1. Physiological Perspective

2. The Hurt Locker: Case Study of a Sensation-Seeker

3. Physiological Perspective
Measures
Theories
Eysenck, Gray: Extraversion
Zukerman: Senation-Seeking
Cloninger: Neurotransmitters
Davidson: Brain Asymmetry
Amodio: Political Brain

4. Phineas Gage (1850s) Dynamite accident Changes in personality
Frontal lobe insights
Executive functions
Emotion regulation
Impulsivity, planning

7. Orbital-frontal Cortex

8. Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

9. Anterior Cingulate Cortex

10. 3 Frontal Lobe Syndromes
Dorsolateral (Cognition)
Working memory, decision-making, reasoning
Orbital-frontal (Emotion)
irritabilty, anger, low empathy
Anterior Cingulate (Motiv)
Apathy

11. ADD Symptom Clusters Attention deficit Impulsivity
Concentration problems
Easily distracted
Sloppy, disorganized
Impulsivity
Get into fights
Stubborn, strong-willed
3) Emotion disregulation
feel guilty, feel angry

12. ADD & the Big Five

13. ADD & the Big Five

14. Bridging brain  behav

15. 170 AD: Galen’s 4 Humors Blood sanguine happy
Bodily fluids  personality (170 AD) (Hippocrates, 400BC)
Phlegm phlegmatic calm
Blood sanguine happy
Yellow Bile choleric excitable
Black Bile melancholy unhappy

16. 1809 Phrenology: Francis Gall
Traits=bumps
Bump=more brain tissue
Pseudoscience
Brain? Localization of of function—yes.
Cranial bumps? Wrong.

17. Sheldon’s Somatotype Theory (1940s)
Body shape  personality
Mesomorph
Athletic Dominant
Ectomorph
Slight Introverted
Endomorph
Rotund Jolly

18. Physiological Measures

19. Electrodermal Activity (EDA)
Derma= skin
Sweat conducts electricity (“GSR”)
Sweating due to Sympathetic Arousal
Emotional arousal (pain, anxiety, fear, guilt…)
Elevated baseline EDA & personality:
Neuroticism

20. Lying & Sympathetic Arousal
Ancient Arabia
lick hot iron-- if burn tongue, you are lying!
Ancient China & India
chew rice powder, spit out-- if still dry, you are lying
Sympathetic arousal
dry mouth
(digestion system inhibited)
sweating, heart rate 

21. Cardiovascular activity
Blood pressure —measure of stress reactivity
Heart rate —increases with anxiety, fear, arousal, cognitive effort

22. Cardiovascular activity
Cardiac reactivity
greater than normal increase in blood pressure and heart rate
Associated with Type A personality—impatience, competitiveness, hostility
Cardiac reactivity (and Type A) associated with coronary heart disease

23. Brain Activity Spontaneous electrical activity
Electrodes on scalp (EEG)
Evoked Potential technique
Stimulus given, EEG measured
Evoked Auditory Potential (Auditory stimuli)
Evoked Visual Potentials (Visual Stimuli)
Waves patterns analyzed
Augmenting vs Reducing

24. P300

25. P300 Spike at 300 msec Discovered in 1964 “Context updating” signature
e.g., Schizophrenia lower amplitude
e.g., Borderline Disorder, Impulsiveness longer latency

26. P300 e.g., Borderline Disorder, Impulsiveness longer latency
e.g., Creativity
Need for Cognition
“I like to solve complex problems.”
higher amplitude

27. Brain Imaging Map brain structure and function
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

28. Canli et al (2001), fMRI
E: +pics
N: -pics

29. Johnson et al (1999): PET 9 Extr, 9 Intr Thalamus Insula Broca’s Area
18 healthy Ss (aged yrs) positron emission tomography. Correlations of regional CEREBRAL BLOODFLOW with introversion/extraversion were calculated, and a three-dimensional map of those correlations was generated.
introversion was associated with increased blood flow in the frontal lobes and in the anterior thalamus.
anterior cingulate gyrus, the temporal lobes, and the posterior thalamus = extraversion.
The findings of the study lend support to the notion that introversion is associated with increased activity in frontal lobe regions. Moreover, the study suggests that individual differences in introversion and extraversion are related to differences in a fronto-striato-thalamic circuit.
Gale (46) speculated that introverts might engage in a running monologue in the absence of external stimulation. The observed increased blood flow in
Broca’s area in introverts might be interpreted as biological evidence of “self-talk.”
blood flow in the anterior insula is correlated with introversion, whereas blood flow in the posterior insula is correlated with extraversion.Recent studies of emotion have found that the anterior portion of the insula is activated when subjects recall or imagine events, whereas the posterior insula is activated by interpretation of current sensory information (49, 50). The distinction between an inward focus And an outward focus is very much the difference between
introverts and extraverts.

30. Other Physiological Measures
Blood-born metabolites
Monoamine Oxidaze (MAO)
Immune system (e.g., saliva swabs)
e.g. Master et al. (2009) . . .
“Emotional Approach”

31. Emotional Approach Scale Master et al. (2009)
After a profoundly upsetting event, I take time to figure out what I’m really feeling
In especially trying circumstances, I delve into my feelings to get a thorough understanding of them
When dealing with unusual challenges, I realize that my feelings are valid and important
When coping with a really stressful experience, I acknowledge my emotions

32. Other Physiological Measures
Cortisol
Kagan & Snidman (1991)
Testosterone (Ts)
Dabbs & Dabbs (2000)
“crafty”, “sly”, “manipulative”

33. Effect of Porsche on Ts Concordia School of Business (2009)
Exp. Group: Porsche 911 Cabriolet

34. Effect of Porsche on Ts
Porsche 911

35. Effect of Porsche on Ts Exp. Group: Porsche 911 Cabriolet
Control group: Toyota Camry

37. Effect of Porsche on Ts Drove at same speed, same streets
Rise in Ts for Porsche group only
Honest signal of social status (sexual selection) “Peacock’s Tail”

38. Physiological Perspective
Measures
Theories
Eysenck, Gray: Extraversion
Zukerman: Senation-Seeking
Oxley / Amodio: Political Brain
Cloninger: Neurotransmitters
Davidson: Brain Asymmetry

39. Physiological-Based Dimensions of Personality
Extraversion-Introversion
Eysenck’s Theory:
Introverts are characterized by higher levels of activity in the brain’s ascending reticular activating system.  ARAS

40. Ascending Reticular Activating System
1950s: ARAS controls amount of Cortical Arousal

41. Yerkes-Dodson Law: Optimal Arousal for a Task

42. Extraversion-Introversion
When given a choice, extraverts prefer higher levels of stimulation than introverts
Classic study by Russ Geen (1984)
Compared Extrav (E) and Introv (I)
Noise level preferences
Autonomic reactvity

43. Geen (1984) Learning task Distracting noise over headphones
Hi E, Low E subjects
Noise level chosen by Self, Intr, Extr
Measure stress reactions (physio)

44. Extraversion-Introversion
Geen (1984)
Introverts and extraverts perform task…
Best under their own chosen stimulation level
Poorest under level chosen by opposite personality

45. Eysenck’s Theory of E No baseline differences in arousal.
Revised theory:
Extraversion-Introversion=
Differences in arousal reactivity, not average levels of arousal

46. Jeffery Gray: Sensitivity to Reward and Punishment
Jeffrey Gray, biopsychologist (rats)
Alternative concepts to E and N…
2 brain systems:
Approach system
Avoidance system

47. Approach
Avoidance

48. Sensitivity to Reward and Punishment
Behavioral Activation System (BAS):
Sensitive to reward cues
Activate/Energize/Get
Personality? impulsive
Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)
Sensitive to threat cues
Inhibit/Stop/Evaluate
Personality? Anxious

49. Integration of Gray and Eysenck theories
Impulsive =High extraversion, moderate neuroticism
Anxious =Moderate introversion, high neuroticism

50. Gray’s Rotation of Eysenck
BAS
BIS N E

51. Size of bets placed after punishment vs reward
Pierce-McCall & Newman (1986)
IV= won versus lost.
DV= Size of bet on next task.
Result:
After gain: E = I
After loss: E > I

52. Physiological Perspective
Measures
Theories
Eysenck, Gray: Extraversion
Zukerman: Senation-Seeking
Oxley / Amodio: Political Brain
Cloninger: Neurotransmitters
Davidson: Brain Asymmetry

53. Sensation Seeking Marvin Zuckerman 1970s-80s
Sensory deprivation studies: Extraversion
Hebb’s Optimal Level of Arousal theory
SSSK =Diff in optimal level of arousal
Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale
Moderate positive correlation between extraversion and sensation seeking

54. Boredom Susceptibility Thrill and Adventure Seeking
Sensation-seeking
4 factors (DEBT)
Disinhibition
Experience-Seeking
Boredom Susceptibility
Thrill and Adventure Seeking

55. Sensation Seeking Physiological basis for sensation seeking
Monoamine Oxidase (MAO)
Enzyme that regulates neurotransmitters
After neurotransmitter binds to receptor need to stop it somehow
MAO puts the brakes on (at the receptor)

56. Sensation Seeking Physiological basis for sensation seeking
Too much MAO= strong braking
Too little MAO= weak braking
High SSK have low MAO
Stimulation seeking is due to weak synaptic braking

57. Cortical Evoked Potentials and Sensation-Seeking
Augmenting is evident among high SSkers
Reducing is evident among low SSkers

58. MAO, Child Abuse, and Antisocial Tendencies
Interaction of gene and child maltreatment experiences
Low MAO + maltreatment= high risk to become antisocial
Caspi et al (2002)

60. Physiological Perspective
Measures
Theories
Eysenck, Gray: Extraversion
Zukerman: Senation-Seeking
Oxley / Amodio: Political Brain
Cloninger: Neurotransmitters
Davidson: Brain Asymmetry