Intro to personality and bio approaches Flashcards
define personality
An individual’s unique and relatively consistent pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving
another term for personality
Individual differences
Name the approaches to personality
Biological
Behavioural
Social
Humanistic
Psychoanalytic
Trait theory
Name Eysenck 2 primary personality traits
extraversion/introversion
neuroticism
typical extraverts
outgoing, impulsive and sociable
typical introverts
quiet, reserved and distant
high neuroticism
unstable or highly emotional, easily upset and angered
low neuroticism
less prone to mood wings
evidence of biology influencing personality
consistency of extraversion and introversion over time
similar personality versions in cross cultural studies
genetics playing vital role
Five factor model personality dimensions
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
explain twins and personalities
Fraternal twins ≈50% shared genetics
Dissimilar personalities
Identical twins = 100% shared genetics
Similar personalities
example of personality trait that may have more genetic influence
neuroticism
define genotype
- Genetic makeup of an individual
- Contained in 23 pairs of chromosomes
Made up of pairs of alleles (e.g., gene variants) provided by parents
define epigenetics
- Influence of environment on gene expression
Alters structure of DNA
interactions between genes
phenotype
- Observable expression of genetics
E.g., height, eye colour, blood type, personality
Critique of Eysenck (Jeffrey Alan Gray)
- Introverts and extraverts differ in how they respond to emotional stimuli
Introverts are quickly aroused when exposed to external stimulation
What is reinforcement sensitivity theory
The human brain has 2 behavioural systems underlying individual differences in sensitivity to reward, punishment, and motivation
Behavioural approach system (BAS)
Seek out impulsive, rewarding behaviour
Engage in emotionally intense situations
Behavioural inhibition system (BIS)- (withdrawal motivation)
Avoid emotionally intense situations
Anxiety
What brain area is measured for personality
frontal lobe
what happened to Phineas gage
Railroad foreman- Explosion sent iron rod through skull
Damaged frontal lobe of brain -Survived
Changes in personality
what changes in personality did Phineas Gage experience
- Planning behaviour
- Emotional control
- Behavioural inhibition
explain an EEG
Measures electrical activity of brain’s surface
Brain activity useful in identifying personality
benefits of EEG
No social desirability
Non-invasive
describe differences in sensitivity related to reinforcement sensitivity
Higher activation in left = Higher BAS
Higher activation in right = Higher BIS
what is left frontal cortex associated with
Depression (inactivation)
Bipolar (sporadic activation)
what is right frontal cortex related to
Anxiety disorders (activation)
what is the
Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)
- Essential part of personality
- Processes emotional information
- Decision making
Assigns value to decisions e.g. this will/ won’t work
strengths of biological approach to personality
Provides genetic account as source of individual variability
Empirically supported neural indicators of personality
limitations of biological approach to personality
Assumption that biology is primary driver of personality
