Eysenck's PEN Model Flashcards
What does the PEN stand for?
Psychopathy, Extraversion and Neuroticism.
What did Eysenck believe should be the basis of personality?
Biology
Each of the factors PEN are..
bipolar(two extremes), and unimodal i.e they can be expressed on a normal distribution curve.
Which structure of the brain stem did Eysenck demonstrate to be a biological basis for extraversion?
ARAS- Ascending Reticular Activating System. ARAS is connected to the hypothalamus, thalamus and cortex. It is responsible for cortical arousal in the Reticulo Cortical System.
How does the Reticulo Corticol System relate to extraversion?
In introverts the reticulo corticol system allows too much arousal in, creating higher levels of activity which means introverts seek out contexts with low stimulation. Extraverts have lower activity.
Wundt’s hedonic curve shows that introverts require….
low levels of arousal to perform optimally and the opposite for extraverts.
Describe Neuroticism.
Emotionally unstable, anxious and irritable. It is related to the part of the ARAS called Reticulo Limbic System. This system is located in the visceral area and is linked to the autonomous nervous system. High neuroticism= hypersensitivity in ANS.
Describe Psychoticism.
Individuals level of conformity, aggression and feelings for others. There’s less evidence for a biological basis however patients with psychosis tend to have lower levels of MAO.
What are Eysenck’s 4 level hierarchy?
Super traits-traits-habitual responses-specific responses
What are traits?
Semi-permanent dispositions of personality.
Extraversion and Neuroticism are both negatively correlated with cortical….? Wright et al 2006
thickness
What are 3 factors that support a biological basis of traits?
- Physiological substrates-cortical thickness-Wright et al
- Hereditary-genetic contribution- Bouchard 2001
- Traits in non-humans-Gosling & John 1999
What is the evidence for traits being hereditary?
Bouchard, 2001- MZ twins had a higher correlation for extraversion and neuroticism than DZ twins.
What is the evidence for traits being in non-humans as well?
Gosling and John 1999-12/19 chimpanzees exhibit similar personality’s to humans, although they are operationalised differently.
What is a problem with animal studies into traits?
Jingle fallacy- erroneous assumption that two different things are the same because they bear the same name. E.g extraversion in animals may be expressed differently.
