Classical conditioning of pupillary constriction

Previous attempts to condition classically the pupillary response have resulted in mixed outcome. Studies using light as the UCS have generally been unsuccessful while those studies using shock as the UCS have been more successful. In the present study six subjects were visually presented 15 CVC trigrams while their pupil sizes were monitored. Five of the CVCs had been previously presented, five had been previously presented while paired with shock, and five had not been previously presented. Analysis indicated that more pupillary constriction occurred to the five CVCs paired with shock than those presented without shock or those not previously presented. The resulting classically conditioned pupillary constriction is discussed in terms of the development of meaning through classical conditioning.     

Gender differences in alcohol dependence: personality variables, psychopathological profile and personality disorders

In this paper, gender differences in personality, psychopathology and personality disorders of alcohol-dependent patients are described. The sample consisted of 158 alcohol-dependent patients attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic (105 men and 55 women). All participants were assessed with various assessment tools related to personality (Impulsiveness Scale, Sensation Seeking Scale and STAI), psychopathology (SCL-90-R, BDI and Inadaptation Scale) and personality disorders (IPDE). There were no differences in personality variables, but the women had more anxiety and depressive symptoms and also more problems to adapt to everyday life than did the men. Personality disorders were not as prevalent as in the case of men, and the most frequent among women were obsessive-compulsive, dependent and histrionic personality disorders. Implications of this study for further research are commented on.     

Sex differences in personality and expectancy

It has been shown that women have a lower expectancy than men before examinations, without there being any differences in past performance levels or in work spent in exam preparations. It was proposed that these sex differences in expectancy could be understood as an expression of differences in instrumental/expressive personality dispositions. In a group of undergraduate psychology students tested a short time before examination, scores on a composite index called “Strong” were found to account for a significant but small amount of variance in expectancy estimates. The relationship between expectancy and Strong was also found to depend on the level of another composite index called “Warm.” A fairly high correlation between expectancy and Strong was thus found for Ss describing themselves as warm. For Ss describing themselves as not very warm, no relationship between expectancy and Strong was found. When differences in personality traits were controlled, however, women were still found to have a lower expectancy than men. Expectancy was found to be a more accurate predictor of actual grades for Ss with high scores on instrumental traits than for Ss with low scores.     

Evoked potential augmenting-reducing and personality differences

Normal volunteers (N = 120) were screened on the evoked potential (EP) measure of augmenting/reducing introduced by Buchsbaum and Silverman (1968). Extreme augmenters were compared with extreme reducers on the Zuckerman Sensation-seeking Scales, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and a measure of pain sensitivity. Reducers are more extraverted and more sensation-seeking than augmenters; they are also less sensitive to pain and they have higher scores on the RAPM test. The fact that individuals selected for contrasting EP response patterns differ on these psychological variables supports the idea that there is a neurophysiological basis for individual differences in personality, pain perception and intelligence.     

Visual significance of pupillary response to an auditory task.

Subjects simultaneously performed visual and auditory detection tasks. Pupillary dilation accompanies increased cognitive load such as that caused by the auditory tasks. Errors in the visual task increased when the auditory task became more difficult. The increase was greater when the effects of pupillary dilation were blocked by an artificial pupil.     

Individual differences in creativity: personality,story writing,and hobbies

This study investigated the relationship between creativity and personality among college students from a variety of major fields of study. Indicators of creativity were ratings of written stories, lists of personal hobbies, and scores on the Creative Personality Scale (CPS; Gough, 1979 ). Personality was assessed broadly using the NEO‐Five Factor Inventory (Costa and McCrae, 1985 ) as well as measures of depersonalization, intolerance of ambiguity, faith in intuition, and problem‐solving styles. The results showed a positive relationship between openness to experience and all creativity measures. Moreover, high scores on intuition and extraversion were the best predictors for creativity as measured by the CPS. Story creativity was predicted by low scores on conscientiousness. Depersonalization was not significantly related to creativity. The results of this investigation confirm and extend previous research in demonstrating a close association between creativity and specific personality traits. Future research should clarify the nature of the creative personality across individuals of differing levels and domains of expertise. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sex and personality differences in occupational interests

Females differed significantly compared to males along several interest dimensions—they displayed less interest in technical trades and technical-scientific occupations, and were more inclined to select design-oriented and social-educational occupations. High trait neurotics were inclined to choose social-educational interests—as did extraverts. Extraversion was negatively correlated with the higher order ‘task-related’ interest factor, and positively correlated with ‘person- and nature-related’ interests (factor III). Psychoticism was negatively correlated with interest in commercial and administrative jobs (both loaded on the ‘task related’ factor). Ss characterized as dissimulants (L+) showed a greater affinity towards nutritional trades and administrative organisations.     

Big-five personality differences of cheaters and non-cheaters

Infidelity is a major factor in causing marital dissolution and dissatisfaction in North America. Similarities in personality traits influence the desire for a monogamous relationship commitment. The present study examined differences between cheaters and non-cheaters on Goldberg’s (1990) “Big-Five Personality Factors”: Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect-Openness. One hundred and four participants volunteered to answer a questionnaire on personality traits about themselves and their monogamous partners. A total of 45 males and 59 females rated themselves and an equal number of partners on the traits (n = 208). Results revealed statistically significant differences between cheaters and non-cheaters on the five-factor model. Differences were also found between both of the group’s perceptions of themselves and their monogamous partners on these factors. We wish to thank the editor and reviewers of this journal for their helpful and precise comments towards revisions of this publication. The primary author also wishes to thank Dr. Kevin Alderson for his suggestions on earlier drafts of this paper.     

Big-five personality differences of cheaters and non-cheaters

Infidelity is a major factor in causing marital dissolution and dissatisfaction in North America. Similarities in personality traits influence the desire for a monogamous relationship commitment. The present study examined differences between cheaters and non-cheaters on Goldberg’s (1990) “Big-Five Personality Factors”: Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect-Openness. One hundred and four participants volunteered to answer a questionnaire on personality traits about themselves and their monogamous partners. A total of 45 males and 59 females rated themselves and an equal number of partners on the traits (n = 208). Results revealed statistically significant differences between cheaters and non-cheaters on the five-factor model. Differences were also found between both of the group’s perceptions of themselves and their monogamous partners on these factors. We wish to thank the editor and reviewers of this journal for their helpful and precise comments towards revisions of this publication. The primary author also wishes to thank Dr. Kevin Alderson for his suggestions on earlier drafts of this paper.     

Experimental analysis of individual differences and personality

In psychological studies individual differences that result in variability in data and thus mask the effects under investigation have been reduced or eliminated in two ways: (1) through the use of large numbers of subjects and statistical manipulations, or (2) through extensive and controlled studies of individual subjects. The latter, behavior-analytic, method is scientifically better because it permits identification of the variables that result in individual differences. This paper advocates the direct study of individual differences and personality rather than indirect study through experimental control procedures. Some data are presented showing that individual differences in response patterns have orderly characteristics. Extension of the experimental analysis of behavior to the study of individual differences and personality is likely to be important both scientifically and for the future growth of behavior analysis.     

Individual differences in personality and face identification

Unfamiliar face identification is characterised by substantial variation between individual observers, but the cause of this variation is largely unknown. This study investigated whether individual differences in face identification are linked to an observer's personality, by combining performance on an established face-matching test with two in-depth personality assessments (the 16PF5 and the NEO-PI-R). The face test revealed a broad distribution in identification ability, but associations between face perception and personality were found only in female observers. In this group, correct face identifications related to low anxiety, low tension, and high emotional stability. These results suggest that associations between personality and face perception are limited, and are confined to anxiety and facets of neuroticism.     

Beliefs,personality, and person perception: A theory of individual differences

The hypothesis tested was that we attend to aspects of our interpersonal environment that correspond to prominent features of our own personality. One hundred fifty-four men and women rated the way in which they typically communicate and interact with significant other people (e.g., mother, father, lover) on 11 bipolar adjective scales and the way in which those other people interact with them. An individual differences multidimensional scaling analysis of interstimulus distances among the significant other people based on the ratings of the subject's interaction with those other people indicated that subjects who weighted a particular dimension tended to think they possessed a personality trait corresponding to the dimension. Reasons for the individual difference hypothesis were given.     

Clinical syndromes, personality disorders, and neurocognitive differences in male and female inmates

This study examined clinical syndromes, personality disorders, and neurocognitive problems in adult male (n = 523) and female inmates (n = 523) and a sample of unincarcerated adult women (n = 523). Inmates were administered the Coolidge Correctional Inventory (CCI), and the unincarcerated sample was given an identical test, the Coolidge Axis II Inventory. Although there were significant differences between the two inmate groups on a majority of the 32 CCI scales, only two scales achieved a medium effect size. The two inmate groups were found to be highly similar in a comparison of ranked personality disorder prevalence rates. Consistent with previous literature, male inmates had a significantly higher prevalence of antisocial personality disorder than female inmates (24% vs. 18%). Female inmates had double the prevalence of male inmates on the borderline and histrionic personality disorder scales. Female inmates also reported significantly more general neuropsychological dysfunction, specifically memory problems and neurosomatic symptoms, than male inmates. Female inmates also reported significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, symptoms of schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and depersonalization than male inmates. Overall, the findings support previous research of high levels of psychological and neuropsychological problems in inmates, regardless of gender, and reinforces the need for comprehensive mental health screening of offender populations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EEG and personality differences between smokers and nonsmokers

Bilateral EEG spectra and personality were assessed in 46 habitual smokers and 46 nonsmokers, matched for age and gender. Smokers tended to have more activated EEG's than nonsmokers as indicated by higher dominant and median alpha frequencies and more fast and less slow frequency activity when relaxing with their eyes closed. Female smokers, compared to female nonsmokers, scored higher on personality trait measures of anger-proneness and psychoticism and lower on the Eysenck Personality (EPQ) conventionality/lie scale. Among males, the EPQ psychoticism scale, which has also been associated with anger, was the only personality measure found to significantly differentiate smokers from nonsmokers. The combination of EEG and personality findings is consistent with the view that there are differences between smokers and nonsmokers, such that smokers are more aroused and potentially irritated or angered more easily than nonsmokers.     

Children’s tactics of mate choice manipulation: Exploring sex differences and personality effects

Parents do not always agree with their children’s mating decisions, and so they attempt to manipulate them in accepting mates of their choice and in terminating relationships with undesirable ones. Children engage in counter-manipulation in order to avoid undesirable mates to be imposed on them and to persuade their parents to accept the mates they have chosen. This paper aims to identify the main factors that predict the tactics that children use on their parents. In particular, three hypotheses are tested, namely the use of manipulation tactics is predicted by the personality of children, by the sex of children and by the sex of parents. Evidence from two independent studies finds support for the first two hypotheses, but no support for the third hypothesis. The implications of these findings are further discussed.