Psychology 390:

Introduction to
Personality Psychology
The biological perspective 2:
Biological processes and personality

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001.

 Overview of
Todays Lecture

1. Eysencks arousal theory of extraversion

2. Grays behavioral activation theory of
extraversion
3. What may be the neurobiological basis of
extraversion?

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 2

 Eysencks Sensory Arousal
Theory of Extraversion

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001.

 The Father of the Big Three:
Hans Jrgen Eysenck (1916-1997)

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 4

 The PEN Model of
Personality
aggressive sociable

antisocial carefree
cold lively

unempathic dominant
egocentric active
P E
creative surgent
impersonal assertive
N
tough-minded venturesome sensation-
impulsive
seeking

irrational shy moody emotional

low
anxious depressed guilt feelings tense
self-esteem

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 5

 The Arousal Theory of
Extraversion-Introversion

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 6

 The Yerkes-Dodson Law of
Arousal and Performance
Performance

optimal

suboptimal supraoptimal

Arousal

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 7

 Optimum Levels of Arousal Differ
Between Introverts and Extraverts

INTROVERTS EXTRAVERTS
Performance

too low too high too low too high

Arousal
OptimumIntroverts OptimumExtraverts

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 8

 Extraversion and
Cortical Activity

Extraverts have
less alpha
activity than
introverts, because
less sensory
stimulation is
passed on from the
reticular formation.

EEG waves involved in waking and sleeping

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 9

 Arousal and Extraversion in a
Vigilance Task (Davies et al., 1969)
Quiet Music & Speech
Segments of music & speech requested

6 6

Segments of quiet requested

5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

0 0
Introverts Extraverts Introverts Extraverts

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 10

 Grays Behavioral Activation
Theory of Extraversion

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001.

 Gray: Animals Differ in Their
Reactions to Reward and Punishment
and not in extraversion or
neuroticism!
For instance, rats are afraid of open
spaces and will show signs of anxiety
(e.g., increased defecation) when
placed into an open compartment.

But they also show individual

differences in anxiety levels. Selective
breeding for low and high levels of
anxiety can create low-anxiety (=
nonreactive) and high-anxiety (=
reactive) strains of rats in just a
couple of breeding generations.
Reactive rats learn better on tasks
that involve punishment than non-
reactive rats.
Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 12
 Grays Model of
BIS/BAS Responsiveness

Pleasant Aversive
stimuli stimuli

Reward Behavioral Behavioral Punishment

sensitivity Activation Inhibition sensitivity
= extraversion System System =
neuroticism

Approach Withdrawal

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 13

 Two Extremes of
Dopamine Release in the Brain

Encephalitis lethargica: ADHD:

Damage of dopamine neurons Excessive activation of
leads to inability to initiate any dopamine neurons leads to
behavior too much behavior
a case of a case of
extreme introversion? extreme extraversion?
Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 14
 Blasting Enemy Tanks Increases Brain
Dopamine: The Koepp et al. (1998) Study
Method:
Participants played a videogame
in which they had to shoot at
enemy tanks and collect flags
while their brains were PET-
scanned for dopamine activity.

Results:
During the video game,
participants showed dopamine
increases in the striatum (part of
which is the nucleus
accumbens). These increases
were more pronounced (a) in the
left hemisphere and (b) in Regions of the brain in which a significant
participants who attained higher increase of dopamine over baseline levels was
observed.
game levels.

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 15

 Effects of Drugs and Agonists
On Synaptic Signal Transmission
Normal synaptic Effect of drug
signal transmission: or agonist:

Impulse

Presynapse Transmitter

Postsynapse Drug

Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 16

 Relating Dopamine to Extraversion:
Depue et als (1994) Challenge Study
Method:
Participants filled out Tellegens
MPQ and were administered either
a dopamine agonist or a placebo.
Central dopaminergic activation
was assessed by its effects on
prolactin suppression and eyeblink
rate increase.

Results:
Participants overall scores on the
MPQ extraversion scale (called High-PEM individuals took longer
for the maximal suppressive effect
Positive Emotionality) were of DA on prolactin (PRL) to occur.
strongly and positively related to all Why? They also showed the
measures of central dopaminergic strongest PRL suppression (r =
activation. Thus, extraverted .75) and it took them proportionally
longer to descend to the lowest
individuals seem to be equipped PRL levels than individuals with
with more responsive or extensive less PRL suppression.
dopamine systems.
Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 17
 So Whos Right?
Eysenck or Gray?
Eysencks sensory arousal Grays behavioral
theory activation theory
Strengths: Strengths:
explains effects of sensory explains effects of
personality on conditioning
stimulation on introverts & very well
extraverts very well
explains effects of
explains EEG findings very personality on subjective
well affect very well
compatible with animal
Weaknesses: learning literature
bad at explaining findings
from learning studies Weaknesses:
bad at explaining sensory
bad at explaining stimulation and EEG findings
subjective affect findings
Psychology 390: Introduction to personality Oliver C. Schultheiss, 2001. Lecture 9 Slide 18