1. Personality, 9e Jerry M. Burger
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2. The Biological Approach: Theory, Application, and Assessment
Chapter 9

3. Chapter Outline Hans Eysenck’s theory of personality Temperament
Evolutionary personality psychology
Application: Children’s temperaments and school
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4. Chapter Outline
Assessment: Brain electrical activity and cerebral asymmetry
Strengths and criticisms of the biological approach
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5. Hans Eysenck’s Theory of Personality
Structure of personality
Eysenck employed factor analysis to identify supertraits
All traits can be subsumed within three basic personality dimensions
Extraversion–introversion
Neuroticism
Psychoticism
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6. Figure 9.1 - Eysenck’s Hierarchical Model of Personality
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7. Hans Eysenck’s Theory of Personality
Eysenck divided the elements of personality into units that can be arranged hierarchically
Basic structure - Specific response level
Initial factor analytic research yielded in two basic dimensions
Extraversion–introversion
Neuroticism
Personality dimensions are independent of one another
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8. Figure 9.2 - Traits Associated with Eysenck’s Two Major Personality Dimensions
Source: From Eysenck, H. J., and Eysenck, B. G. (1968), Manual for the Eysenck Personality Inventory, San Diego: EDITS. Reprinted by permission of Educational and Industrial Testing Service.
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9. Hans Eysenck’s Theory of Personality
Extraverts are outgoing, impulsive, uninhibited, and sociable
Introverts are quiet, introspective, reserved, and distant except to intimate friends
People high on neuroticism are unstable or highly emotional, easily upset, and angered
Individuals low on neuroticism are less prone to emotional swings
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10. Hans Eysenck’s Theory of Personality
Psychoticism - Third supertrait found by Eysenck
People on the high end of psychoticism are egocentric, aggressive, and impersonal
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11. Biological Basis for Personality
Eysenck’s arguments
Consistency of extraversion–introversion over time
Cross-cultural researches indicate the three dimensions of personality
Genetics play a vital role in determining a person’s placement on the personality dimensions
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12. Sensitivity to stimulation
Physiological Differences: Stimulation Sensitivity and Behavioral Activation/Inhibition Systems
Sensitivity to stimulation
Introverts and extraverts differ in how their brains respond to emotional stimuli
Introverts are quickly aroused when exposed to external stimulation
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13. Sensitivity to reinforcement
Physiological Differences: Stimulation Sensitivity and Behavioral Activation/Inhibition Systems
Sensitivity to reinforcement
Reinforcement sensitivity theory
Human brain has a behavioral approach system (BAS) and a behavioral inhibition system (BIS)
Individuals differ in the strength of these systems, and differences are stable over time
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14. People with a high BAS seek out and achieve pleasurable goals
Physiological Differences: Stimulation Sensitivity and Behavioral Activation/Inhibition Systems
People with a high BAS seek out and achieve pleasurable goals
Experience more anger and frustration
Individuals low on BAS get pleasure out of rewards and anticipating those rewards
People with a high BIS are apprehensive and quick to retreat from problematic situations
Experience more anxiety
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15. Temperament
General behavioral dispositions that can be expressed in different ways depending on an individual’s experiences
Development into stable personality traits depends on complex interplay of genetic predispositions and environment
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16. Temperament and Personality
Dimensions in temperament
Emotionality - Intensity of emotional reactions
Children high on emotionality frequently express anger
As adults, they are easily upset and have quick temper
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17. Temperament and Personality
Activity - Person’s general level of energy
Highly active children move around a lot and prefer games that require running and jumping
As grown-ups, they are always on the go and prefer high-energy activities
Sociability - General tendency to affiliate and interact with others
Sociable children seek out other children to play
As adults, they have a lot of friends and enjoy social gatherings
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18. Temperament and Personality
Gender differences in temperament
Girls exhibit a higher level of effortful control than boys
Boys are identified with an increased level of surgency than girls
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19. Temperament and Personality
Adult personalities are determined by both inherited temperament and the environment
Temperament influences the environment which in turn influences the way temperament develops into stable personality traits
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20. Inhibited and Uninhibited Children
Inhibited children: Controlled and gentle ones
Attached to their parents
Slow to explore new environments
Anxiety to novelty
Uninhibited children: Excited and rough ones
Quick to explore new environments
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21. Inhibited and Uninhibited Children
Inhibited and uninhibited styles represent inherited biological temperaments
Inhibited children run the risk of developing social anxiety disorder
Uninhibited children are likely to exhibit disruptive behavior disorders
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22. Table 9.1 - Correlations Between Inhibition Measures at 21 Months and Behaviors at Age 5 1/2 Years
Source: From “Inhibited and uninhibited children: A follow-up study,” by J. S. Reznick et al., Child Development, 1986, 57, 660–680. Reprinted by permission of the Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.
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23. Evolutionary Personality Psychology
Inherited tendencies to become nervous and upset in certain situations that allows our species to survive
Natural selection - Inherited characteristics of a species that help them meet, survive and reproduce
Responsible for psychological mechanisms
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24. Evolutionary Personality Psychology
Anxiety and social exclusion
Anxiety - Unpleasant emotional state, a normally functioning person would avoid
Primary cause - Social exclusion
Primitive people avoided behaviors that lead to social exclusion in order to survive and reproduce
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25. Children’s Temperaments and School
Easy child
Eagerly approaches new situations, adaptive, and experiences a positive mood
Difficult child
Tough to adapt to new environments and are often in a negative mood
Slow-to-warm-up child
Tend to withdraw from unfamiliar situations and are slow to adapt to new tasks and activities
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26. Children’s Temperaments and School
Temperament and academic performance
Children with either the difficult or slow-to- warm-up pattern perform poorly
Children with an easy temperament get higher grades
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27. Children’s Temperaments and School
Studies indicate that temperament is not related to intelligence
Certain temperaments are compatible with the requirements of the classroom
Student’s behavior evokes responses from the teacher
Teachers misinterpret temperamental differences in students
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28. Children’s Temperaments and School
Matching temperament and teaching
Goodness of fit model
Creation of environment and procedures conducive to learning based on the temperament of the student
Teachers who match teaching style with temperament:
Increase child’s chances of academic success
Contribute to the child’s feelings of self-worth
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29. Brain Electrical Activity and Cerebral Asymmetry
Measuring brain activity
Electroencephalograph (EEG) - Measures electrical activity in different parts of the human brain
Easy and does not harm the individual
Records brain activity in quick intervals
Alpha wave is useful for research on personality and emotion
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30. Brain Electrical Activity and Cerebral Asymmetry
Difference in the activity level between the anterior region of a person’s right and left cerebral hemisphere
Different patterns are associated with differences in emotional experience
Higher activation in the:
Left hemisphere is associated with positive moods
Right hemisphere is indicative of negative moods
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31. Brain Electrical Activity and Cerebral Asymmetry
Individual differences in cerebral symmetry
Hemisphere which displays the higher activity level differs among people
Differences in cerebral asymmetry tend to be stable over time
Left hemisphere activity is related to movement toward the source of the emotion
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32. Brain Electrical Activity and Cerebral Asymmetry
Right hemisphere activity is related to movement away from the source of emotion
Anxiety sufferers have higher right side activation than nonanxious individuals
Measures of cerebral asymmetry are useful to predict bipolar disorder
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33. Strengths of the Biological Approach
Provides a bridge between the study of personality and discipline of biology
Identified realistic parameters for psychologists interested in behavior change
Researchers have generated empirical support for hypotheses advanced from this perspective
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34. Criticisms of the Biological Approach
Biologists face limits on their ability to test their ideas
Assumption that every human characteristic serves a survival function
Lack of an agreed-upon model on temperament
No schools of psychotherapy based on biological approach
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