Biological and Social Cognitive Foundations of Personality

Vocabulary flashcards covering the biological foundations of introversion and temperament, the Big Five traits, the person-situation controversy, self-esteem dynamics, and cultural perspectives from the lecture.

Reticular formation

A brain stem structure linked to autonomic nervous system arousal whose baseline stimulation level influences whether a person is an introvert or an extrovert.

Introvert

An individual with a higher baseline level of reticular formation arousal who is more easily stimulated by environmental factors such as noises, tastes, and social situations, and shows stronger physiological reactions to stimuli like lemon juice or mild shock.

Extrovert

An individual with a lower baseline level of arousal who is less easily stimulated and seeks out activities and social interactions to increase environmental stimulation.

Temperament

An individual's innate reactivity and arousal level, which can be observed in early infancy, remains fairly stable across the lifetime, and is influenced by autonomic nervous system arousal and multiple genes.

Difficult temperament

A temperament profile observable in young infants who are more easily upset and react negatively to loud noises, new experiences, unfamiliar places, and novel people.

Dizygotic twins

Fraternal twins who share 50% of their DNA, studied in contrast with monozygotic (identical) twins to evaluate the relative influence of genes versus the environment on personality and temperament.

Personality maturation changes

Age-related shifts occurring from adolescence onward across the lifetime, characterized by a general trend of becoming more conscientious and less neurotic.

Big Five cross-cultural validity

The finding that the Big Five personality traits are reliable and valid across 50 different cultures studied.

Person-situation controversy

The debate concerning whether human behavior is primarily driven by stable internal traits across time or variable context and environmental circumstances across different situations.

Agreeableness

A Big Five personality trait characterized by being cooperative and caring.

Neuroticism

A Big Five personality trait characterized by being anxious and irritable.

Social cognitive theories

Theoretical perspectives that explain personality through an interaction of biological factors (such as temperament and autonomic arousal), cognitive interpretations, and the social context.

Possible selves

Imagined future representations of who one could become, serving as a uniquely human motivator to work toward goals and engage in new activities or jobs.

Self-esteem

The extent to which an individual likes, dislikes, or accepts oneself, which tends to increase over the lifespan through achievements until roughly age 50 or 60.

Narcissistic personality disorder

A condition characterized by placing oneself on a pedestal, arrogance, charisma, an intense drive for status and external recognition, and defensive reactions when challenged.

Self-serving bias

A mechanism to protect self-esteem wherein individuals take personal credit for their successes but blame external people or situational factors for their failures.

Dunning-Kruger effect

A phenomenon where individuals who lack competence in an area appear overconfident because they do not know enough to recognize where they are falling short ("unskilled and unaware of it").

Individualist cultures

Western cultures where people view themselves as independent agents responsible for their own choices and define their identity through unique individual personality characteristics.

Collectivist cultures

Cultures in which individuals view themselves primarily as part of a larger collective sphere, such as an extended family or work group, valuing humility over making oneself the center of attention.