PSYC 2150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Hans Eysenck, Psychoticism, Tabula Rasa
BIOLOGICAL
Textbook Summary
1.Hans Eysenck was an early proponent of the biological approach to personality. He argued
that personality can be divided along three primary dimensions. He called these
extraversion–introversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Eysenck argued that differences
in personality are largely based in inherited biological differences. Research suggests that
introverts are more sensitive to stimulation than extraverts and that extraverts may be more
attracted to rewards.
2.Personality researchers have identified general inherited dispositions called temperaments.
Psychologists argue that temperaments are largely inherited and that these inherited
dispositions interact with experiences to form adult personality traits. Children identified as
inhibited show a fear of unfamiliar situations that other children do not. There is evidence
that this tendency is inherited and that it remains fairly stable throughout childhood.
3.Evolutionary personality psychology uses the concept of natural selection to explain the
development and survival function of human personality characteristics. Theorists point out
that anxiety often results from events related to social rejection. They argue that because
social isolation decreases the chances of survival and reproducing, the evolution of anxiety
has helped the species survive.
4.Research on temperament has important implications for education. Studies find that
children identified with a difficult temperament pattern and those identified with a slow-to-
warm-up pattern perform more poorly in school than children identified with an easy
temperament pattern. Research suggests that children will learn best when the demands of
the learning environment match the child’s temperament.
5.Personality researchers often use physiological measures in their research. Some
researchers use EEG data to look at individual differences in emotions. They find that
differences in the activity levels of the right and left halves of the cerebral hemispheres are
associated with differences in mood. This is called cerebral asymmetry. Some research
indicates that people inherit different base-rate levels of brain activity in the two
hemispheres and that this difference may make them more likely to have certain emotional
experiences.
higher activation in the left hemisphere was associated with positive moods, whereas higher activation in the right
hemisphere was indicative of negative moods
6.One strength of the biological approach is that it ties personality psychology to the
discipline of biology. In addition, research in this area has identified realistic limitations for
the blank slate model of personality development. Another strength of the biological
approach is its strong emphasis on research. Criticisms of the approach include the difficulty
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researchers have when testing some of their ideas. Other criticisms are that researchers have
not agreed upon a single model for temperament and that the biological approach provides
little information about behavior change.
PowerPoint Notes
Eysenck's Theory of Personality (1916-1997)
Eysenck was concerned with discovering underlying structure of personality. Studied
similar traits but argued that there was a strong biological basis for these
Used factor analysis and created a trait hierarchy
He concluded that all traits can be subsumed within three basic personality dimensions
1. Extraversion-Introversion
2. Neuroticism
3. Psychoticism
Eysenck's original research initially yielded evidence for two basic dimensions -
1. Extraversion-introversion
2. Neuroticism dimensions - refers to emotional stability: people who score high are
viewed as unstable or highly emotional. Have strong emotional reactions to minor
frustrations / take longer to recover from these
Psychoticism
Eyesenck added a third factor, psychoticism, later. Refers to people who are
"egocentric, aggressive, impersonal, cold, lacking empathy, impulsive, lacking in concern
for others, and generally unconcerned about the rights and welfare of others".
Eyesenck's Three Arguments for a Biological Basis of Behavior
1. Findings about consistency of intro/extra over time
oParticipant's scores of e/I remained fairly consistent over a span of 45 years
2. Cross Cultural Research
oThe same three personality structures also appear in studies that use different
data-gathering techniques
3. Studies suggest genetics play an important role in determining a person's placements
on each of the three personality dimensions
Introverts and Extraverts: Physiological Differences
Eyesenck proposed that extraverts and introverts have different levels of cerebral
cortex arousal in resting state
According to Eyesenck, extraverts have a lower level of cortical arousal than do
introverts
Extraverts seek out highly arousing social behavior because their cortical arousal is well
below their desired level in resting state
By contrast, introverts have a high level of cortical arousal, and tend to seek non-
stimulating environments in an effort to control the high arousal from becoming too
aversive
oThis research is contested
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Document Summary
1. hans eysenck was an early proponent of the biological approach to personality. He argued that personality can be divided along three primary dimensions. Eysenck argued that differences in personality are largely based in inherited biological differences. Research suggests that introverts are more sensitive to stimulation than extraverts and that extraverts may be more attracted to rewards. 2. personality researchers have identified general inherited dispositions called temperaments. Psychologists argue that temperaments are largely inherited and that these inherited dispositions interact with experiences to form adult personality traits. Children identified as inhibited show a fear of unfamiliar situations that other children do not. There is evidence that this tendency is inherited and that it remains fairly stable throughout childhood. 3. evolutionary personality psychology uses the concept of natural selection to explain the development and survival function of human personality characteristics. Theorists point out that anxiety often results from events related to social rejection.
