Individual differences in regulatory focus: A comparative assessment of currently available self-report scales, and a proposal for a new scale

With this cross-sectional study we investigated how individual differences regarding present- and future-oriented mental processes are related to the experience of time in the seconds and minutes range. A sample of students (N = 100) filled out self-report measures of time perspective (ZTPI), mindfulness (FMI), impulsiveness (BIS), and the daydreaming frequency scale (DDFS). Furthermore they were asked to (a) retrospectively judge the duration of a waiting period of five minutes, and (b) to prospectively perform an visual duration reproduction task with intervals of 3, 6, and 9 seconds. Regression models show that (a) being more present fatalistic (ZTPI) and more impulsive are related to longer duration estimates of the waiting period, and (b) having a stronger propensity to daydream leads to a stronger under-reproduction of temporal intervals. These findings show how personality traits related to present orientation are associated with the state-like perception of duration.

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Individual differences in white and grey matter structure associated with verbal habits of thought

10.31234/osf.io/ukgyr ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Justin C. Hayes ◽

Katherine L Alfred ◽

Rachel Pizzie ◽

Joshua S. Cetron ◽

David J. M. Kraemer

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

White Matter ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Structural Integrity ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Self Report ◽

White Matter Tracts

Modality specific encoding habits account for a significant portion of individual differences reflected in functional activation during cognitive processing. Yet, little is known about how these habits of thought influence long-term structural changes in the brain. Traditionally, habits of thought have been assessed using self-report questionnaires such as the visualizer-verbalizer questionnaire. Here, rather than relying on subjective reports, we measured habits of thought using a novel behavioral task assessing attentional biases toward picture and word stimuli. Hypothesizing that verbal habits of thought are reflected in the structural integrity of white matter tracts and cortical regions of interest, we used diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analyses to assess this prediction. Using a whole-brain approach, we show that word bias is associated with increased volume in several bilateral language regions, in both white and grey matter parcels. Additionally, connectivity within white matter tracts within an a priori speech production network increased as a function of word bias. These results demonstrate long-term structural and morphological differences associated with verbal habits of thought.

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A meta-analysis on individual differences in primary emotional systems and Big Five personality traits

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84366-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Davide Marengo ◽

Kenneth L. Davis ◽

Gökçe Özkarar Gradwohl ◽

Christian Montag

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Big Five ◽

Mammalian Species ◽

Theoretical Perspective ◽

Big Five Personality Traits ◽

Self Report ◽

Big Five Personality ◽

Affective Neuroscience ◽

Emotional Systems

AbstractThe Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) were constructed as a self-report assessment to measure individual differences in Jaak Panksepp’s cross-species primary emotional systems: SEEKING, PLAY, CARE (positive emotions) and FEAR, SADNESS, ANGER (negative emotions). Beginning with the first published work on the ANPS in 2003, individual differences on the ANPS measures of these six primary emotional systems have been consistently linked to Big Five personality traits. From a theoretical perspective, these primary emotional systems arising from subcortical regions, shed light on the nature of the Big Five personality traits from an evolutionary perspective, because each of these primary emotional systems represent a tool for survival endowing mammalian species with inherited behavioral programs to react appropriately to complex environments. The present work revisited 21 available samples where both ANPS and Big Five measures have been administered. Our meta-analytical analysis provides solid evidence that high SEEKING relates to high Openness to Experience, high PLAY to high Extraversion, high CARE/low ANGER to high Agreeableness and high FEAR/SADNESS/ANGER to high Neuroticism. This seems to be true regardless of the ANPS inventory chosen, although much more work is needed in this area. Associations between primary emotional systems and Conscientiousness were in the lower effect size area across all six primary emotions, thereby supporting the idea that Conscientiousness rather seems to be less directly related with the subcortical primary emotions and likely is the most cognitive/cortical personality construct out of the Big Five. In sum, the present work underlines the idea that individual differences in primary emotional systems represent evolutionarily ancient foundations of human personality, given their a) meaningful links to the prominent Big Five model and b) their origins lying in subcortical areas of the human brain.

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Individual differences in the subjective effects of the first cigarette of the day: A self-report method for studying tolerance.

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1037/1064-1297.5.1.83 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 83-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Janine L. Pillitteri ◽

Lynn T. Kozlowski ◽

Christine T. Sweeney ◽

Todd F. Heatherton

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Subjective Effects ◽

Self Report

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Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1917036117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (32) ◽

pp. 19061-19071 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Samantha Joel ◽

Paul W. Eastwick ◽

Colleen J. Allison ◽

Ximena B. Arriaga ◽

Zachary G. Baker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Individual Difference ◽

Large Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Self Report ◽

Individual Difference Variables ◽

Partner Satisfaction

Given the powerful implications of relationship quality for health and well-being, a central mission of relationship science is explaining why some romantic relationships thrive more than others. This large-scale project used machine learning (i.e., Random Forests) to 1) quantify the extent to which relationship quality is predictable and 2) identify which constructs reliably predict relationship quality. Across 43 dyadic longitudinal datasets from 29 laboratories, the top relationship-specific predictors of relationship quality were perceived-partner commitment, appreciation, sexual satisfaction, perceived-partner satisfaction, and conflict. The top individual-difference predictors were life satisfaction, negative affect, depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Overall, relationship-specific variables predicted up to 45% of variance at baseline, and up to 18% of variance at the end of each study. Individual differences also performed well (21% and 12%, respectively). Actor-reported variables (i.e., own relationship-specific and individual-difference variables) predicted two to four times more variance than partner-reported variables (i.e., the partner’s ratings on those variables). Importantly, individual differences and partner reports had no predictive effects beyond actor-reported relationship-specific variables alone. These findings imply that the sum of all individual differences and partner experiences exert their influence on relationship quality via a person’s own relationship-specific experiences, and effects due to moderation by individual differences and moderation by partner-reports may be quite small. Finally, relationship-quality change (i.e., increases or decreases in relationship quality over the course of a study) was largely unpredictable from any combination of self-report variables. This collective effort should guide future models of relationships.

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Assessing Individual Differences in Working Models of Caregiving

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001.28.4.227 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 227-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Abira Reizer ◽

Mario Mikulincer

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Self Report ◽

Parenting Attitudes ◽

Working Models ◽

Current Series ◽

Self Construal ◽

Communal Orientation ◽

Attachment Dimensions ◽

Report Measure

Abstract. In the current series of studies, we developed a self-report measure of mental representations of caregiving (MRC). Study 1 (N = 841) describes the development and factor structure of the MRC scale. Studies 2-4 provided convergent, discriminant, and construct validity of the MRC scale, by examining its associations with attachment dimensions, empathy, emotional control, relational interdependent self-construal, communal orientation, and value priorities. Study 5 revealed significant associations between caregiving representations and parenting attitudes (desire to have a child, feelings toward parenthood, and expectations of self-efficacy as a parent). Overall, the results provide highly consistent evidence for the reliability and validity of the new MRC scale. The implications of individual differences in mental representation of caregiving for prosocial behavior and helping are discussed.

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Feature Specific Attention and Return of Fear after Extinction

Journal of Experimental Psychopathology ◽

10.5127/jep.051115 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 76-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tom J. Barry ◽

Bram Vervliet ◽

Dirk Hermans

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Self Report ◽

Common Condition ◽

Similar Stimulus ◽

Return Of Fear ◽

The Common ◽

Fear Potentiated Startle ◽

Report Measure ◽

Unique Condition

Anxiety disorders are often treated by repeatedly presenting stimuli that are perceptually similar to original stimuli to which fear was originally acquired. Fear can return after it is extinguished because of the differences between these stimuli. It may possible to attenuate return of fear by manipulating attention to the commonalities between feared stimuli and extinction stimuli. After acquiring fear for an animal-like stimulus by pairing with an electro-cutaneous shock, fear was extinguished by repeatedly presenting a similar stimulus. During extinction participants were asked questions that instructed them to attend towards the features in common between the acquisition and extinction stimulus or towards the unique features of the extinction stimulus. Return of fear was assessed by presenting a second perceptually similar stimulus after extinction. Participants showed a return in skin conductance responding after extinction in the unique condition, and not in the common condition. Both groups showed a return in self-report ratings of US expectancy. Neither group showed a return in fear potentiated startle, but there was evidence that this may have been due to individual differences in emotional attentional control. Our conclusions are limited by the use of a self-report measure of emotional attentional control and the absence of limits on the length of time participants could take to answer the extinction questions. It may be possible to enhance extinction and prevent a return of the physiological aspects of fear by manipulating attention during extinction. However, this does not appear to influence explicit expectancy of aversive outcomes. Individual differences in attentional control may influence this process.

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Affective Neuroscience Theory and Personality: An Update

Personality Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/pen.2018.10 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Christian Montag ◽

Kenneth L. Davis

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Big Five ◽

Brain Research ◽

The United States ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Self Report ◽

Mammalian Brain ◽

Short Version ◽

Affective Neuroscience ◽

Human Personality

AbstractThe present work gives a short overview of central aspects of Jaak Panksepp’sAffective Neuroscience Theory(AN theory) and its relevance for modern personality neuroscience. In contrast to the widely used Big Five approach to studying and understanding human personality, AN theory provides researchers with a distinct roadmap to the biological basis of personality, including molecular and neuroanatomical candidates, to understand individual differences in human behavior. Such molecular and neuroanatomical brain candidates have been derived by means of electrical brain stimulation and pharmacological challenges, while investigating primary emotional systems anchored in the subcortical mammalian brain. Research results derived from the study of emotions in mammals are also of relevance for humans because ancient layers of our minds—those layers where primary emotions originate—have been homologously conserved across species. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense because primal emotions represent “built-in tools for survival” for all mammals. In this context, Montag and Panksepp recently illustrated a potential ancient neurobiological effect by carving out robust associations between individual differences in primary emotions (assessed via self-report) and the Big Five in a cross-cultural study with data from the United States, Germany, and China. These associations together with some ideas derived from MacLean’s Triune Brain concept highlighted (a) that primary emotions likely represent the phylogenetically oldest parts of human personality and (b) that primary emotions influence human personality in a bottom-up fashion given their localization in ancient subcortical brain regions. A comment on the work by Montag and Panksepp asked for insights on putative links between primary emotions and facets of the Big Five. Therefore, we provide some first insights into such associations from recent Germany data. In addition, the present work provides a new short version of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales to assess individual differences in primary emotions.

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