Slide 1ObjectivesSlide 3Slide 4Slide 5Psychological Mechanisms Promoting Pos. RelationshipsBrain “Substrates” correlated with high AgreeablenessThe Anatomy of Personality: Methods for Studying the BrainThe Anatomy of Personality: Methods for Studying the BrainSlide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13Brain Activity Study: C and Monitoring for ErrorsSlide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Brain Structure Study: Anatomic Correlates of High CMRI: volumetric differencesSlide 21The Anatomy of Personality: The Amygdala(e)The Anatomy of Personality: The AmygdalaSlide 24The Anatomy of Personality: The Frontal Lobes and NeocortexSlide 26Slide 27The Anatomy of Personality: The Frontal Lobes and NeocortexThe Anatomy of Personality: The Anterior CingulateSay the color of the “ink”…Say the color of the “ink”…The Anatomy of Personality: The Lessons of PsychosurgeryEnded here 3/7/16© 2013 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.The Personality PuzzleSixth Editionby David C. Funder Psychology of PersonalityLecture 13: 3/7/16Anatomy and Physiology of PersonalityStephanie Federspiel, Ph.D.1Objectives•Overview of methods for studying brain structure (or anatomy) and function.•Discuss what the structure, or anatomy, of the brain tells us about personality differences.•BEGIN discussing how personality is related to biochemistryBiology and Personality:Think cautiously about Cause and EffectBiology and Personality:Think cautiously about Cause and Effect•The relationship between the brain and its environment works in both directions (p. 298)•Understanding the brain can help us understand behavior, but understanding behavior can also help us understand the brainCould you Delay Gratification, not make a poor choice?1) Need predictability/trust2) Need frontal lobe to bias choice.3) Good “states” help frontal lobe work6Psychological Mechanisms Promoting Pos. RelationshipsHigh A =+ EmpathyBrain “Substrates” correlated with high AgreeablenessProblem in interpretation:Which came first?!Small differences  magnify over time. Differences in vol. regions supporting Theory of mind Face/emotion perception + Empathic Neural activity response to pain + neural effects of oxytocinThe Anatomy of Personality: Methods for Studying the Brain1. Consequences of Brain damage–Loss/change of functions helps reveal normal role– Intentional lesionsThe Anatomy of Personality: Methods for Studying the Brain2. Effects of temporary, focused brain stimulation–Mostly animals, but also people while conscious–Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)•CAUSES TEMPORARY LOSS OF FUNCTION.• Used to aid causal interpretation of functional correlations revealed by imaging studies.Depression and Recovery from Brain Stimulation© 2016 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.The Anatomy of Personality: Research Methods for Studying the Brain3. Observing Brain function and/or structure–Some methods help detect timing of events, but aren’t good at identifying location of activity. •Electroencephalography (EEG) •Magnetoencephalography (MEG)14Brain Activity Study: C and Monitoring for ErrorsDetected Errors elicit a neural response in EEG(“Error-related Negativity”, in frontal cortex)For High Conscientious,Response is unaffected by external rewards–Pailing & Segalowitz 2004The Anatomy of Personality: Research Methods for Studying the Brain3. Observing brain function and/or structure–Other methods help image WHAT PARTS of the brain are working and/or damaged•CT (computed tomographs) scans•Positron emission tomography (PET) •Structural and/or Functional Magnetic Resistance Imaging (MRI, fMRI)fMRI Data: Studies of Functional differences© 2016 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.19Brain Structure Study:Anatomic Correlates of High C•Intact Frontal lobe (large injury = very low C)–Note: function can be recovered with time and rehabilitation efforts. Even Phineas Gage improved!•Size of lateral prefrontal cortex –(DeYoung, 2010)= goal-directed attention, planning= Imagining outcomes= biases responses based on “cold”/rational featuresMRI: volumetric differences20The Anatomy of Personality: Research Methods for Studying the Brain•Imaging techniques are hard to use and interpretation is not straightforward…(1) All parts of the brain are always active to some degree and comparisons are relative (based on subtraction).(2) Blood oxygen level dependent signals (BOLD) may indicate ongoing inhibitory activity in that region. (3) Brain activity doesn’t map onto the same psychological process every time.(4) Researchers tend to study single small regions and miss the neural context (overall pattern of activation)The Anatomy of Personality: The Amygdala(e)•Links perceptions and thoughts with emotional meaning•Role in negative and positive emotions•Role in assessing whether a stimulus is threatening or rewardingThe Anatomy of Personality: The Amygdala•Relevant traits: anxiety, fearfulness, sociability, sexuality, optimism, extraversion, neuroticism•Relevant for motivation –Interconnections matter too–Whitman murders at University of Texas in 1966The Anatomy of Personality: The Frontal Lobes and Neocortex•Social understanding and self-control–Phineas Gage (1848)–Elliott•Somatic marker hypothesis–An as-if recreation of a bodily or somatic emotional component (e.g. to risk/threat) can be generated by medial areas in the frontal lobe and can help guide decision making and problem solvingPhineas Gage© 2016 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.© 2016 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.27The Anatomy of Personality: The Frontal Lobes and Neocortex•Cognition and emotion–Capgras syndrome–Both are needed for each to function fullyThe Anatomy of Personality: The Anterior Cingulate•Important for experiencing emotion•Controlling emotional responses and behavior impulses–Charles Whitman•Possible implications for neuroticism and extraversionSay the color of the “ink”…red brown blue greenblack purple blueSay the color of the “ink”…house tree spider spoon ball flag desk rock death glass paper cotThe Anatomy of Personality: The Lessons of Psychosurgery•Prefrontal leucotomy (by 1937)•Prefrontal lobotomy—more drastic•Observations of patients consistent with brain damage•Replaced with drugsEnded here 3/7/16•Adolescent brain video added online•Lobotomy video added