PPE 3003 1st Edition Lecture 9 Outline of Last Lecture I Controversy About Genes and Personality II Genes and Personality III The Human Genome IV Goals of Behavioral Genetics V Heritability VI Behavioral Genetics Methods VII Behavioral Genetics Major Findings VIII Attitudes and Preferences IX Shared versus Nonshared Environmental Influences X Genes and the Environment Two Issues XI Science Politics and Values Outline of Current Lecture I Phineas Gage II Personality and the Brain III Physiological Approaches to Personality IV Personality Theories Based on Physiology V Morningness Eveningness VI Frontal Brain Asymmetry Current Lecture A Phineas Gage a Terrible accident on railroad tracks b Pole went through his head c Open brain wound healed in 10 days d Personality changed i Inconsiderate ii Constant profanity iii Rude B Personality and the Brain a Junior Seau i Football player and father of four ii Committed suicide b Temporal lobe seizures C Physiological Approaches to Personality a Combine self reports and observer reports with physiological tests i Goal 1 Try to find physiological basis for personality b Commonly used measures i Electrodermal Activity 1 Skin conductance 2 Electrodes sensors on skin a Noninvasive b No discomfort c Movement is constrained 3 Mild electrical current transferred across skin a More sweat with arousal i More conductance of electricity across skin 4 Measures sympathetic nervous system activity a Fight or flight 5 Measures response to a Sudden noises b Emotional pictures c Anxiety d Fear ii Cardiovascular activity 1 Heart rate a Recall experiences and see their heart rate for example iii Brain activity 1 EEG a What areas of brain light up and are active 2 MRI iv Biochemical measures 1 Hormones in saliva D Personality Theories Based on Physiology a Eysenck s Theory of Introversion Extraversion i Originally Eysenck thought that introverts had higher baseline levels of activity in the brain s ascending reticular activating system ARAS than extroverts 1 Due to low levels of ARAS activity extraverts seek out stimulation ii According to his revised theory introverts are more reactive to stimulation than extraverts 1 They do not differ in baseline arousal b Gray s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory i Behavioral activation system BAS is sensitive to rewards ii Behavioral inhibition system BIS is sensitive to punishment iii People differ in how sensitive their BAS and BIS systems are 1 Stronger BAS can lead to impulsivity a Relative to BIS 2 Stronger BIS can lead to high levels of anxiety a Relative to BAS c Cloninger s Tridimensional Personality Model i Low levels of dopamine 1 The feel good chemical 2 Novelty seeking ii Low levels of norepinephrine 1 Associated with learning 2 Reward dependence iii Abnormal serotonin metabolism 1 Harm avoidance 2 Not a simple linear relationship E Morningness Eveningness a People differ in their circadian rhythms i Studied by free running 1 Observing people s daily behaviors with no time cues b People with shorter rhythms tend to be morning people c People with longer rhythms tend to be evening people F Frontal Brain Asymmetry a Eyes drifting to the right i Left side activation ii More susceptibility to positive emotions b Eyes drifting to the left i Right side activation ii More susceptibility to negative emotions c Some evidence that right sided asymmetry can be overcome by mindfulness exercises
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