Psychological explanations: Eysenck's theory Flashcards

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1
Q

Eysenck was an important figure in…

A

personality and intelligence research

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2
Q

Eysenck was an important figure in personality and intelligence research during which time period?

A

The middle of the 20th century

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3
Q

Eysenck most notably proposed that behaviour could be represented along how many dimensions?

A

2, although he later added a third dimension

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4
Q

Eysenck most notably proposed that behaviour could be represented along which two dimensions?

A

Introversion-extraversion (E) and neuroticism-stability (N)

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5
Q

Introversion-extraversion and neuroticism-stability combine to form…

A

a variety of personality characteristics or traits

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6
Q

What was the third dimension that Eysenck later added?

A

Psychoticism-sociability (P)

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7
Q

Which of Eysenck’s dimensions that he proposed represented behaviour is E short for?

A

Introversion-extraversion

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8
Q

Which of Eysenck’s dimensions that he proposed represented behaviour is N short for?

A

Neuroticism-stability

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9
Q

Which of Eysenck’s dimensions that he proposed represented behaviour is P short for?

A

Psychoticism-sociability

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10
Q

Eysenck said that personality is linked to offending behaviour via what?

A

Socialisation processes

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11
Q

Eysenck saw offending behaviour as developmentally ________

A

immature

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12
Q

Eysenck saw offending behaviour as s______ and concerned with…

A

immediate gratification

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13
Q

Eysenck said that offenders are impatient and…

A

cannot wait for things

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14
Q

Eysenck said that personality is linked to offending behaviour via socialisation processes. What is the process of socialisation?

A

Children are taught to become more able to delay gratification - more socially oriented

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15
Q

Eysenck believed that people with high introversion-extraversion and neuroticism-stability scores had…

A

nervous systems that made them difficult to control

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16
Q

Eysenck believed that people with high introversion-extraversion and neuroticism-stability scores were less likely to…

A

learn anxiety responses to antisocial impulses

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17
Q

Eysenck believed that people with high introversion-extraversion and neuroticism-stability scores were more likely to…

A

act antisocially in situations where the opportunity presented itself

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18
Q

The notion that personality can e measured is one that is central to which psychological explanation for offending?

A

Eysenck’s

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19
Q

What did Eysenck develop?

A

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ)

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20
Q

What was the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire?

A

A form of psychological test which locates respondents along the E, N and P dimensions to determine their personality type

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21
Q

Why was the EPQ a very important part of Eysenck’s theory?

A

It enabled him to conduct research relating personality variables to other behaviours, such as criminality

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22
Q

The EPQ means we can see how…

A

the criminality personality differs from the rest of the population across dimensions

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23
Q

What have critics suggested about the EPQ?

A

Personality type may not be reducible to a ‘score’ in this way - personality is too complex and dynamic to be quantified if indeed such a thing exists

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24
Q

Critics argue that personality is too complex and dynamic to be quantified - this questions whether there is such thing as…

A

personality, or a ‘criminal’ personality

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25
Q

According to Eysenck, our personality traits are __________ in origin

A

biological

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26
Q

According to Eysenck how do our personality traits come about?

A

Through the type of nervous system we inherit

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27
Q

According to Eysenck, all ___________ _____ have an innate, biological basis

A

personality types

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28
Q

According to Eysenck, extraverts have an…

A

underactive nervous system

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29
Q

According to Eysenck, extraverts have an underachieve nervous system. What does this mean about their behaviour?

A

They constantly seek excitement, stimulation and are likely to engage in risk-taking behaviours

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30
Q

According to Eysenck which personality type tend not to condition easily and therefore do not learn from their mistakes?

A

Extraverts

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31
Q

Eysenck said that extraverts tend not to condition easily and therefore…

A

do not learn from their mistakes

32
Q

According to Eysenck, people with a neurotic personality type have a high level of…

A

reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system

33
Q

According to Eysenck, people with a neurotic personality type have a high level of reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system. This means that they respond quickly to…

A

situations of threat

34
Q

According to Eysenck, people with a neurotic personality type have a high level of reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system. This means that they tend to be…

A

nervous, jumpy and overanxious

35
Q

The high level of reactivity that Eysenck said was in the sympathetic nervous system of people with a neurotic personality type means that their behaviour is often…

A

difficult to predict

36
Q

People with the psychotic personality type are suggested to have higher levels of what?

A

Testosterone

37
Q

Eysenck said that people with the psychotic personality type are…

A

unemotional and prone to aggression

38
Q

What is the criminal personality type according to Eysenck?

A

Neurotic-extravert-psychotic

39
Q

Neurotics are unstable and therefore prone to do what in situations of threat?

A

Overreact

40
Q

Extraverts seek more arousal and thus engage in what according to Eysenck?

A

Dangerous activities

41
Q

Psychotics are aggressive and lack what according to Eysenck?

A

Empathy

42
Q

What did Farrington et al. (1982) conduct?

A

A meta-analysis of relevant studies to Eysenck’s theory

43
Q

What did Farrington et al. (1982) report about how offenders tended to score on measures of psychoticism?

A

They tended to score highly

44
Q

Farrington et al. (1982) reported that offenders tended to score high on measures of psychoticism, but not…

A

for extraversion and neuroticism

45
Q

True/False: Farrington et al. (1982) reported that offenders tended to score high on measures of psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticism

A

False, they tended to score high on measures of psychoticism, but not for extraversion and neuroticism

46
Q

Farrington et al. (1982) found inconsistent evidence of differences on EEG measures (used to measure cortical arousal) between…

A

extraverts and introverts

47
Q

Farrington et al. (1982) found inconsistent evidence of differences on EEG measures (used to measure cortical arousal) between extraverts and introverts. This supports/casts doubt on the physiological basis of Eysenck’s theory

A

casts doubt on

48
Q

True/False: Some of the central assumptions of the criminal personality have been challenged

A

True

49
Q

Criminal personality may vary according to culture. This is something that Eysenck took/didn’t take into account

A

didn’t take

50
Q

Bartol et al. (1979) studied which group of people?

A

Hispanic and African-American offenders in a maximum security prison in New York

51
Q

In Bartol et al. (1979)’s study, researchers divided offenders into how many groups?

A

six

52
Q

In Bartol et al. (1979)’s study, researchers divided offenders based on what?

A

Their offending history and the nature of their offences

53
Q

What did Bartol et al. (1979) find?

A

All six groups were less extravert than a non-offender group

54
Q

How do Bartol et al. (1979)’s findings challenge Eysenck’s theory?

A

It was found that all six groups were less extravert than a non-offender control group. Eysenck would expect them to be more extravert

55
Q

Why did Bartol et al. (1979) suggest their findings were unexpected in relation to Eysenck’s theory?

A

Because the sample was a very different cultural group

56
Q

The fact that Bartol et al. (1979) found that groups of offenders from another culture were less extraverted than the non-offender control groups questions…

A

how far the criminal personality can be generalised

57
Q

The criminal personality may be a __________ relative concept

A

culturally

58
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977) compared ____ prisoners’ scores on the ___ with ____ controls

A

2070, EPQ, 2422

59
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977) compared ____ prisoners’ scores on the EPQ with 2422 controls

A

2070

60
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977) compared 2070 prisoners’ scores on what with 2422 controls?

A

The EPQ

61
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977) compared 2070 prisoners’ scores on the EPQ with how many controls?

A

2422

62
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977) found that prisoners recorded higher/lower average scores on the EPQ than controls

A

higher

63
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977) found that prisoners recorded higher average scores on the EPQ than controls on which measures?

A

Extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism

64
Q

True/False: Eysenck et al. (1977)’s findings that prisoners recorded higher average EPQ scores than controls on extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism were restricted to the 18-25 age category

A

False, this was tested across all age groups

65
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977)’s findings agrees with the predictions of the theory that…

A

offenders rate higher than average across the three dimensions Eysenck identified

66
Q

Eysenck et al. (1977)’s findings agree with/challenge his theory

A

agree with

67
Q

Moffitt (1993) criticised Eysenck’s theory by saying it’s too…

A

simplistic

68
Q

Moffitt (1993) drew a distinction between offending behaviour that only occurs in ___________ and that which…

A

adolescence, continues to adulthood

69
Q

What did Moffitt (1993) call offending behaviour that only occurs in adolescence?

A

Adolescence-limited

70
Q

What did Moffitt (1993) call offending behaviour that continues into adulthood?

A

Life-course-persistent

71
Q

What did Moffitt (1993) argue about personality traits in relation to Eysenck’s theory?

A

Personality traits alone are a poor predictor of how long offending behaviour will go on for in the sense of whether someone is likely to become a ‘career offender’

72
Q

Moffitt (1993) argued that personality traits alone are a poor predictor of how long offending behaviour will go on for in the sense of whether someone is likely to become a…

A

‘career offender’

73
Q

Moffitt (1993) considered persistence in offending behaviour to be the result of a reciprocal process between…

A

individual personality traits on the one hand, and environmental reactions to those traits on the other

74
Q

Moffitt (1993) considered persistence in offending behaviour to be the result of a __________ _______

A

reciprocal process

75
Q

Moffitt (1993)’s consideration that persistence in offending behaviour is the result of a reciprocal process presents a more…

A

complex picture than Eysenck suggested

76
Q

Moffitt (1993) suggested that the course of offending behaviour is determined by an…

A

interaction between personality and the environment

77
Q

Moffitt (1993) suggested that the course of offending behaviour is determined by an interaction between personality and the environment. This presents a more…

A

complex picture than Eysenck suggested