Bridging Classical and Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Research: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Large Population Study

The reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) proposes that neurobiological systems mediate protective and appetitive behaviours and the functioning of these systems is associated to personality traits. In this manner, the RST is a link between neuroscience, behaviour, and personality. The theory evolved to the present revised version describing three systems: fight-flight-freezing, behavioural approach/activation (BAS), and behavioural inhibition (BIS). However, the most widely available measure of the theory, the BIS/BAS scales, only investigates two systems. Using a large longitudinal community survey, we found that the BIS/BAS scales can be re-structured to investigate the three systems of the theory with a BIS scale, three BAS scales, and a separate fight-flight-freezing system (FFFS) scale. The re-structured scales were age, sex, and longitudinally invariant, and associations with personality and mental health measures followed theoretical expectations and previously published associations. The proposed framework can be used to investigate behavioural choices influencing physical and mental health and bridge historical with contemporary research.

Pengembangan Model Perilaku Mengebut di Indonesia serta Rekomendasi Pencegahannya

Menurut data dari Kepolisian Republik Indonesia, 61% kasus terjadinya kecelakaan adalah karena faktor manusia. Kementerian Perhubungan (Kemenhub) juga mencatat bahwa sedikitnya 2-3 orang meninggal dunia per harinya akibat kecelakaan lalu lintas dimana pada posisi pertama kecelakaan disebabkan oleh pengendara sepeda motor. Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) pada tahun 2001 juga menemukan bahwa mengebut (speeding) menjadi faktor utama dalam kematian pengendara kendaraan bermotor. Oleh karena itu, perlu dilakukannya penelitian yang dapat mengungkapkan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perilaku mengebut sehingga mekanisme pencegahan perilaku tersebut dapat dibuat. Sebuah kuesioner dikembangkan sebagai instrumen penelitian berdasarkan Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Drivers Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ), Classical Deterrence Theory (CDT) dan Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (r-RST). Terdapat 317 responden yang mengisi kuesioner tersebut. Metode analisis yang digunakan untuk mengolah data tersebut adalah dengan menggunakan Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Hasil dari 317 pengendara di Indonesia menunjukkan bahwa Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) merupakan variabel yang paling mempengaruhi niat seseorang untuk melakukan perilaku mengebut. Sehingga, salah satu rekomendasi pencegahan berdasarkan hasil tersebut adalah dengan memberikan hambatan agar pengendara tidak merasa termotivasi untuk melakukan perilaku mengebut.

Emotional and Behavioral Responses to COVID-19

This review appraises evidence for the role of personality in COVID-19 related emotions and behaviors. Three key models of personality are considered: the Five-factor Model, HEXACO model, and Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). In line with personality research, more generally, most studies focus on the Five-Factor model. Key findings are that neuroticism is most associated with poor mental health, and extraversion is associated with a reluctance to socially isolate. Conscientiousness predicts compliance with safety guidelines but also with fewer prosocial behaviors, particularly stockpiling. Research within the HEXACO framework largely confirms these findings, especially for emotionality and mental health. The additional HEXACO Honesty-Humility factor is found to be associated with prosocial views and abstention from panic buying. Studies based on the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of personality indicate emotional conflict as people wish to stay safe while maintaining a sense of normality. Behavioral compliance is driven by activation in the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS; fear-related) and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS; anxiety-related). The Behavioral Approach System (BAS) is implicated in approach-driven behaviors such as avoiding infection. These findings have implications for health communications and post-pandemic support.

Three Theories of Choice and Their Psychology of Losses

Loss aversion has long been regarded as a fundamental psychological regularity, yet evidence has accumulated to challenge this conclusion. We review three theories of how people make decisions under risk and, as a consequence, value potential losses: expected-utility theory, prospect theory, and risk-sensitivity theory. These theories, which stem from different behavioral disciplines, differ in how they conceptualize value and thus differ in their assumptions about the degree to which value is dependent on state and context; ultimately, they differ in the extent to which they see loss aversion as a stable individual trait or as a response to particular circumstances. We highlight points of confusion that have at least partly fueled the debate on the reality of loss aversion and discuss four sources of conflicting views: confusion of loss aversion with risk aversion, conceptualization of loss aversion as a trait or as state dependent, conceptualization of loss aversion as context dependent or independent, and the attention–aversion gap—the observation that people invest more attentional resources when evaluating losses than when evaluating gains, even when their choices do not reveal loss aversion.