Task 4 Flashcards by Maxine Reissner

What did the Ancient Greek thought of personality?

Result of four “humours”

Blood-> sanguine: cheerful temperament
Black bile -> melancholic: depressive temperament
Yellow bile -> choleric: angry temperament
Phlegm -> phlegmatic: calm temperament

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What did the early view of somatotypes hypothesize?

Physique could be related to personality characteristics
o Endomorph (fat)  cheerfulness, sociability, relaxedness, love of comfort and luxury, indulgence in food and drink
o Mesomorph (muscular)  dominance, activity level, assertiveness, and adventurousness
o Ectomorph (thin)  nervousness, shyness, sensitivity, and intellectuality

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What does Cloninger theorize?

Dopamine linked to Novelty seeking
Serotonin linked to Harm avoidance
Norepinephrine is linked to reward dependence

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How is Dopamine linked to Novelty seeking?

Dopamine - helps neurons send messages in response to things that feel pleasurable or exciting
Novelty Seeking requires a highly active dopamine system (Exploratory excitability, impulsiveness, extravagance)

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How is Serotonin linked to Harm Avoidance?

Serotonin - prevents your neurons from sending messages in response to things that feel harmful or unpleasant
high levels of Harm Avoidance are seen in individuals whose serotonin systems are very inactive (Worry/pessimism, fear of uncertainty, shyness with strangers)

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How is Norepinephrine linked to Reward Dependence?

Norepinephrine - inhibits the transmission of signals of conditioned reward
Reward Dependence means that the norepinephrine system is inactive (Sentimentality, warm, communication, dependence)

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What does Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory state?

Certain regions of the brain work together as mechanisms that underlie personality
-> Differences among people is the bases of important personality dimensions

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What is the Behavioral Activation System?

GO System!
Regions of the brain responsible for receiving signals from the nervous system which indicate that rewards are being experienced
-> boosts pursuit of rewards

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What is the Difference between Gray’s and Cloninger’s role?

Gray: Brain structures
Cloninger: Role of Neurotransmitters

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What is the Behavioral Inhibition System?

STOP System
Regions of the brain responsible for receiving signals from the nervous system which indicate that punishments are bein experienced
-> encourages avoidance of punishments

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What is the Fight-or-Flight System?

Regions of the brain responsible for motivating extreme reactions in response to extremely threatening situations
-> stronger systems = readier to fight or flee

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What is Eysenck’s theory about Extraversion?

Linked to Arousability of the brain
Less stimulation = under-arousal = seek arousal = extroverted
More stimulation= over-arousaal = avoid stimulation = introverted
Ruled by a mechanism called ascending reticular activating system (ARAS); located in brain stem,

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What is Eysenck’s theory about Neuroticism?

Individual differences governed by segments of the brain belonging to the limbic system
Neurotic = limbic system overwhelmed by stress

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What is Eysenck’s theory about Psychoticism?

High levels of Psychoticism = high levels of testosterone and low levels of monoamine oxidase (MAO) -> influences levels of neurotransmitter

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What are the biological bases for conscientiousness?

ADHD -> low levels; areas for attention smaller for people diagnosed
- Levels of uric acid in the blood related to Conscientiousness

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What hormones influenced behavior?

Testosterone = higher levels -> wilder, unrulier, more crimes
Cortisol = response to physical or psychological stress -> indicator of an individuals overall emotional reactivity
Oxytocin = associated with emotional bonding -> cooperative relationships and facilitates trust

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On what three levels can personality be analysed? (Deyoung)

Traits
Characteristic adaptations,
Life stories

What biological sources must be considered in personality?

Proximal sources = stable differences in the functioning of the neural systems that produce the states associated with traits
Distal sources = genetic and environmental

What traits are stable?

Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness

What traits are plastic?

Extraversion and Openness/Intellect

What are the two meta traits and neurotransmitter that influence the Big Five?

Stability: the tendency to regulate or restrain potentially disruptive emotions and behavior (serotonin)
Plasticity: the tendency to explore and engage with possibilities (dopamine)

What are Serotonin’s influences?

Regulatory or inhibiting effects on mood, behavior and cognition
- low levels -> aggression, poor impulse control and depression

What are Dopamine’s influences and what two branches does the dopaminergic system have?

Role in exploratory behavior and cognitive function
Two branches in dopaminergic system:
1. Innervates brain structures (e.g. nucleus accumbens & amygdala) that are crucially involved in motivation, emotion and reward -> Extraversion
2. Innervates the PFC -> Openness

What Brain Areas are related to the BAS, BIS and FFS?

BAS: Medial orbitofrontal Cortex -> coding value of rewards
BIS: Hippocampus and amygdala
FFFS: Hypothalamus, amygdala, periaqueductal gray

What Brain Areas/ Neurological is Neuroticism linked to?

Sensitivities of the BIS and FFFS; - Amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate Higher cortisol levels, lower serotonin levels

What Brain Areas/ Neurological is Agreeableness linked to?

Brain regions associated with social information processing | - Superior temporal sulcus, posterior cingulate cortex, fusiform gyrus, left DLPFC (emotion regulation)

What Brain Areas/ Neurological is Openness to Experience linked to?

Attention and ability to process complex info | -> Dopamine & PFC

What Brain Areas/ Neurological is Conscientiousness linked to?

PFC is greater in volume | Serotonergic component

What Brain Areas/ Neurological is Extraversion linked to?

BAS (Dopamine) -> sensitivity to reward (wanting it) | - Medial orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, striatum

What are the changes discussed in the Walker article concerning Gray's Reinforcement Sensitivity theory?

-> more comprehensive; has better definitions of each of the proposed systems FFS-> FFFS

What are the three systems in Gray's o-RST?

o BAS: reward sensitive and mediates approach motivations o BIS: punishment sensitive and mediates avoidance of aversive stimuli o FFFS: Fight/Flight/Freezing System

What does the Sensation Seeking and the Hybrid Model of Learning in Personality (HMLP) describe?

BAS -> Argues that Sensation Seeking is potentially dysfunctional if directly expressed, but likely to be functional if expressed through socio-cognitive mediators such as Conscientiousness, Rationality, Mastery, or Deep Learning

What does the Approach and Avoidance Temperament Model (AATM) take?

Process model of personality where behaviour is distally predicted by temperament and proximally predicted by goals -> makes predictions from BAS and BIS through socio-cognitive mechanism of goals

What does the psychobiological model of temperament and character (PMTC) include?

Harm Avoidance = original BIS Novelty Seeking = original BAS PMTC includes two other temperament dimensions: Reward Dependence and Persistence + Includes 3 dimensions of character: thought to mature over the life-span important predictor of behaviour o Self-Directness o Cooperativeness o Self-Transcendence

What are the physiological properties of Oxytocin?

It is secreted by the pituitary gland and triggered by projections from the hypothalamus (from centrally projecting neurons located in the paraventricular nuclei and supraoptic nuclei)

What do Neuropeptides do?

- influence neurotransmission - they degrade much slower in the brain (stored in large dense-core vesicles) - lack the spatial specificity of classical neurotransmitters

What different modes of communication do neuropeptides show?

1. Dynamic concept 2. Volume transmission (3 dimensional diffusion into extracellular fluid) 3. Priming hypothesis (loop created through cascade, ended with feedback mechanisms)

On what neurotransmitters does OT have an effect?

It elevates serotonin levels

What OT mechanisms might effect reduced anxiety, increased trust etc.?

- Modulation of Amygdala activation - Affiliative motivation - Perceptual selectivity or social salience

What effects can peptides like OT have on Functional Rewiring?

Pattern of temporary strengthening or weakening of functional connections can occur after a single peptidergic signal

What genes have an effect on trust?

Allele A of rs53576 is linked to reduced trust, heightened heart rate responses, greater self-reported stress reactivity Allele G of rs53576 is linked to higher tendency to seek emotional social support

On what factors does Oxytocin have an influence on according to the theoretical model by Chen?

- Social support seeking - Perceived social support (which has an effect on cognitive representation of secure attachment relationships) -> If not perceived, induces more stress if it is perceived, more social support seeking is displayed

Task 4 Flashcards

The Architect