The Case for Conscientiousness

Question 1

Define personality

Answer 1

dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine characteristic pattern of behavior and thought

changeable, individual, psychological systems, give causality, enduring/consistency.

Question 2

define trait

Answer 2

characteristic patterns of thought, feelings, and behavior

continuous (dimensional; high or low of) vs categorical discrete (have or not have)
tendencies, not strict determinants, consistency/patterns

Question 3

define conscientiousness

Answer 3

socially prescribed impulse control that facilitates task and goal directed behavior, such as thinking before acting, delayed gratification, following norms and rules, and planning organizing and prioritizing task.

Question 4

explain the relationship between longevity and conscientiousness. what about IQ and C?

Answer 4

strong correlation for longevity and C, weak with IQ

Question 5

What are some disease and their biomarkers for C?

Answer 5

low C –> ^ triglyceride, v HDL, ^ interleukin-6 and C-reactive proteins, diabetes, ^ blood press, skin probs, strokes, ulcers, and tuberculosis.

high C –> reduced chance for Alzheimer’s disease

Question 6

what are the effects of cognitive impairments?

Answer 6

lower self and other C- ratings

Question 7

Explain the psychophysiological mechanism for stress

Answer 7

• Reduced exposure to interpersonal stress and daily hassles
• Increase appraisal of coping abilities and higher levels of control in the context of a stressor
• adaptive coping strategies, such as instrumental problem solving and effective cognitive restructuring
• steeper dinural cortisol slope in combination with high positive effect (cortisol vs time throughout the day, usually it should be high in the morning then decreases, the steeper the better)

Question 8

explain the psychophysiological mechanism for cardiovascular reactivity

Answer 8

• Impulsive sensation‐seeking –> increased heart rate and greater respiratory sinus arrhythmia decreases (vagal withdrawal) during mental arithmetic, reaction time, and speech preparation/delivery tasks
• During speech preparation task, impulsiveness negatively related to heart rate reactivity

Question 9

Explain the findings Dr. Bogg had for health-related behaviors

Answer 9

he found a pos correlation with activity (exercise)

Question 10

Explain the overall neg and pos correlations with C, health, and longevity

Answer 10

• Pos: C, social environment resources (SES, marital stability, number of children, community connection)
• Pos: C, health related psychophysiological mechanisms (resilience, cardiovascular relativity)
• Pos: C, longevity
• Neg: C, Disease and morbidity risk related behaviors
• Neg: C, health degrading behavior

Question 11

Are trait levels changeable? why?

Answer 11

Yes, stability does not mean immutability and even though Cis relatively stable, mean levels can change throughout life.

interventions - psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy; incidental trait modification

Question 12

Explain the normative social investment study with college student roles and alcohol

Answer 12

the higher students feel about their college student role investment the lower their alcohol consumption and the higher the MPQ (Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire) control score

Question 13

C is a ____ of health and longevity.

Answer 13

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