Physiological approaches to personality

Question 1

Hippocrates- fluids

Answer 1

• yellow bile (irritable)
• phlegm (sluggish)
• black bile (melancholy)
• blood (sanguine)
• balances of fluid determines health

Question 2

Pavlov personality

Answer 2

• brain has a center that serves an inhibitory funciton

- limbic excitability

Question 3

Hans Eyseneck

Answer 3

• isolated extraversion and neuroticism and developed a measure
• thought personality was in the brain

Question 4

Jeffrey Grey

Answer 4

• student of Eyseneck
• behavioral activation
• behavioral inactivation

Question 5

Franz Gall

Answer 5

phrenology

Question 6

Neuroanatomical methods

Answer 6

• lesion (natural or surgical)

- neuroimaging (EEG, MEG, PET, fMRI)

Question 7

MacLean’s “Triune” brain (schematic)

Answer 7

• reptilian
• paleomammalian
• neomammalian

Question 8

important circuits related to personality

Answer 8

• Brainstem
• amygdala
• nucleus accumbens
• PFC
• ACC

Question 9

Knutson 2000

Monetary incentive delay task

Answer 9

• cue that they could make money
• anticipation of making or losing money (measured rain activity) also outcome
• anticipation of making money:
  
  • incrased activity during delay (anticipation), less activity during outcome
• anticipation of loss: more activity when actual loss occurs

Question 10

NAcc activation

Answer 10

• predicts positive arousal
• mean deviated “happiness” predicted percent signal change
• prospect of gettin gmoney led to changes in brain activity which were related to affect
• gain anticipation activates NAcc
• loss anticipation activates anterior insula

Question 11

NAcc and insula activity relation to personality

Answer 11

• more NAcc activity associated with extraversion

- anterior insula activity more correlated with negative arousal

Question 12

implications of NACc and Insula activity in anticipation delay task and personality link

Answer 12

-could identify markers of personality to check for risk factors of depression for example

Question 13

schizophrenia

Answer 13

-negative arousal in loss anticipation and insula activity is blunted in schizophrenia

Question 14

Neuroticism and brain anatomy/physiology

Answer 14

• worrying leads to cortisol release (can shrink parts of the brain)
• if people are taught to be more mindful we could prevent this