Final Exam Flashcards
Galen’s four personality types
Sanguine: blood - cheerful and compassionate
Melancholic: black bile - gloomy and pessimistic
Phlegmatic: phlegm - laid-back, calm and unexcitable
Choleric: yellow bile - bad tempered and irritable
Sheldon’s body somatotypes 1940’s
- Basing personality off body shape
Ectomorph - Thin tall lightly muscled
- introverted
- Intelligent
- Socially noxious
Mesomorph
- hard , muscular body
- Assertive
- bold
- adventurous
Endomorph
- Underdeveloped muscles, round shaped
- Sociable
- Good humoured
- Relaxed
Stimulating the substantia nigra
causes symptoms of depression
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Rapidly changing magnetic fields to temporarily turn off areas of the brain activity
Creates a virtual lesion
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
Has shown that the right frontal lobe is important for making morally relevant decisions such as whether to punish someone
These techniques are great to study what areas do what and could be useful for treating brian disorders
charles whitman
July 31st 1966 charles whitman had a brain tumour affecting his amygdala causing him to shoot and kill people
The anterior cingulate
Important for the experience of normal emotion
The front part of the cingulate, a brain structure that runs from the
front to the back of the brain in the middle, just above the corpus
callosum. The anterior cingulate is believed to be important for the
experience of normal emotion and self-control.
hypothalamus
A complex structure near the lower centre of the brain that has
direct connections to many other parts of the brain and is involved
in the production of psychologically important hormones; thought to
be important for mood and motivation.
hormone
A biological chemical that affects parts of the body some distance
from where it is produced.
amygdala
A structure located near the base of the brain that is believed to
play a role in emotion, especially negative emotions such as anger
and fear.
Links perceptions with emotional meaning
Involved in assessing threat and reward
Associated with anxiety and fearfulness
hippocampus
A complex structure deep within the brain, behind the
hypothalamus, that plays an important role in memory processes.
cortex
The outside portion of an organ (see adrenal cortex); in the context
of this book, the cortex refers to the outer layers of the brain.
neocortex
The outer layer of the cortex of the brain, regarded as uniquely
human.
frontal cortex
The front part of the cortex of the brain. Divided left and right into
the two frontal lobes, this part of the brain is associated with
cognitive functioning such as planning, foresight, and
understanding.
electroencephalography (EEG)
A technique for measuring the brain’s electrical activity by placing
electrode sensors on the outside of the skull.
magnetoencephalography (MEG)
A technique for using delicate magnetic sensors on the outside of
the skull to detect brain activity.
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
A technique for imaging brain activity by using a powerful magnet
to help detect blood flow in the brain.
positron emission tomography (PET)
A technique for creating images of brain activity by injecting a
radioactive tracer into the blood and then, using a scanner, finding
where in the brain the blood is being metabolised.
somatic marker hypothesis
Neurologist Antonio Damasio’s idea that the bodily (somatic),
emotional component of thought is a necessary part of problem
solving and decision making
Emotions enable people to make decision that maximise good outcomes and minimise bad ones
corpus callosum
The thick bundle of nerve fibres connecting the right and left halves
of the brain.
Hans Eysenck = Eysenck’s Big 3
Introversion - extraversion
Neuroticism-stability
Psychoticism
the three dimensions are independent (orthogonal) such that scores on one dimension indicated nothing about scores on either of the other dimensions
Ascending reticular activating system (ARAS)
Connects cerebral cortex with rest of brain
Regulates arousal (damage can lead to permanent sleep)
Eysenck linked ARAS to extraversion/introversion
Lemon juice test
Threshold of arousal - lower in low extraversion
Cortical arousal higher in introverts than extraverts
therefore , introverts less likely to seek out new experiences and people
Gray’s reinforcement sensitivity theory
Behavioural approach system
fight/flight/freeze system
RST and the Big Five
Appeal of Gray’s Reinforcement sensitivity Theory
The appeal of this theory, rather than the Big Five, is that biologically-based theories look at trying to explain the basis of personality traits. The Big Five is very much a model that describes personality traits.
Behavioural approach system (BAS)
- Reward sensitivity
Reward interest - dopamine (tendency to notice and seek rewarding sitnations or activities)
Goal drive persistence - serotonin (put in continued effort and persistence to attain a reward)
Reward reactivity - endogenous opioids (respond positively to attained rewards)
Impulsivity - testosterone (engage in risky or unplanned behaviours)
Behavioural inhibition system (BIS)
Detects goal conflict
Emotion = anxiety
activates when both the BAS and FFFS are activated
increased arousla and checking/vigialnce
resolves conflict bewteen them
defensive appraoch
Updated in 2000
Three biologically derived motivational systems
BAS - behavioural approach systems
Fight/flight freeze system
Behavioural inhibition system
Fight flight freeze system
Threat detection system
Defensive avoidance
Threat detection can result in fight flight or freeze
Associated emotion = fear
Likned to panic
Reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST)
Largely developed in uk
Tends to be used mostly outside the USA
advantages/disadvantages of RST
- Looks to explain causal basis
- Bust still developing good measures
- Making stirred in that direction
- Some coming together of late
- Can’t see how the brains function
The Big Five and RST
Largely developed in the usa
Advantages/disadvantages of the big five
- Very well-developed measures
- But, only just looking at causal basis (descriptive) at least until recently
The brain and the big 5
Stability (Emotional estalbiitly & Agreeableness & Conscientiousness) is associated with serotonin
Plasticity (Extraversion & Openness )is associated with dopamine
Neuroticism
Withdrawal: BIS
Volatility: FFFS
Extraversion
Assertiveness: BAS (Reward pursuit)
Enthusiasm: BAS (Pleasure System)
Openness to experience
BAS
Conscientiousness
BAS (Low) Impulsiveness;
(Low) Trait BIS;
(high) State BIS
Agreeableness
BAS?
Extra Personal Space
A space outside arms reach that contains things an individual desires.
Evaluating biological perspectives
Pros
- New, intriguing
- Focus on causal mechanism rather than just descriptors
Cons
- No comprehensive bio theory
- Still determining specific neural underpinnings
Causes and Effects
- Neurological research has guided development of personality theory and assessment
- Personality research has helped to highlight brain functions
- Brains are always situated within bodies within environments: personality is the sum of the expression of that interaction
Peri Personal Space
A space within arm’s reach of an individual that typically contains things they own and control.
Personality & Learning - Conscientiousness
is more strongly related to academic (vs. job) performance
Motivated strategies for learning questionnaire
Intended to measure learning styles that influence academic performance
Strategies scales
- Five cognitive/metacognitive strategies
- critcal thinking
- effort regulation
- elaboration
- rehearsal
- help seeking
- Four resource management strategies
- metacogntiive self regulation
- organisation
- peer learning
- Time & study environment
Learning styles -Agreeableness
Friendly students
compliant
manage time better
