ReviewReinforcement sensitivity theory and personality
Introduction
Personality has long been the Cinderella of psychology: its scientific potential thwarted by psychoanalysis, social constructivism and statistical indeterminism, and neglected by experimental (cognitive) psychology. This dismal state of affairs has finally changed with the emergence of a rapidly developing neuroscience of personality [1], a shift in scientific fortune made possible, in large part, by the seminal work of Jeffrey A. Gray.
Another article in this Festschrift [2] outlines Gray's neuroscience of fear and anxiety; here I focus on those aspects of his general theory that are applied specifically in the human experimental laboratory. In particular, I summarise the theoretical development of Gray's neuropsychological theory of personality—now known as Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) [3]—outlining its theoretical antecedents and its development over the years, culminating in the most recent formulation [4]. Human experimental evidence for RST and the problems highlighted by these data, are discussed; and a recent clarification, which emphasizes the joint effects of the fundamental emotion systems, is presented in the light of empirical evidence.
Section snippets
Reinforcement sensitivity theory: background
The origins of RST are to be found in Pavlov's Typology [5] (also submitted as part of Gray's PhD thesis in the same year). This work was a literal and conceptual translation of Pavlovian ideas of personality prevalent in the Soviet Union at that time: it linked ideas of excitation–inhibition with Western concepts of arousal and activation [6]—the role of arousal and activation were later to play a key role in Hans Eysenck's highly influential biological theory of personality [7]. Importantly,
Human experimental data
This section provides a brief survey of most of the studies conducted to test RST in the human experimental laboratory. As we see, this literature is characterized by: (a) a wide variety of measures of punishment and reward sensitivity (some using E and N; others using purpose-built scales); (b) a wide range of psychophysiological and behavioural tasks; and (c) a bewildering array of experimental findings.
Gray and McNaughton (2000) revised theory
Theory clarification and development are desirable and signs of a progressive science—theory modification is less welcome when it is primarily designed to shore up theoretical cracks revealed by empirical data. The recent revision of the original BIS theory represents a major revision and clarification of RST, based upon principled arguments (indeed, in some ways, it undermines some of the central postulates of the earlier theory, e.g. the categorical distinction between unconditioned and
Personality in the human experimental laboratory
Although it is yet to be seen whether the revised theory is better able to generate consistent and interpretable data, one strength is its more detailed account of the cognitive processes of fear and anxiety—the apparent neglect of the cognitive nature of fear/anxiety has been a common criticism of the old model. For example, in a comparative review of Eysenck's and Gray's biological theories of personality, Matthews and Gilliland [15] concluded:
Cognitive constructs may be more appropriate than
Conclusion
In the intervening 30 years since the 1970 publication of RST, numerous studies have been conducted and there is now a consensus concerning the fundamental importance of reinforcement processes in personality, including the effects of personality on everyday behaviour [116], [117]; as noted by Pickering et al. [14]:
…one cannot but remain impressed by the sheer frequency with which significant relationships nonetheless do emerge between one or other relevant personality trait and one or other
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to Dr Alan Pickering for his perceptive comments on an earlier draft of this paper. The paper also benefited from the comments of two anonymous reviewers.
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