Trait Theory of Personality 4 7 14 Monday April 07 2014 6 38 PM Trait theory believe that personality is a series of dimensional traits Factor analysis Reduce simplify and break down statistical calculations Tells us related factors within a larger variable sample Ex Factor Analysis Test What questions tend to have a similar response pattern How many basic primary personality traits are there Hans Eysenck Chapter 12 2 Come to a theory that there are 3 broad traits in personality the Giant 3 1 Extroversion 2 Neuroticism 3 Psychoticism 1 Those with high levels of extroversion are friendly outgoing sociable lively 1 Those with high levels of neuroticism are emotional reactive stress and anxiety prone 1 High levels of psychoticism exhibit hostility impulsivity tough mindedness not soft or sentimental less rule conscious a b Opposite of a good citizen type personality one who has low levels of psychoticism A psychotic might be anarchical worse citizens worse at following rules 3 Traits are Independent of each other there is no correlation between the tendency of these traits PEN Psychoticism Extroversion Neuroticism Model Are they valid meaningful predictable Generally yes they tend to relate Extroversion people are generally more social Neuroticism at greater risk for anxiety Psychoticism more at risk for criminal aggressive behavior and artistic behavior Eysenck believved there were biological underpinnings for these traits Extroversion based in the Cerebral Cortex Ascending Reticular Activation System Differences in average baseline cortical arousal define extroverts and introverts Introverts have higher average baseline cortical arousal Extroverts have lower average baseline cortical arousal When we are under stimulated we feel bored tired fatigued When we are over stimulated we feel stressed Optimal Level of cortical arousal Arousal Introverts require less stimulation to be satisfied because their average level of cortical arousal is closer to the optimal level of cortical arousal in order to become satisfied Extroverts require more stimulation to be satisfired and seek out high stimulation activities ex Talking to other people Extroverts are more likely to be smokers and do drugs that stimulate stimulants such as cocaine adderall more likely to have risk seeking behavior People with ADHD are essentially extreme extroverts they behave hyper because they are seeking huge levels of stimulation in the environment Ritalin and Adderall are extreme stimulants which bring them much closer to optimal levels of cortical arousal Introverts Extroverts Extroversion Levels Hereditary component to 3 different traits Possibly biologiccally necessary Extroversion and neuroticism observed in chimps Big 5 Theory several contributors 1 2 3 4 5 Extroversion Neuroticism Openness Open mindedness Conscientiousness Agreeableness i ii These traits are relatively independent Walter Mischel criticized the predictability of traits and research confirms that correlation between scores and behavior is low 1 2 Trait proponents argue that over the aggregate traits predict behavior well Relatively effective at predicting long term behaviors Psychology Page 1