Relation of eyelid conditioning to manifest anxiety, extraversion, and rigidity.

The performance of 100 male and 60 female college students in an eyelid conditioning situation was correlated with personality measures of anxiety, neuroticism, extraversion, and rigidity. As predicted by the writers' drive theory, scores on the (MA) scale and the Neuroticism scale of the Maudsley Personality Inventory were significantly related to performance (p     

Relationship of a measure of self-actualization to neuroticism and extraversion.

To examine the relationships between personality constructs of "neuroticism" and "self-actualization," the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), a measure of self-actualization, and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), a measure of neuroticism-stability and extraversion-introversion were each administered to a sample of 136 undergraduate college students. Ss were selected on the basis of scores on the neuroticism dimension to form a "high" neurotic group and a "low" neurotic group, and mean scores were obtained for each group on each of the POI scales. All mean differences were significant at or beyond the .05 level. Thus, even though developed from somewhat differing theoretical considerations, the present instruments appear to be tapping a common core of mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GSR conditioning, anxiety, and extraversion.

"Hypotheses by Eysenck and Spence relating GSR conditioning to extraversion and anxiety, respectively, were examined… [Ss] scoring on the extremes of anxiety and extraversion were selected… . Using a conditioned response amplitude measure,… a significant positive relationship was found between anxiety and conditioning. No significant relationship was found between extraversion and conditioning… . The results give clear support to Spence's theory while failing to support that of Eysenck." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4CG27B. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Love, work, and changes in extraversion and neuroticism over time.

The present study examined individual differences in change in extraversion, neuroticism, and work and relationship satisfaction. Of particular interest were the correlations between changes. Data were from the Victorian Quality of Life Panel Study (B. Headey & A. Wearing, 1989, 1992), in which an overall 1,130 individuals participated (ages 16 to 70). Respondents were assessed every 2 years from 1981 to 1989. Four major findings emerged. (a) There were significant individual differences in changes in extraversion and neuroticism. (b) Change was not limited to young adulthood. (c) Development was systematic in that increased work and relationship satisfaction was associated with decreases in neuroticism and increases in extraversion over time; on average, the magnitude of the relation between changes in work and relationship satisfaction and traits was .40. (d) Cross-lagged models indicated traits had a greater influence on role satisfaction; however, marginal support emerged for work satisfaction leading to increased extraversion. Implications of correlated change are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extraversion, neuroticism, and motor learning.

"The Extraversion and Neuroticism scales of the Maudsley Personality Inventory were administered to 72 college students who were dichotomized on the basis of their scale scores. The inverted alphabet printing task was used to provide measures of motor learning performance. Analyses of variance of the motor learning scores showed that the women learned significantly faster than the men, but the main effects of Extraversion and Neuroticism were not significant." 17 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism and extraversion in Turner's Syndrome.

Administered the Maudsley Personality Inventory to 5 groups of female Ss: (a) 13 Turner Syndrome Ss (mean age 19 yrs 2 mo) with karyotype 45X, (b) 18 Turner Syndrome (TS) Ss (mean age 26 yrs 11 mo) with other types of sex chromosomal abnormalities, (c) 16 sisters of Ss (mean age 24 yrs 2 mo), (d) 9 Ss with growth retardation and primary amenorrhea (mean age 22 yrs 4 mo), and (e) 19 nurses (mean age 22 yrs 8 mo). The results are compared to English and American normative values. The total group of TS Ss obtained a low Neuroticism (N) score compared to the control groups. When the total group was divided on the basis of their karyotypes, the low N score could be referred solely to Ss with karyotype 45X, who scored significantly lower than any other group tested so far with the MPI. TS Ss with chromosomal abnormalities other than 45X scored within normal limits. No variables other than karyotype 45X were related to an extremely low N score. It is concluded that exceptional emotional stability, as reflected in a very low N score on the MPI, is concomitant with the total absence of one sex chromosome, which is probably due to a developmental abnormality of the CNS. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and emotional performance: Extraversion, neuroticism, and self-monitoring.

Using an experimental design, the authors linked personality to performance on two emotional regulation tasks requiring the expression of either anger or enthusiasm. Across tasks, self-monitoring was associated with effective emotional performance. High self-monitors reported less stress and more deep acting than low self-monitors and did not experience elevated heart rate during emotional performance. The authors also examined affective traits, positing that emotional regulation would be less stressful for individuals who were asked to perform personality congruent emotions. As expected, individuals high on extraversion experienced elevated heart rates when asked to express personality incongruent emotions (i.e., anger). However, the association between extraversion and emotional performance was not significantly different for the two types of emotional regulation (anger and enthusiasm). Neuroticism was associated with increased heart rate and poor performance in both tasks. Overall, these data provide partial support for our personality congruency hypotheses and suggest that personality plays an important role in effective emotional performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive dissonance, sensitivity, and evaluation.

In a test of dissonance theory the sensitivity of regular smokers to information about smoking and lung cancer was compared to nonsmokers. Smokers were more interested in such information than nonsmokers; but they did not seek out negative evidence about lung cancer and smoking, nor did they reject information about the harmful effects more than nonsmokers. No clear-cut results emerge from the analysis of dissonance reduction in relation to extraversion and neuroticism, though regular smokers were higher in extraversion than nonsmokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism as Mental Noise: A Relation Between Neuroticism and Reaction Time Standard Deviations.

Those higher in neuroticism are often more variable in their behavior and experience. On the basis of this observation, the authors hypothesized that the trait of neuroticism might be correlated with the variability of performance pertaining to relatively basic cognitive operations. Three studies involving 242 college undergraduates supported this prediction in that neuroticism correlated positively with the variability of performance across trials of reaction time tasks. These results link neuroticism to cognitive noise that intervenes between stimulus and response. Such noise has been associated with executive dysfunctions (e.g., frontal lobe injury) in previous research. The present findings are potentially useful for understanding why neuroticism often correlates with variations in the functionality of cognition and behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism, marital violence, and the moderating role of stress and behavioral skills.

Do high levels of neuroticism predict intimate partner violence (IPV)? Although neuroticism may predispose partners to increased risks of IPV perpetration, the extent to which it predicts such perpetration is likely to depend on the broader context of the relationship. Consistent with this prediction, the current longitudinal study of 169 community couples revealed that the effects of neuroticism on IPV perpetration over the first 4 years of marriage were moderated by observations of problem-solving behavior and objective ratings of chronic stress. Specifically, although husbands and wives who scored higher on a measure of neuroticism at the outset of marriage engaged in more IPV throughout the marriage on average, those who possessed more effective problem-solving skills or experienced lower levels of stress were significantly less likely to engage in IPV. Results highlight the importance of considering the broader relationship context when examining predictors of specific interpersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism and brain responses to anticipatory fear.

Personality is known to influence cognitive and affective functioning as well as the risk of psychiatric disorders. Exploration of the neurobiological correlates of personality traits has the potential to enhance understanding of their significance in development of related psychopathological states. The authors examined the association between individual differences in neuroticism and brain activity in response to threat of electric shocks. Fourteen right-handed healthy men underwent functional MRI during a 5-min experiment that involved repeated presentations of two 30-s alternating conditions. In 1 of these conditions, subjects were told to expect mild but painful electric shocks; there was no possibility of receiving shocks in the other condition. The results revealed that neuroticism correlated positively with the ratings of fear of shock and negatively (indicating suppression) with brain activity from safe to shock conditions in the anterior and posterior cingulate, superior/middle temporal gyrus extending to the hippocampus, precuneus, putamen, thalamus, and middle occipital gyrus. The observations support recent psychophysiological research that has demonstrated reduced processing of pain in subjects with higher levels of neuroticism, especially the anxiety component of this trait. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Indicators of perception: I. Subliminal perception, subception, unconscious perception: An analysis in terms of psychophysical indicator methodology.

"A review of the literature pertaining to unconscious processes in perception was undertaken since preceding reviews had not taken into account current developments in psychophysical indicator methodology, which, it was felt, might clarify issues in this area, especially since they concern the two types of indicators most widely used. It is concluded that most of the substantive contributions of the experiments reviewed cannot be demonstrated to be related to perceptual variables, and this is probably where their importance lies." 198 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The symptom perception hypothesis revised: Depression and anxiety play different roles in concurrent and retrospective physical symptom reporting.

According to the classic symptom perception hypothesis (Costa & McCrae, 1987; Watson & Pennebaker, 1989), the global predisposition to frequently experience a variety of negative emotions—that is, neuroticism (N) or trait negative affectivity (NA)—is associated with inflated physical symptom reporting. We tested a revision of this hypothesis, which posits distinctive roles for depression and anxiety in the physical symptom experience. Three studies tested predictions from the revised symptom perception hypothesis: (a) that depressive affect should be related to inflated retrospective physical symptom reports and (b) that anxious affect should be related to inflated concurrent, or momentary, physical symptom reports. Study 1 assessed the relations among N/NA, depressive affect, and recall of physical symptoms experienced in the previous 3 weeks. Depressive affect was uniquely and positively associated with recalling more symptoms. When entered with depressive affect in multiple regression analyses, neuroticism was not associated with level of symptoms recalled. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to anxious, depressed, angry, happy, or neutral mood inductions and then reported about concurrent symptom experience. Participants in the anxious mood condition reported significantly more concurrent physical symptoms than did those in the other 4 conditions. In Study 3, anxious, depressed, or neutral mood was induced, followed by assessment of both concurrent and retrospective physical symptoms. Those assigned to the anxious mood induction reported more concurrent symptoms, while those in the depressed mood condition reported having experienced more symptoms in the past. These findings are consistent with the idea that encoding and retrieval processes, which are differentially associated with anxious versus depressed affect, influence different aspects of physical symptom reporting. The results have implications for self-diagnosis, medical treatment-seeking, and care, and potential insights about other complex social and interpersonal behaviors are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism moderates the daily relation between stressors and memory failures.

The present investigation extends previous work on the relationship between daily stressors and memory failures in a naturalistic setting by examining whether this relationship varies across levels of neuroticism. A daily diary study of 333 older adults (mean age = 73.27 years, SD = 7.17) in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (see A. Spiro & R. Bossé, 2001, for additional information) was used to examine whether there were neuroticism differences in cognitive reactivity to daily stressors. Multilevel models indicated that on days when people high in neuroticism experienced stressors, particularly interpersonal stressors, they were more likely to report memory failures compared to those who were lower in neuroticism. The findings may have important implications for age-related cognitive decline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and risk of cognitive impairment 25 years later.

The authors examined the relationship between personality and cognitive impairment in 4,039 members of the Swedish Twin Registry. Neuroticism and extraversion scores were collected in 1973 at midlife, and cognitive impairment was assessed in the same group 25 years later. Data were analyzed with case-control and co-twin control designs. Greater neuroticism was associated with higher risk of cognitive impairment in the results from case-control, but not from co-twin, analyses. Compared with both extraversion and introversion, moderate extraversion was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment in both case-control and co-twin designs, as was the combination of high neuroticism and low extraversion. Findings are discussed in the context of theories related to personality, psychological distress, arousal, and cognitive function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What is the central feature of extraversion?: Social attention versus reward sensitivity.

R. E. Lucas, E. Diener, A. Grob, E. M. Suh, and L. Shao (2000) recently argued that the core of the personality dimension of Extraversion is not sociability but a construct called reward sensitivity. This article accepts their argument that the mere preference for social interaction is not the central element of Extraversion. However, it claims that the real core of the Extraversion factor is the tendency to behave in ways that attract social attention. Data from a sample of 200 respondents were used to test the 2 hypotheses with comparisons of measures of reward sensitivity and social attention in terms of their I saturation with the common variance of Extraversion measures. The results clear y showed that social attention, not reward sensitivity, represents the central feature of Extraversion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and happiness: A national-level analysis.

The possibility of national personality traits could explain national subjective well-being (SWB) is controversial, with many researchers arguing that traits are irrelevant to any national-level analysis. The weaknesses of this standpoint are reviewed, followed by a series of empirical investigations. Using Eysenck's 3-factor model (H. J. Eysenck & S. B. G. Eysenck, 1975) and P. T. Costa and R. M. McCrae's (1992b) 5-factor model, the authors found that Neuroticism and Extraversion correlated significantly with national SWB. Lie scale scores were also related strongly to national SWB. Neuroticism and Extraversion incrementally predicted SWB above gross national product per capita. The strength of these results indicated that personality can have stronger relationships at national levels of analysis than at the individual level. National personality traits appear to be unwisely neglected, having considerable but largely unconsidered explanatory power. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender, Neuroticism, and Emotional Expressivity: Effects on Spousal Constraints Among Individuals With Cancer.

The authors prospectively tested the hypothesis that emotional expressivity would moderate the predictive relationship between patient neuroticism and spousal constraints among 120 individuals with cancer. The authors also examined whether patient gender further moderated the hypothesized relationships. After we controlled for Time 1 constraints, results revealed a significant emotional Expressivity × Neuroticism effect on Time 2 spousal constraints. This moderator effect was qualified by a significant Gender × Emotional Expressivity × Neuroticism effect, such that neuroticism predicted the greatest levels of spousal constraints among female but not male patients reporting higher levels of emotional expressivity. Thus, female, but not male, patients who report the tendency to both experience and express high levels of distress appear most likely to trigger constraints from their spouses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Knowing Good From Bad: The Paradox of Neuroticism, Negative Affect, and Evaluative Processing.

There are pragmatic benefits to trait-consistent mood states, especially when people are evaluating new objects within the environment (M. Tamir, M. D. Robinson, & G. L. Clore, 2002). The present studies, involving both naturally occurring (Studies 1 and 2) and manipulated (Study 3) mood states, demonstrated such trait-consistent interactions within the context of neuroticism and negative mood states. Individuals high in neuroticism were faster to make evaluations when in a negative mood state like sadness. By contrast, individuals low in neuroticism were faster to make evaluations when in a neutral mood state. The present studies demonstrate that although negative mood states are hedonically unpleasant, they can be beneficial in some ways for individuals high in neuroticism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism, extraversion, and related traits in adult twins reared apart and reared together.

The relative importance of genetic and environmental factors for neuroticism, extraversion, and impulsivity, and monotony avoidance were estimated in a sample of 99 monozygotic and 229 dizygotic pairs of twins reared apart (TRA) and a matched sample of 160 monozygotic and 212 dizygotic pairs of twins reared together (TRT). The average age was 58.6 (SD?=?13.6); 72% of the twins were 50 or older. Model-fitting analyses verified the importance of genetic factors for all four measures; from 23% to 45% of the total variation was attributable to genetic sources. There was considerable evidence that these factors were operating in a nonadditive manner for extraversion and impulsivity. Shared environment accounted for less than 10% of the variance, some evidence for selective placement was found for neuroticism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)