An investigation of cognitive test performance across conditions of silence,background noise and music as a function of neuroticism

The present study investigates the role of trait neuroticism on cognitive performance under distraction. Seventy participants were given a personality test and then undertook a number of different cognitive tasks in silence, in the presence of popular music and in background noise. It was predicted that performance on a general intelligence test, a test of abstract reasoning, and a mental arithmetic task would be adversely affected by background sounds. It was predicted that neuroticism would be negatively correlated with performance on the mental arithmetic task but only when the individuals were working in the presence of background sound. Stable vs. unstable participant's performance on a mental arithmetic task during noise was significantly higher as predicted. The results provided partial support for the hypotheses and are discussed with respect to previous findings in the literature on personality (particularly introversion–extraversion) and distraction on cognitive task performance. Limitations are noted.     

The effects of distraction on performance in the chronically obese: Restraint, obesity, and neuroticism

The present study was conducted in order to assess the effect of distraction on the proof-reading performance of obese restrained and unrestrained eaters. Chronically obese subjects were categorized as restrained or unrestrained and assigned to conditions of distraction and no distraction. Results support the notion that restrained vs unrestrained eaters in the obese class differentially respond to external cues in their non-eating behavior. The pattern of the interaction suggested that distraction facilitates the performance of unrestrained eaters and inhibits the performance of restrained eaters. These results support previous research findings that some characteristics of the obese may be due to the over-representation of restrained eaters in that class. Also, neuroticism was found to be correlated with restraint. Additional analyses indicated that neuroticism moderated the restraint x distraction interaction. The relationship between neuroticism and restraint as well as the therapeutic implications of the study are discussed.     

A Comparison of the Value Systems of Lebanese Christian and Muslim Men and Women

Abstract

Individual differences in susceptibility to distraction are commonly measured by performance or self-report. High performance measures of distractibility have previously been linked to low cognitive ability, whereas self-reports have been linked to the general personality dimension of neuroticism. In the present study, distractibility was measured as decrements in task performance under visual and auditory distraction. The self-report measure consisted of a series of face-valid questions concerning responsiveness to extraneous or irrelevant stimuli in the auditory and visual domains. Results showed that the visual and auditory performance measures of distractibility were highly correlated, the self-reports of distractibility were also correlated with each other and were linked to neuroticism, and the performance and self-report measures of distractibility were completely independent.     

Comparison of EPI and psychoticism scales with measures of the five-factor model of personality

The need for a comprehensive model of personality traits acceptable to the entire community of personality researches has often been acknowledged. In this article, two such models are compared. Eysenck scales measuring neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism and lie are correlated with self-report and peer-rating measures of the five-factor model—neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness—in a sample of adult men and women. Findings suggest that: (1) neuroticism and extraversion factors from the two systems match well; (2) sociability and impulsivity are distinguishable traits, but both fall within the broad domain of extraversion; (3) the EPI L scale measures aspects of several substantive traits rather than a response bias; (4) openness to experience is not well-represented in the Eysenck system; and (5) psychoticism corresponds most closely to the low poles of agreeableness and conscientiousness.     

Self-organization of cognitive performance

Background noise is the irregular variation across repeated measurements of human performance. Background noise remains after task and treatment effects are minimized. Background noise refers to intrinsic sources of variability, the intrinsic dynamics of mind and body, and the internal workings of a living being. Two experiments demonstrate 1/f scaling (pink noise) in simple reaction times and speeded word naming times, which round out a catalog of laboratory task demonstrations that background noise is pink noise. Ubiquitous pink noise suggests processes of mind and body that change each other's dynamics. Such interaction-dominant dynamics are found in systems that self-organize their behavior. Self-organization provides an unconventional perspective on cognition, but this perspective closely parallels a contemporary interdisciplinary view of living systems.     

In the heat of the moment: On the effect of state neuroticism on task performance

The aim of this study was to further shed light on the relationship between neuroticism and performance by taking into account the situation-specific experience of neuroticism when undertaking cognitive tasks. A total of 121 high-performing professionals completed a state measure of neuroticism before solving a complex cognitive task. Indicators of trait neuroticism and fluid intelligence were also collected. Analyses revealed a curvilinear effect of state neuroticism on task performance suggesting that moderate levels of neuroticism experienced in a given situation are most effective for cognitive performance. This effect remained unchanged when controlled for trait neuroticism and fluid intelligence. Findings support the importance of better understanding experiential effects of personality on task performance.     

Interactive effects of noise and neuroticism on recall from semantic memory

Subjects recalled names of countries during 8 or 5 min. (Experiments 1 and 2) or performed a set of brief (40 sec) tasks recalling items from semantic or factual memory (Experiment 3), either in silence or in intermittent white noise (95 dB (A)). Noise interfered consistently with the performance of "neurotic" subjects (i.e., subjects scoring above the median on the EPI scale of neuroticism) but had little effect on that of "stable" ones. Performance was not significantly related to extraversion, nor to self-rated activation, and it was uncorrelated with neuroticism in the no-noise condition. An interpretation of the results emphasizing the distracting effects of noise is discussed.     

The interactive effect of neuroticism and extraversion on the daily variability of affective states

The interaction between neuroticism and extraversion is thought to predict affective variability. In this study, neuroticism and extraversion were assessed with questionnaires, and affects were measured by experience sampling, with five daily assessments over 2 weeks. Affective variability was studied within a three-dimensional affective space whose three axes were oriented along the main affective dimensions: positive affect, negative affect, and activation. Quantile regression mixed-effects models allowed predicting zones in which affective states were most likely to occur according to personality. Beyond the well-known effect of personality on affect level, high neuroticism and/or high extraversion were accompanied by heightened affective variability. Results were interpreted as potentially reflecting positive feedback loops oriented toward negative affect for neuroticism, and toward positive affect and activation for extraversion.     

Learning in noise: Dynamic decision-making in a variable environment

In engineering systems, noise is a curse, obscuring important signals and increasing the uncertainty associated with measurement. However, the negative effects of noise are not universal. In this paper, we examine how people learn sequential control strategies given different sources and amounts of feedback variability. In particular, we consider people’s behavior in a task where short- and long-term rewards are placed in conflict (i.e., the best option in the short-term is worst in the long-term). Consistent with a model based on reinforcement learning principles [Gureckis, T., & Love, B.C. Short term gains, long term pains: How cues about state aid learning in dynamic environments. Cognition (in press)], we find that learners differentially weight information predictive of the current task state. In particular, when cues that signal state are noisy, we find that participants’ ability to identify an optimal strategy is strongly impaired relative to equivalent amounts of noise that obscure the rewards/valuations of those states. In other situations, we find that noise and noise in reward signals may paradoxically improve performance by encouraging exploration. Our results demonstrate how experimentally-manipulated task variability can be used to test predictions about the mechanisms that learners engage in dynamic decision making tasks.     

Processes of learning in the recognition of eye-signals

In a learning experiment 10 Ss as receivers judged looking signals of a sender. Providing feedback about the real direction of gaze produced learning in the direction of an improvement of discrimination performance; the improvement was independent of visual acuity of receivers and was not correlated to extraversion and neuroticism. Performance at the beginning was poorer and learning progress better for fixation points which were further away from the face. Results are discussed with reference to improving accuracy of observers on the variable ‘looking behavior’, important in studies on nonverbal communication. A pre-training of observers which allows explicit feedback about the real direction of gaze is proposed.     

Neuroticism as the intensity,reactivity, and variability in day-to-day affect

Neuroticism has been linked to typical levels of affect, affect reactivity to negative events, and variability in affect over time. However, the intercorrelations among these characteristics make it unclear whether neuroticism reflects unique variance in each of these aspects of emotional life. Data from two daily-diary samples revealed that neuroticism was associated with average levels and variability of positive and negative affect and reactivity of negative affect to stressors, but was only uniquely related to mean levels of positive and negative affect. Findings highlight the substantial overlap in affect indices, suggesting that mean levels of affect, at the very least, are at the core of neuroticism, and reveal the need for further research using more nuanced approaches.     

From state neuroticism to momentary task performance: A person × situation approach

The goal of this article was to investigate the mechanisms through which personality relates to task performance. We argue that perceptions of work pressure and task complexity trigger momentary levels of neuroticism (i.e., state neuroticism) and that these momentary levels of neuroticism predict momentary task performance. Moreover, we hypothesized that the relationship between momentary job demands and state neuroticism is moderated by trait neuroticism. To test this model, we conducted an event reconstruction study and a day reconstruction study. The results revealed that trait neuroticism indeed moderated the momentary job demands–state neuroticism relationship, and in three out of four cases state neuroticism was found to mediate the relationship between momentary job demands and momentary task performance. From a practical point-of-view our results suggest that employees’ task performance can be improved by enhancing the way in which individuals perceive job demands. This strategy would be particularly helpful for individuals for whom the momentary job demands–state neuroticism relationship is the strongest (i.e., employees high in trait neuroticism).     

Intrusive thoughts mediate the association between neuroticism and cognitive function

Although research has established a negative association between trait neuroticism and cognition, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie this relationship. We examined the tendency to experience intrusive thoughts and negative affect as potential mediators of the relationship between neuroticism and cognitive performance. We hypothesized that the tendency to experience intrusive thoughts reflects ineffective attentional control and would account for the relationship between neuroticism and cognitive performance over and above the mediating effect of negative affect. Three hundred seventeen adults (M_age = 49.43) completed a series of attention-demanding cognitive tasks as well as self-report measures of intrusive thoughts, negative affect, and neuroticism. Intrusive thoughts mediated the association between trait neuroticism and cognitive performance beyond negative affect. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the tendency to experience intrusive thoughts is a mechanism through which trait neuroticism influences cognitive performance.     

The thrust of the problem: bodily inhibitions and guilt as a function of mortality salience and neuroticism

We argue that existential concerns underlie discomfort with the physicality of the body and that activities likely to make individuals aware of their physical body (e.g., sex, dancing) may be inhibited and cause guilt. Further, individuals high in neuroticism may be especially vulnerable to such difficulties. To test this, individuals high and low in neuroticism were primed with thoughts about their mortality or a control topic and then engaged in an exercise designed to promote body awareness before self-reporting guilt. A comparison group engaged in non-body-oriented behavior. The results revealed that high neuroticism participants inhibited their body-oriented behavior when mortality was salient and that they experienced a marginal increase in guilt after performing the behavior in conjunction with mortality salience. Discussion focuses on the relationship between neuroticism, mortality salience, inhibition surrounding the body, and guilt.     

Physical health 25 years later: the predictive ability of neuroticism

OBJECTIVE: Neuroticism, a personality trait related to distress and emotional stability, is often correlated with physical symptoms and disease presence. Theorists have posited that chronic emotional instability creates physiological changes detrimental to health, yet most findings are based on cross-sectional analyses. The objective of the current study was to examine neuroticism assessed in 1973 and the likelihood of reporting physical conditions 25 years later. DESIGN: Participants included 21676 adult twins (n = 8143 intact twin pairs) ranging from 15 to 47 years old in 1973 who were assessed again between 1998 and 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirteen physical conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, ulcers, and coronary heart disease, were selected based on their prior theoretical and empirical links to personality traits. RESULTS: Results indicate that the likelihood of having a physical condition is related to higher levels of prior neuroticism, with some associations attenuated when controlling for familial similarity. CONCLUSION: Familial influences are most pronounced for conditions most related to systemic pain, suggesting genetic pathways between neuroticism and these pain experiences.     

心率变异性与人格的神经质之间关系研究

本研究探讨心率变异性（HRV）特征在高水平应激条件下对神经质水平的区分力。研究选取200名被试以大五人格量表测量情绪稳定性,实施了应激诱发实验,利用光体积扫描传感器采集被试者HRV指标;利用LASSO回归分析筛选参数构建对神经质的预测模型。结果显示：模型的预测数据与神经质得分高低显著正相关;不同阶段内预测数据与神经质得分显著正相关;两两比较中实验条件阶段与其他阶段预测值差异显著。研究表明,在高应激条件下,HRV是人格神经质较好的预测指标。     

Attachment anxiety and implicit self-concept of neuroticism: Associations in women but not men

Previous research has shown that adult attachment-related anxiety is associated with the explicit self-concept of neuroticism. It remains to be clarified whether attachment anxiety is related to the implicit self-concept of neuroticism. There is evidence that gender can moderate the strength of correlation between implicit and explicit measures. The Experiences in Close Relationships scale and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) were administered to 106 healthy adults along with an Implicit Association Test assessing neuroticism. Attachment anxiety correlated with NEO-FFI neuroticism, regardless of gender. Attachment anxiety was correlated with neuroticism as measured by the IAT in women but not men. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that gender was a moderator of the relationship between attachment anxiety and implicit neuroticism. Our data suggest that in the associative network of women with high attachment anxiety associative representations of the self are more strongly linked to attributes of neuroticism compared to women with low attachment anxiety.     

感知易用性会影响网络游戏中虚拟商品的使用意愿么?——感知有用性和玩家神经质的作用

基于技术接受模型考察了网络游戏中虚拟商品感知易用性对其使用意愿的影响,以及感知有用性、玩家神经质在其中的作用。采用虚拟商品使用意愿问卷、感知易用性问卷、感知有用性问卷和大五人格量表神经质分量表对559名有过网络游戏经验的大学生进行调查。结果显示:(1)虚拟商品的感知易用性可显著正向预测使用意愿;感知有用性在两者间起中介作用;(2)虚拟商品感知有用性的中介作用受到玩家神经质的调节:对于低神经质的玩家,该间接效应显著;而对于高神经质的玩家,该间接效应不显著。     

Mice and rats fail to integrate exogenous timing noise into their time-based decisions

Endogenous timing uncertainty results in variability in time-based judgments. In many timing tasks, animals need to incorporate their level of endogenous timing uncertainty into their decisions in order to maximize the reward rate. Although animals have been shown to adopt such optimal behavioral strategies in time-based decisions, whether they can optimize their behavior under exogenous noise is an open question. In this study, we tested mice and rats in a task that required them to space their responses for a minimum duration (DRL task) in different task conditions. In one condition, the minimum wait time was fixed, whereas in other conditions minimum wait time was a Gaussian random variable. Although reward maximization entailed waiting longer with added exogenous timing variability, results indicated that both mice and rats became more impulsive and deviated from optimality with increasing levels of exogenous noise. We introduce a reward-rate-dependent sampling function to SET to account for optimal performance in noiseless and suboptimal performance in noisy environments.     

The dynamics of personality states, goals, and well-being

The authors examine the within-individual dynamics of Big-5 personality states over time in people's daily lives. They focus on the magnitude of this within-individual variability, and the associations between personality states, short-term goals, and subjective well-being states. A total of 101 undergraduate students participated in a 10-day interval-contingent diary study. The authors' findings, based on multilevel procedures, establish a considerable amount of within-individual variability that is both (a) equal or larger than that observed between individuals and (b) larger or similar to other constructs assessed with a state approach (e.g., self-esteem and mood). In addition, both neuroticism and extraversion states are systematically related to the short-term pursuit of approach-avoidance goals. Finally, support was obtained for the mediating role of both neuroticism and extraversion states of the association between goals and subjective well-being. In sum, the authors' findings testify to the importance and utility of studying within-individual variability in personality states over time.