Hans Eysenck

13/03/22
Behavioral genetics

• Allport and Cattel were among the first to suggest a link between personality and
genetics

• Behavioral genetics is the study of the relationship between genes and personality
• Eysenck developed the Eysenck Personality Inventory, the Maudsley Medical
Questionnaire, and the Maudsley Personality Inventory
• The Eysenck Personality Inventory • And E score out of 24 to measure
measures two orthogonal dimensions, extraversion
namely Extraversion vs. Introversion
and Neuroticism vs. Stability • A N score out of 24 to measure
neuroticism
• There are 57 Yes/No items with no
repetition of terms

• There’s a falsification scale to detect a

social desirability bias. This is
indicated by a lie score out of 9
• 20 or more Yes answers on the MMQ
indicate neuroticism and 20 or more No
answers indicate lower than average
neuroticism
• The Maudsley Personality Inventory
also measures extraversion and
neuroticism. It also has questions to
detect lying

• 24 E questions, 24 N questions, 20 Lie

scale questions, and 12 buffer items.
What is the purpose of the buffer
items?
• Eysenck agreed that personality is
composed of traits
• Was critical of factor analysis due to its
potential subjectivity and because of
the difficulty in replicating Cattell’s
findings
• He supplemented factor analysis with
experiments and questionnaires
• The EPI was developed with his wife
over 12 years and using 20 factor
analyses
• They said personality has three
dimensions: E, N, and P (superego
functioning)
• Argued that these three factors were
recognized since the time of ancient
Greek philosophy. Relevance?
• Personality remains stable from
childhood to adulthood despite social
and environmental experiences

• Eysenck also studied intelligence

though he didn’t list it as a dimension
of personality. He did think it was
important though

• 80% of our intelligence is inherited

• Extraverts are outgoing, impulsive,
sociable, assertive, and dominant

• Eysenck was interested in how E’s and

I’s differ biological and genetically

• Cortical arousal levels of E’s are low

and they seek stimulation

• I’s are very sensitive to arousing stimuli

• Neurotics are prone to depression,
anxiety, irrationality, and moodiness.
They have low self-esteem and
experience guilt more easily. The trait
is very heritable

• They show greater activity in the ANS’

sympathetic branch
• People who score high on the psychotic • Eysenck argued that family
scale are aggressive, antisocial, cruel, interactions, social environment, etc.
and insensitive had a limited influence on personality

• They report more alcoholism and drug • He conducted twin studies

abuse

• They may also be more creative

• May be linked to male hormones
• Unlike N and E, P is not so heritable
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JWqYSG7c6Zo
Neurochemical personality research

• The principles of Eysenck’s theory can be represented in terms of neurochemistry

• Dimensionality has its basis in differences among individuals in terms of brain
anatomy and in different response to serotenergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic
drug stimulation

• Neurotranssmitter challenge tests are used to study differences in arousal, depressive

tendencies, aggression, etc.
• Differences in personality may be
represented in differences in
physiology such as differences among
people in terms of digit ration

• Eysenck used EEG and evoked

potentials and this work has been
developed using molecular
neuroscience methods
• Eysenck argued that processes like sensation and perception are the basis for including
physiological variables into personality research. How?

• Drugs are used as research tools. These are used to induce personality traits and there
are inverse-U relationships between biological and behavioral variables

• Peripheral hormones (what are they?) have been studied, but due to difficulties in
measuring brain chemistry mean the role of NTs has not been studied extensively
Relevant NTs

• Blood measures of NTs is unreliable. Why?

• Measuring levels of NTs in CSF (what is it?) has ethical issues and cannot distinguish
between NT production and turnover

• Measuring 5-HT (what is it?) in platelets does not indicate levels in the brain
• Polymorphisms is genes for NTs do not covary with NT levels or responsiveness to
them in vivo

• Most frequently investigated NTs are NE, 5-HT, and DA. These NTs determine
hormone levels in the body
Complications in using NT challenge tests

• All NT systems have several receptors on neurons and these serve different functions
• Different types of drugs (agonists, antagonists, and inhibitors) can affect NT levels
• Drugs can affect various types of hormonal responses (HGH, cortisol, and prolactin)
• A hormone response could be due to several different factors, such as receptor density,
differences in NT production, etc. and auto-receptors on the presynaptic neuron can
have unexpected effects
Dimensionality

• All the traits in Eysenck’s theory are on a spectrum - normal to abnormal

• There is not a clear correlation between scores on a personality trait and intra-
individual neurochemical levels, but hormonal responses to an NT challenge is related
to scores on personality scales

• Individuals scoring high in depressiveness show responses to drug challenges

corresponding to NT level abnormalities
• Depressed patients given reboxetine (an
NE reuptake inhibitor) show greater
levels of the stress hormone cortisol
and this indicates an insufficient
noradrenergic system

• d-fenfluramine causes a blunted

prolactin response and this indicates
low 5-HT production in depressives
• Prolactin levels drop in people who
score high on scales of Fatigue and
Physical Anhedonia (what’s that?)
treated with a DA agonist (What does
this indicate about prolactin?)
• Aggressive individuals have
insufficient 5-HT production and
increased receptors for it

• Suicide victims show low levels of the

5-HT metabolite 5-HIAA in their CSG

• Aggression is associated with high

levels of DA and insufficient 5-HT
• Eysenck developed a theory of arousal
represented by the ascending reticular
arousal system (where do you think that
is?) as the physiological basis for the
differences between Es and Is
• Low 5-HT levels are associated with
aggression in boys with ADHD and
aggressiveness and impulsiveness

• Es are on the low end of cortical

arousal and Is on the high end

• NE is involved in alertness, DA in
aggressiveness, novelty seeking,
positive emotionality, and motivation