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U-M PSYCH 290 - Physiological Approaches
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Lecture 6 PSYCH 290Outline of Last Lecture I. Behavioral genetics of personalitya. What is heritability and how do we measure it?b. Genetic contributions to personalityc. Do parents matter?II. Evolutionary perspectives on personalitya. Human natureb. Individual differencesc. Sex differencesOutline of Current Lecture I. Relevant Brain Structuresa. Amygdalab. Hippocampusc. Anterior Cingulate (AC)d. Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)II. How Can We Study the Brain?III. Autonomic Nervous SystemIV. Measures of Autonomic ActivityV. Chemical Processes and PersonalityVI. Hormones and Personalitya. CortisolVII. “Sex” Hormones and Personalitya. Testosteroneb. EstrogenVIII. Hormone Responses to “Competition”IX. Testosterone and Relationship OrientationX. Estrogen and Maternal TendenciesCurrent LectureDispositional Domain – Biological domain-Brain structures relevant to personality-How do we measure brain activity?-Autonomic nervous system (ANS)Early Theories of Brain Structure: Phrenology-The idea that different parts of the brain are responsible for different functions. -You could feel someone’s head and if their head was large in one spot they might be high in that trait-Obviously, this is not valid.-There are reasons to think that certain brain regions are responsible for certain behaviorsRelevant Brain Structures-Amygdala-Named for it’s almond shape-Located pretty far inside the brain-Important role in human emotion, especially negative emotions-Links perceptions, thoughts with emotional meaning-If you have damage to your amygdala you may see a happy face, but you feel no emotion-Links emotions with other bodily responses (e.g., hormones)-Example: Shyness associated with high amygdala activity when viewing pictures of strangers.-Hippocampus-Very close to the amygdala-Vital for memory consolidation (new memories)-But memories are not necessarily stored here-So people who have damage to the hippocampus have problems storing new memories, not necessarily retrieving stored memories-Hippocampus and amygdala work together to form emotional memories-Example: Rumination-Repeated focus on one’s own feelings, distress (not focused on solving the problem, but “why did that person do that to me?” and it makes it worse in your head)-Associated with high hippocampal activity-Especially among depressed participants (could contribute to depression)-Anterior Cingulate (AC)-Important for emotional experience (vs. perception)-Assesses discrepancy between expected and actual events.-Can modulate amygdala activity-Physical pain is also related to Anterior Cingulate activity-Example: Does Social Rejection “Hurt”?-Is social pain related to physical pain?-Physical pain is associated with increase Anterior Cingulate activity-Brain activity was measured during “cyber ball”-Researchers manipulated whether the participants felt included or excluded-Rejection increased Interior Cingulate activity-AC activity correlated with self-reported distress-This shows that similar brain regions might be active during physical and social pain-Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)-Very large region-Most higher order cognitive functions occur in this region-Self-regulation, decision making, planning-Part of the brain that is quite a bit larger proportion wise in humans and large primates compared to other animals-Prefrontal cortex is lateralized which means it is specialized for different things-Lateralization of emotion-Left PFC activity linked with positive emotion-Right PFC activity linked with negative emotion-Researchers have measured stable individual differences-In a resting state, researchers measure the activity on the left and right sides of the brain and there seems to be a correlation between the asymmetry -Left > right activation: high positive affect-Right > left activation: high negative affectQuestion: Which brain structure is MOST likely to be active when people feel rejected?A. Prefrontal CortexB. HippocampusC. AmygdalaD. Anterior CingulateE. All of the aboveHow Can We Study the Brain?-Case studies (brain damage)-In depth study of an individual, unusual cases-Phineas Gage and the role of the prefrontal cortex in self-regulation-“H.M.”: hippocampus removed during surgery and this displayed the role of hippocampus in memory because the patient was not able to store new memories.-Case studies (self-knowledge)-Example: “K.C.”: amnesiac patient-Major hippocampal damage at age 30 from head injuries-He could not recall any specific past events-He could not form any new memories (did not remember people)-Could accurately describe his personality-Tested him on two separate sessions-Test-retest reliability r = .78 (really high)-This shows us his ratings are consistent over time-Self-other agreement r = .73 (had his mother rate him as well)-Provides some evidence that you don’t need your hippocampus to evaluate your personality (it is a fact about yourself and doesn’t require a lot of retrieval from memory)-Example “W.J.”: Temporary retrograde (being able to retrieve from the past amnesia -Brain damage at age 18 after a fall-No specific memory from last 6-7 months, spotty before then-But she did know general “facts” about her life-Tested her personality during and after amnesia-Test-retest reliability r = .74-Self-other agreement r = .65 (had her boyfriend rate her also)-These studies tell us that we are relying on our general knowledge when we make theseratings not on any specific events-Brain damage-Patient populations with known damage/lesions -Example: amnesiac patients, amygdala damage-Example: Do people with PFC damage have more difficulty with self-regulation?-Compared patients to healthy participants in specific tasks-PFC patients had more difficulty recognizing emotions and disclosed information inappropriately-EEG (Electroencephalography) -Measures electrical activity on scalp-Can detect very rapid changes-But, hard to localize specific brain regions, especially subcortical-ERP (Event-Related Potential)-Electrical activity is time-locked to a particular stimulus or event-Example: ERP response to reward-Does extraversion predict response to reward?-Introverts and extraverts played gambling tasks-Looked at ERPs to winning and losing trials-Extraverts showed stronger orienting response to winning than to losing-Introverts showed little difference-fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)-Magnetic fields measure blood flow changes-Excellent spatial resolution within the


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U-M PSYCH 290 - Physiological Approaches

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Pages: 9
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