temperament. There is no model that researchers all agree on
- Offers few suggestions for personality change
Biological Approach is related to which psychologist?
Eysenck
