International Society for the Study of Individual Differences

Program 2009

Program 2009

Note, this program is also available in pdf form. The pdf includes the index to speakers.

Chapter 1
Program Schedule: Overview

Welcome to the 2009 meeting of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences. The official program starts on Saturday, July 18th with registration and a joint reception with the Association for Research in Personality. Registered members of the ISSID conference are welcome to attend the final session of ARP which will be a keynote address by James Heckman, Nobel laureate in Economics.
Following the keynote address there will be a joint reception for ARP and ISSID members.
All keynotes addresses and the poster sessions will be presented in the ballroom. Posters may be put up on Saturday and left up until Wednesday. There will be two poster sessions where the presenters can discuss their posters.
See Table  for an overview of the program.
The registration desk and displays by various publishers will outside of the ballroom.
Information about dining opportunities in Evanston will be distributed at the meeting.
For more information about the ARP conference, please visit their webpage (http://www.personality-arp.org/conference2009p.htm).
Table 1: Summary Program
Saturday
14:00-18:00 Registration
17:00 - 18:00 Keynote by James Heckman
18:00-21:00 Joint reception with ARP
Sunday
8:45 - 9:00 Welcome: William Revelle
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote: Linda Gottfredson
10:00 -10:45 S1: Charmorro/Ackerman S2: Heym/Lawrence P1: Behavior Genetics
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee
11:15- 12:00S1: (continued) S2:(continued) P1: (continued)
12:00 - 13:30Lunch
13:30: 14:20 Keynote: Robert Hogan
14:30 - 15:15 P2 Intelligence S 3: Stelmak/Houlihan S 4: Clifton/Leising
over the lifespan
15:15 - 15:45 Tea
15:45- 16:30 P2 (continued) S 3: (continued)S 4:(continued)
16:30 - 17:30 P3: new approaches to IQ P4 Affective Processes P5 Interpersonal Processes
17:30-19:30 Posters 1/ Reception
Monday
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote: Charles Carver
10:00 -10:45P6 Experimental measures of IQ S5: Loxton Gullo S 6: McNaughton/Matthews
10:45:11:15 Coffee
11:15-12:00P 6 (continued) S5:(continued) S 6 Debate (continued)
12:00 - 13:00P7 Cognition & Affect P 8 Motivation & Career P 9: Genetic Mechanisms
13:00 - 14:00Lunch
13:30, 14:30, 17:30 Bus departures to Chicago
13:30 - 18:00 Tours of Chicago
18:30 - 19:30 Reception
19:30 - 21:30 Banquet
Tuesday
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote: Ian Deary
10:00 - 10:45 S7: Benbow /Lubinski S8: Lawrence/Weber S9: Reuter/Montag
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee
11:15 -12:00S7: (continued) S8: (continued S9: (continued)
12:00 - 13:30Lunch
13:30 - 14:20 H. J. Eysenck Lecture: Jan Strelau
14:30 - 15:15 S 10: Penke/Luciano S11: Read/Pickering S 12: Wawrzyniak/Hagger-Johnson
15:15 - 15:45 Tea
15:45 - 16:30 S 10: (continued) S11:(continued) S 12: (continued)
16:30 - 17:30 P 10: Methodology P 11 Affective Processes P 11 Biological Processes
17:30 - 18:30 Business meeting
18:30 - 20:30 Posters 2/ Reception
Wednesday
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote:Gerry Moeller
10:00 - 10:45 S13: Matthews/HeltonS14: Rushton/Irwing P 13: Brain Imagining
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee
11:15 - 12:00S13: (continued) S14: (Continued)P 11 (continued)
12:00 - 13:30Lunch
13:30 - 14:20 Young Investigator P 14 Affective Processes S15: Fajkowska
in honor of Szymura
14:30 - 15:15 P 15 Emotional IntelligencePS 16 Affective Processes S15: (continued)
15:15 - 17:00 PS 13 (conintued) PS 12 (continued) Paper Session 14
17:00 - Closing reception!

1  Saturday, July 18th

Registration will open at 14:00 and go until 18:00. The registration desk will be outside of the ballroom. You may register at other times, but you will not be admitted to the meeting rooms if you have not registered. Following registration, there will be a joint reception with the Association for Research in Personality.

Registered members of the ISSID conference are welcome to attend the final session of ARP which will be a keynote address by James Heckman, Nobel laureate in Economics. See Table  2

Table 2: Detailed Program for Saturday
Saturday
14:00 - 18:00 Registration
17:00 - 18:00 Keynote by James Heckman
18:00 - 21:00         Joint Reception with The Association for Research in Personality        

2  Sunday, July 19th

Keynote addresses by Linda Gottfredson and Robert Hogan in the ballroom will be followed by symposia and paper sessions in break out rooms. The first Poster Session will be in the ballroom. See Table  3
Table 3: Detailed Program for Sunday
Sunday
8:45 - 9:00 Welcome: William Revelle
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote: Linda Gottfredson
10:00 -10:45 S1: Intellectual investment S2:The revised RST P1: Behavior Genetics
chairs Charmorro/Ackerman Heym/Lawrence
Ackerman Corr Spengler
Furnham Heym Kandler
Smillie Gottschling
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee
11:15- 12:00S1: (continued) S2:(continued) P1: (continued)
Fellner Perkins Weber
von Stumm Poythress Bleidorn
Pickering Riemann
12:00 - 13:30Lunch
13:30: 14:20 Keynote: Robert Hogan
14:30 - 15:15 P2 Intelligence S 3: Event-related potential S 4: Personality Disorder
over the lifespan explorations Research
Chairs Nettelbeck Stelmak/Houlihan Clifton/Leising
Danthiir Rosenfeld Clifton
Hildebrandt De Pascalis Fleeson
15:15 - 15:45 Tea
15:45- 16:30 P2 (continued) S 3: (continued)S 4:(continued)
Batty Houlihan Leising
Schalke Stelmack Trull
Hueluer
16:30 - 17:30 P3: new approaches to IQ P4 Affective Processes P5 Interpersonal Processes
Schroeders (Szymura) Czernecka Borkenau
Ziegler Asanowicz Back
Necka O'Connor Ferguson
Seidel Realo
17:30-19:30 Posters 1/ Reception

3  Monday, July 20th

The keynote address will be by Charles Carver in the ballroom followed by symposia and paper sessions in the break out rooms. The afternoon is a chance to see Chicago on your own. Buses will leave the Orrington at 13:15 and 14:00. Return buses will leave from Millennium Park at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00. See Table  4
Table 4: Detailed Program for Monday
Monday
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote: Charles Carver
10:00 -10:45P6 Experimental measures S5: Reward sensitivity S 6: Debate: Biologically-informed
of Intelligence and addictive behaviour approaches to personality
Chairs Loxton & Gullo Smillie & Corr
Cooper Dawe McNaughton
Neubauer Gullo Matthews
Wesiak Loxton
10:45:11:15 Coffee
11:15-12:00P 6 (continued) S5:(continued) S 6 Debate (continued)
Zajac Davis Matthews
Troche Claridge McNaughton
Marzecová
12:00 - 13:00P7 cognitive and affective P 8Motivation and Career Choice P 9: Genetic Mechanisms
Poropat Skatova Schmitz
Kleitman Nicolas Osinsky
Quaresima Reichl Hennig
Wilhelm Andreßen Mueller
13:00 - 14:00Lunch
13:30, 14:30, 17:30 Bus departures to Chicago
13:30 - 18:00 Tours of Chicago
18:30 - 19:30 Reception
19:30 - 21:30 Banquet

4  Tuesday, July 21st

The keynote address will be by Ian Deary. Jan Strelau will deliver the H.J. Eysenck memorial lecture. . These will be in the ballroom and will be followed by symposia and papers in the breakout rooms. The Business Meeting and Poster Session will be held in the ballroom.See Table 5
Table 5: Detailed Program for Tuesday
Tuesday
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote: Ian Deary
10:00 - 10:45 S7: Study of Mathematically S8: Role of anger and aggression S9:Molecular genetics and imaging
Precocious Youth (SMPY) Emotion, Cognitions and Behaviour
Chairs Benbow & Lubinski Lawrence & Weber Reuter & Montag
Lubinski Lawrence Buckholtz
Benbow Weber Reuter
Lawrence Montag
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee
11:15 -12:00S7: (continued) S8: (continued S9: (continued)
Egan
Gottfredson Paulhus
Ferguson Pickering
12:00 - 13:30Lunch
13:30 - 14:20 H. J. Eysenck Lecture: Jan Strelau
14:30 - 15:15 S 10: :Individual Differences S11:Computational models S 12: Psychoneuroendocrinological
in the elderly of personality and psychoneuroimmunological biomarkers
Chairs Penke & Luciano Read & Pickering Wawrzyniak & Hagger-Johnson
Johnson Pickering Alexander
Gow Thrush Hagger-Johnson
Luciano
15:15 - 15:45 Tea
15:45 - 16:30 S 10: (continued) S11:(continued) S 12: (continued)
Penke Cohen Wawrzyniak
Read Weekes
Deary
16:30 - 17:30 P 10: Methodology P11Affective Processes P 12 Biological Processes
Barrett Athota Netter
Griffith Johnson Kuepper
Rammstedt Wilt McHugh
Caspi Gardiner Tharp
17:30 - 18:30 Business meeting
18:30 - 20:30 Posters 2/ Reception

5  Wednesday, July 22nd

The keynote address will be by Gerry Moeller in the ballroom. Symposia and paper sessions will be in the breakout rooms. See Table 6 for details. A closing reception will be held in the ballroom.
Table 6: Detailed Program for Wednesday
Wednesday
9:00 - 9:50 Keynote:Gerry Moeller
10:00 - 10:45 S13: Subjective State, S14: Is There a General P 13: Brain Imagining
Coping and Performance Factor of Personality
Chairs Matthews & Helton Rushton & Irwing
Helton Rushton Haier
Matthews Irwing Colom
Karama
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee
11:15 - 12:00S13: (continued) S14: (Continued)P 13 (continued)
Szalma Musek Gardiner
MacCann van der Linden Jung
Zeidner Schermer
12:00 - 13:30Lunch
13:30 - 14:20 Young Investigator PS 14 Affective Processes S15: Anxiety - cognitive and individual
differences: in honor of B azej Szymura
Chairs Fajkowska
Ruch Corr
Weis Wytykowska
Paelecke (Szymura)
14:30 - 16:00 PS 15 Emotional Intelligence PS 16 Affective Processes S15: (continued)
Cole Marszal-Wisniewska
SüßJones Panganiban
Freudenthaler Hanna Zalewska
Petrides Cholakova
Austin Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz
Karthaus
16:00 - Closing reception!

Chapter 2
Invited Addresses

1    Sunday: 09:00 Linda Gottfredson: Intelligence as Warp and Woof of Human Affairs

University of Delaware, USA   Cognitive diversity is a biological fact in all human populations. Diversity in cognitive phenotype is highly patterned and predictable. There are many cognitive abilities, but they all tend to rise or fall together across the individuals in a population-and over the life cycle, too, among those abilities reflecting raw mental processing power. The dominant, organizing backbone of all mental abilities is the general mental ability factor, g, which is estimated well by a full-scale IQ. At any given level of general intelligence, however, individuals are generally more adept in some secondary abilities than others, for instance, showing a spatial rather than verbal bent. This population-level patterning of phenotypic diversity is observed at the genotypic level too, meaning it is rooted in humankind's genetic heritage. This ancient heritage has quite modern consequences because differences in g have pervasive effects on life chances and social organization in technological, information-age societies. Modern cultures have ratcheted up the cognitive complexity of daily tasks in virtually all life arenas, and thereby put a premium on general proficiency in learning, reasoning, abstract thinking, quickly spotting and solving problems in changing or ambiguous circumstances, and other forms of information processing. I will review the gradients of effect, strong and weak, that individual differences in g have across the landscape of daily life, from schooling and work to health and safety. These gradients of effect create predictable patterns of differential outcomes, or social inequality. Being uncomfortable with social inequality, democratic nations have been attempting to eradicate differences in g or neutralize their effects by restructuring social institutions while ignoring the reality or functional importance of variation in g (e.g., No Child Left Behind).Genetically-rooted variation in general intelligence does not yield to political edict, but creates conspicuous trade-offs as societies oscillate between political options (e.g., equal treatment, or equal outcomes?) for accommodating it.

2  Sunday: 13:30 Robert Hogan: Personality, Leadership, and Organizational Effectiveness

Hogan Assessment Systems, Tulsa, Ok., USA   A review of the empirical literature on personality, leadership, and organizational effectiveness leads to three conclusions. First, leadership is real and really important for the success of organizations. Second, leadership is about the performance of teams not the privileges of individual leaders. And third, personality predicts leadership-who you are determines how you will lead-and this conclusion has important practical implications.

3  Monday: 09:00 Charles Carver: Two layers of the mind: Serotonergic function, and what impulsive aggression and depression have in common

University of Miami., USA   A family of theories has arisen in psychology that assumes two simultaneous modes of processing experience, one more basic and reactive, the other more linear and planful. There is evidence that the balance of control between these modes is influenced by level of serotonergic function. Low serotonergic function has been implicated both in impulsive aggression and in depression. This presentation will address commonalities and differences between these classes of phenomena.

4  Tuesday: 09:00 Ian Deary: Why do intelligent people live longer?

Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK  
People with higher IQ test scores from early life are more likely to survive to old age, and are less likely to have illnesses such as cardiovascular disease. These important findings have been replicated in large samples in a number of countries. The new field of cognitive epidemiology attracts researchers who are extending and trying to explain these findings. This lecture provides an overview of the associations between intelligence test scores and mortality (from all causes and from specific causes), illnesses, health behaviours, and some other health-related outcomes. Possible explanations for the findings-and possible confounding and mediating factors-are discussed. The additional role of personality traits alongside cognitive ability in health outcomes is shown. Intelligence has emerged as an important predictor of mortality and morbidity, alongside traditional medical and social-demographic risk factors. The mechanisms of the associations are not yet understood. A framework for further investigations is presented.

5  Tuesday: 13:30 Jan Strelau: Temperament as a regulator of behavior: Theory and application. The Hans J. Eysenck Memorial Lecture

Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland   Studies conducted within the framework of the Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT) have concentrated primarily on verifying two important RTT postulates: (a) temperament plays a regulatory function that consists of modifying the stimulative and temporal value of situations and behavior; and (b) the role of temperament in regulating the relationship between individuals and their external world is especially evident in difficult situations and extreme behaviors. A selected series of studies conducted by the author and his coworkers will be presented demonstrating that such traits as emotional reactivity, activity, endurance, and perseveration play an essential role in human functioning. Research conducted on mental health, somatic diseases, burnout resulting from work overload, and the psychophysiological consequences of experienced disasters (e.g., floods and coal-mining catastrophes), as expressed in PTSD symptoms, support the statements postulated by the author's Regulative Theory of Temperament.

6  Wednesday: 09:00 Gerry Moeller: Cognitive Neurobiology of Impulsivity and Decision Making in Drug Addiction

F. Gerard Moeller, M.D., Joel L. Steinberg, M.D., Khader M. Hasan, Ph.D., Liangsuo Ma, Ph.D., Kimberly L.Kjome, M.D., Ponnada A. Narayana, Ph.D., University of Texas Medical School, USA  
Cognitive deficits of impaired decision-making and impulsivity have been linked to drug addiction. More recent studies provide evidence of the underlying neurobiology of these deficits and their effects on treatment. The overall aim of this presentation is to discuss research on the role of impulsivity and decision-making in addictions, the potential underlying neurobiology of these cognitive deficits and their effect on treatment. Data from behavioral laboratory studies, brain imaging studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and treatment studies in cocaine dependent subjects will be presented. Results of these studies show that drug addiction is associated with higher impulsivity and worse decision making compared to non-drug addicted control subjects. Drug addicted subjects also showed evidence of subtle white matter pathology on DTI and differences in BOLD activation on fMRI compared to control subjects. Within the drug addicted subjects, there was a significant relationship between brain imaging findings and behavioral measures. Brain imaging findings and behavioral measures were also predictive of treatment outcome in clinical trials for cocaine dependence. The implications for these findings will be discussed along with future directions for research on brain function, cognition and addictions.

Chapter 3
Symposia

1  Sunday 10:00 - 12:00: Intellectual Investment: Advances in the Area of Determinants of Adult Intellect

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK) & Philip /Ackerman (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)  
Symposium Rationale: The nature of intelligence changes over life-span: fluid intelligence (gf) and other aspects of speeded cognitive ability decline with increasing age but crystallised intelligence (gc) and knowledge-based test performances show considerable stability, and even augmentation. So-called investment theories suggest a developmental relationship of gf and gc, whereby the former predicts the attainment and stability of the latter. Furthermore, other factors of individual differences, such as personality and interests, determine where, when and how people apply and `invest' their intelligence, thereby influencing the development of gc. This symposium aims to answer the following questions (among others): what are the inter-relations of factors of intelligence, personality and interests? To what extent is the development of adult intellect affected by factors of cognitive ability compared to non-ability factors? What aspects beyond the gf-gc distinction are encompassed within adult intellect and how should the latter be measured and operationalized?
Summary: At present, adult intelligence and adult intellect are interchangeably used; however, we believe that `a very general mental capacity', (i.e., intelligence) in adults substantially differs from adults' competence, discernment and typical performance (i.e., intellect). Adult intellect is reflected in many contexts, such as the workplace and in social settings, and in line intellectual investment plausibly spans various traits and abilities. This symposium aims to merge evidence from different research perspectives to expand notions of adult intelligence beyond g and investigate aspects of the g-nexus. That is, novel experimental methodologies, extensive empirical evidence and recent theoretical approaches will be introduced and discussed to form a comprehensive, integrating perspective of adult intellect.

1.1  Intellectual Investment, Domain Knowledge, and Cognitive Ability: Predictors of Post-Secondary Academic Performance

P.L. Ackerman (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)   Predictions of post-secondary academic performance, as predictions of performance of adults in the workplace, present an important challenge to Binet-inspired approaches to intelligence. The dominant approach to predict academic performance in young adults roots in assessing current functioning on fluid-intelligence type measures (Gf) and measures of knowledge that were acquired during adolescence (what Cattell called `historical' crystallized intelligence - GcH). However, such an approach leaves out an assessment of the individual's current Gc, both in general areas and in domains that may not be common to a core curriculum. By focusing on domain knowledge that may be specialized, it is possible to assess the products of the individual's intellectual investment and to better predict what the individual will accomplish in post-secondary study and beyond. In addition, the intellectual investment approach also provides a foundation for understanding the interplay of cognitive, affective, and conative traits on adult intellectual development. The intellectual investment perspective and recent empirical data on predicting academic performance will be discussed in this presentation.

1.2  Intellect at the Workplace: Evidence from Managerial and Military Samples

A. Furnham (University College London, UK)   Ability and non-ability factors predict professional performance and preferences regarding vocational choices. In turn, occupational performance and vocational choice greatly shape adult intelligence and also define the corner stones and nature of one's `intellectual competence'. In groups of highly skilled employees, general intelligence has shown reduced predictive validity for work performance and successful professional advancement. Non-ability factors - personality, interests or so-called softskills - become strong determinants of failure or success at work. Empirical evidence from managerial and military samples will be presented to a) evaluate the quality of commonly employed work performance measures upon their utility in different job contexts, b) compare the effects of general intelligence and personality traits in the prediction of performance outcomes across different skills and employment levels, and c) compare the predictive validity and explanatory power of personality assessments on generic indicators of employment status (i.e., managerial level) versus domain-specific measures of professional success (i.e., estate agent's total of house sales). Vocational performance and choice are placed within the context of the development and nature of `intellectual competence', highlighting the often under-estimated impact of personality traits.

1.3  Emotional Intelligence and Teamwork: An Experimental Study

Angela N. Fellner & Gerald Matthews (Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, USA), Joel S. Warm (Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, USA), Kevin Shockley (Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, USA), Carolyn MacCann (Accelerated Learning Laboratory, University of New South Wales, Australia) & Richard D. Roberts (Center for New Constructs, Educational Testing Service, USA)  
Emotional intelligence (EI) is a controversial construct, which requires validation against objective behavioral measures. Our previous studies failed to find any effect of EI measures on tasks requiring processing of emotional stimuli. EI may be more relevant to performance in team settings, where more emotionally intelligent individuals may form more constructive working relationships. The aim of the current study was to test the effect of EI on performance of a cognitive task, when participants worked in pairs or singly. 311 participants decided whether a series of animated characters were "correct" or "incorrect", in a discrimination-learning paradigm. The critical cue was the emotional expression displayed by the character. Three conditions were manipulated between-subjects: two teamwork conditions (collaboration, competition) and a control, single-person condition. Both ability and trait EI measures were administered, as well as tests of the `Big Five' personality traits and cognitive ability. Subjective state was assessed pre-and post-task, as well as impressions of teamwork. Working in a team improved learning and elevated task engagement. Only subjective state related to performance, although trait EI correlated with subjective state and experience of teamwork. Findings again call into question the utility of scales for EI as predictors of performance, although the construct may relate to subjective experiences of team interactions.

1.4  Shaping Adult Intellect: Are Investment Traits Simply Curiosity? Empirical and Meta-Analytic Results

Sophie von Stumm & Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK)   Within a dispositional perspective, intellectual investment has been conceptualized and assessed by a wide variety of trait constructs and personality measures, whereby some constituted stand-alone scales, like Typical Intellectual Investment (Goff & Ackerman, 1992), and others are incorporated within comprehensive taxonomies, such as the Intellectual Efficiency scale of the California Personality Inventory (Gough, 1953). A meta-analytic investigation summarizes existent trait constructs of intellectual investment and evaluates their effect on indicators of adult intellect, including for example academic performance and crystallized intelligence. Results show small to modest effects across investment traits and indicators of adult intellect. Content analysis of existent trait measures guided the formulation of a novel theoretical rationale and measurement design for a disposition of intellectual curiosity. Based on James' (1998) Conditional Reasoning approach, a corresponding psychometric instrument was validated against trait measures built on self-ratings and two types of intellectual performance tests.

2  Sunday 10:00 - 12:00: Implications of Gray & McNaughton's Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory on the Assessment of Individual Differences in Approach and Avoidance Motivation and Behaviour

Nadja Heym & Claire Lawrence (University of Nottingham, UK)  
Gray's Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory is one of the most influential models used to assess individual differences in approach and avoidance motivation. However, recent research and revisions to the model (Gray & McNaughton, 2000) have raised some important issues. Firstly, the subsystems have been partly re-defined offering (i) a clearer distinction between anxiety (BIS) and fear (FFFS), and their impact on avoidance motivation, and (ii) a different conceptualization of BAS and its link to impulsivity and approach motivation. As a consequence, existing measurements assessing the subsystems of the RST are based on the original theory and may be in need of revision. Finally, little work has been published assessing the associations of the revised RST with other models of personality (e.g., Eysenck's PEN) or applied constructs (e.g., psychopathology). Thus, this symposium will address those points by highlighting conceptual, methodological and measurement issues associated with the revised RST. The implications of the revised RST for other theories of personality and the measurement of individual differences in approach and avoidance motivation in applied research (e.g., lack of fear hypothesis in psychopathy) will be discussed.
Introduction to the symposium by Neil McNaughton (University of Ontago, NZ)

2.1  Conceptual and Measurement Issues of Revised RST

Philip J. Corr (University of East Anglia, UK) & Andrew Cooper (Goldsmiths College, UK)   Few attempts have been made to develop scales to measure the systems of Gray & McNaughton's (2000) revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) of personality, which assigns the Fight-Flight-Freeze system (FFFS) to avoidance/escape of all aversive stimuli (associated with the emotion of fear), and the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) to resolving goal-conflict of all kinds, including classic approach-avoidance conflict (associated with the emotion of anxiety). Although some broad-based measures of these systems are available (pre-existing and purpose-built), no attempt has yet been made to measure the relatively separate sub-processes of the FFFS and BIS. In addition, recent work suggests that the Behavioural Approach System (BAS; associated with hope, anticipatory pleasure and optimism) is more complex than hitherto thought, and similarly needs conceptual clarification. The purpose of this talk is to present a new conceptual model of the FFFS, BIS and BAS, and to discuss the statistical modelling of these processes which has led to the development of theoretically-faithful and empirically-sensitive revised RST scales.

2.2  Distinguishing between FFFS-Fear and BIS-Anxiety in Carver & White's BIS/BAS scales

Nadja Heym & Claire Lawrence (RASPH-Risk Analysis Social Processes and Health, University of Nottingham, UK)  
Recent revisions of Gray's Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (Gray & McNaughton, 2000) have made a clearer distinction between the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS, indexed by anxiety/goal conflict) and the Fight/Flight/Freeze system (FFFS, indexed by fear). Sensitivity to punishment, previously associated with BIS, has been assigned to FFFS. However, existing measurements assessing the subsystems of the RST are based on the original theory, and as such items reflect both BIS-anxiety and punishment responsivity (now FFFS-Fear) within one scale (e.g., Smillie et. al, 2006). Moreover, as there are currently no validated scales incorporating the revisions of the RST, most researchers continue to apply the original RST to examine punishment and reward sensitivity. We have recently shown that Carver and White's BIS scale can be split into two scales measuring BIS-anxiety and FFFS-fear separately and being differentially linked to Eysenck's PEN. However, even though the two scales were reliable, they covered only a limited range of relevant behaviour. Thus, this study has extended these findings by revising Carver and White's BIS/BAS scales by including additional items to FFFS-Fear and BIS-Anxiety. Preliminary psychometric properties of the revised BIS/BAS/FFFS scales will be presented and associations to other personality constructs assessed.

2.3  (Trait) Anxiety: Sensitivity to Goal Conflict or Pure Punishment?

Luke D. Smillie (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK)  
The revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST; Gray & McNaughton, 2000) of Personality posits that the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS), the biologically-based mechanism thought to underlie anxiety, is engaged by goal conflict. The basis of anxiety in goal conflict represents a departure of the revised RST from Gray's original theory - and similar theories proposed by others (e.g., Cloninger, 1987) - in which anxiety is explained in terms of sensitivity to punishment. Comparison of the "goal conflict" model of anxiety with the "pure punishment" model of anxiety is complicated by the fact that (1) paradigms which attempt to deliver "pure punishment" tend also to involve some degree of behavioural conflict, and (2) most operations of "goal conflict" include explicit punishment stimuli. However, goal conflict can, in principle, result from two mutually incompatible reward goals. In a novel behavioural paradigm, responses to a one-way avoidance goal and two mutually incompatible approach goals are assessed in terms of their relationship with anxiety. Results will be discussed in terms of the extent to which data from this paradigm favour the original versus the revised version of RST.

2.4  Effects of Lorazepam and Citalopram on Human Defensive Reactions: Ethopharmacological Differentiation of Fear and Anxiety

Adam M. Perkins (Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Swansea University, UK), Ulrich Ettinger (Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, UK), Robert Davis (Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK), Steven C. R. Williams (Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, UK) & Philip J. Corr (Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Swansea University, UK)  
The revised reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality postulates that anxiety is associated with approach to threat and fear with departure from threat (Gray & McNaughton, 2000). Based on this theory we predicted that drugs which alter anxiety would preferentially alter behavior during approach to threat and drugs that alter fear/panic would preferentially alter behavior departure from threat. We tested our predictions using a within subjects repeated measures research design in which we administered lorazepam, citalopram and placebo to 30 male participants and recorded the effects upon defensive behavior. Defensive behavior was measured using a computerized translation of an active avoidance task used to study drug effects on rodent defensive behavior. Our primary finding was that lorazepam significantly altered behavior during approach to threat but not during departure from threat. Since lorazepam is an anxiolytic drug this finding contributes to the validation of the theoretical principle of defensive direction that maintains anxiety is an emotion elicited specifically by threats that require approach. We also found that trait individual differences in social fear measured by questionnaire affected defensive behavior, suggesting that trait individual differences in personality in humans may be underpinned by individual differences in threat perception.

2.5  Recent Developments in RST: Implications for the Study of Psychopathic Personality

Norman G. Poythress (Department of Mental Health Law & Policy, University of South Florida, USA)  
In the psychopathy literature different hypotheses have emerged regarding the RST features that might best characterize psychopathic individuals. Lykken suggested that primary psychopathy is characterized by a fearless temperament (Weak BIS/weak FFFS) and normal BAS functioning; both Blackburn and Fowles have suggested that low fear and elevated BAS might characterize primary psychopathy. In this study model-based clustering was used to identify homogeneous groups among a sample of 691 offenders who met criteria for antisocial personality disorder; clustering variables included three facet scores from the PCL-R, the Harmavoidance scale as a measure of fear sensitivity, Carver and White's BAS scales, and measures of other theoretically relevant constructs (anxiety; abuse history). The best fitting solution was four groups, three of which had elevated psychopathy scores. None of the emergent groups had a pattern of HA and BAS scores consistent with Lykken's theory. One psychopathic group was distinguished by low fear sensitivity and elevated BAS scores, a profile consistent with the views of Blackburn and Fowles. Across a variety of external criterion measures, the pattern of results suggested that this group best represents primary psychopathy as that construct has been discussed in the literature.
Discussant: Alan Pickering (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK)

3  Sunday 14:30 - 16:30: Event-Related Potential Explorations

Robert Stelmack (School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada) & Michael Houlihan (St. Thomas University, Canada)  
Event-related potentials (ERP) are signatures of the electrical activity of the brain that provide unique information for understanding basic psychological processes such as perception, attention, memory, learning and cognition. ERPs are also usefully exploited in clinical and social applications. In this symposium, the participants present a sample of current, state of the art ERP research from this broad spectrum of psychological research activity. The symposium provides a unique perspective on issues of general interest to ISSID members. 1) A reliable, recently developed procedure for detection of deception using ERPs, specifically the P300 component, is described. 2) In the personality domain, impulsivity and individual differences in neural responses to winning and losing is examined as a function of learning stage using both conventional ERP/EEG coherence and time-frequency analyses. 3) The sensory-motor hypothesis of individual differences in extraversion is investigated with a lateralized readiness potential procedure that enables the independent contributions of stimulus and response processes. 4) The basis of individual differences in speed of processing and discrimination ability that characterize differences in mental ability are probed with measures that assess speed of decision making independent of response execution (P300 latency) and pre-attentive processing (MMN).

3.1   The New, Countermeasure-Resistant, P300-Based Test for Detection of Deception: The Complex Trial Protocol

J.P. Rosenfeld (Department of Psychology, Institute for Neuroscience, Northwestern University, USA)  
A new, P300-based, concealed information test is described. A rare probe or frequent irrelevant stimulus appears in the same trial in which a target or non-target later appears. One response follows the first stimulus and uses the same button press regardless of stimulus type. A later, second stimulus, then appears: target or non-target. The subject presses one button for a target, another for a non-target. A P300 to the first stimulus indicates probe recognition. One group was tested in 3 weeks for denied recognition of familiar information. Weeks 1 and 3 were guilty conditions; Week 2 was a countermeasure (CM) condition. A CM response was made to 4 of 4 irrelevant stimuli. The probe-irrelevant differences were significant in all weeks, and percent hits were > 90%. Attempted CM use was detectable via elevated reaction time to the first stimulus. In a replication, results were similar. False positive rates for both studies varied from 0 to .08, yielding J. B. Grier (1971) A' values from .9 to 1.0. We have extended these results in mock crime scenarios and in protocols where the number of irrelevant stimuli countered varied from 1-3 of 4. The protocol remains robust in all variations tried so far.

3.2  Attentional Impulsivity and Learning: Event-Related Oscillations and EEG Coherence to Punishment and Reward Signals

V. De Pascalis, V. Varriale & L. D'Antuono (Department of Psychology, University `Sapienza' of Rome, Italy)  
The relation between the attentional impulsivity (A-Imp) subtrait of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and learning ability was examined. Fifty-right handed women participated in a double choice Go/No-Go learning task using feedback signals indicating monetary gain (+.10 euros) and loss (-.05 euros). Event-related oscillatory amplitude and EEG coherence to gain and loss signals were obtained within each of the delta (.5-3.5 Hz), theta (3.5-7.5 Hz), low alpha (7-9.5 Hz), high alpha (10-12.5 Hz), beta (15-20 Hz), and gamma (36-44 Hz) bands. High A-Imp/bad-learners as compared to high A-Imp/good-learners and low A-Imp/bad-learners showed more pronounced error rates for No-Go trials and significant amplitude reductions of the event-related delta and theta oscillations to feedback signals. For each EEG band, inter- and intra-hemispheric coherences were more pronounced for monetary loss. Coherences were more pronounced for good-learners than bad-learners. A laterality effect was found for intra-hemispheric coherence at long inter-electrode distances during a late stage of learning, with the high A-Imp/good-learner group showing increased high-alpha and gamma coherences within the right hemisphere. High A-Imp also exhibited increased inter-hemispheric gamma coherences over temporal regions. The results suggest that attentional impulsive individuals mobilize a compensatory mechanism to maintain the effectiveness of learning process.

3.3  Separating Stimulus and Response Processes in Extraversion Using the Lateralized Readiness Potential

M. Houlihan (St. Thomas University, Canada)  
There is increasing evidence that extraverts have faster motor response times than introverts when reaction time is split into decision time and movement time. This follows closely the ideas of Brebner who suggested that extraverts are geared to respond while intraverts are geared to inspect. Matthews and Gilliland made a distinction between "cortico-reticular" "dopaminergic" aspects of extraversion, with the latter referring to motor activity. As a test of these ideas, the lateralized readiness potential (LRP) was used to distinguish between stimulus analysis and response preparation processes. Three studies were conducted examining responses to simple auditory and visual stimuli. The time from the onset of the response-locked LRP to the response was smaller for extroverts in all three The time from stimulus onset to the onset of the stimulus-locked LRP was shorter for introverts than extraverts in two out of the three studies. Overall, these studies indicate that extraverts are ready to engage in motor activity while introverts complete stimulus analysis faster than do extraverts.

3.4  Mental Ability and the Effect of Pattern Violation Discrimination on P300 and Mismatch Negativity

R.M. Stelmack (School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada)  
The relation between mental ability and the detection of auditory pattern violations was examined using event-related potential measures, specifically P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN). Thirty female volunteers were presented with a two tone alternating pattern containing infrequent repetition violations in passive (ignore) then active response conditions. Task difficulty was manipulated by varying the tonal separation between the two constituent tones of the pattern, i.e., separated by 1 or 6 semitones. In the active pattern-violation discrimination condition, the greater difficulty of the 1 semitone discrimination was confirmed by reduced accuracy, more false positive responses, longer response times, and greater variability in response times than for 6 semitones. Higher ability (HA) was associated with greater response accuracy, shorter response times, less variable response times, shorter P300 latency, and greater P300 amplitude, predominantly in the more difficult 1 semitone condition. These effects are indicative of greater facility and speed of discriminating pattern violations for HA. In the passive condition, HA was associated with larger MMN amplitude to the deviant tones in both semitone conditions. The MMN effect indicates that the facility in pattern violation discrimination develops prior to consciousness and cannot be attributed to conscious processes like focused attention.

4  Sunday 14:30 - 16:30: Personality Disorder Research Beyond Retrospective Questionnaires

Allan Clifton (Department of Psychology, Vassar College, USA) & Daniel Leising (Psychology Department, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany)   
Basic personality research and research on personality disorders are in need of better integration. So far, most attempts at integrating the two fields have relied on retrospective self-report questionnaires, a methodology that has significant limitations (e.g., a single source of data, socially desirable responding, lack of insight on the part of the patient). Basic personality research has much more to offer, in terms of concepts and methods, that may be useful for understanding personality pathology. In this symposium, we present contemporary empirical research that aims to clarify how and why people's patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving may become a problem for them and for others. All of the studies use methods other than personality questionnaires (e.g., social network analysis, ecological momentary assessment, behavioral challenges in the lab), and we will discuss the benefits that these alternative methods have to offer.

4.1  Investigating Personality Pathology Through Social Network Analysis

Allan Clifton (Department of Psychology, Vassar College, USA) & Paul Pilkonis (Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA)  
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with chronic interpersonal problems including unstable relationships, ambivalent attachment, impaired social cognition, and poor interpersonal boundaries. Interpersonal problems in BPD have most often been studied using either self-reported ratings of interpersonal problems or broad clinician-rated measures of functioning such as the Global Assessment of Functioning. However, interpersonal behavior is most likely not a unidimensional construct, but rather reflects different behaviors in different social interactions. We report on the application of social network analysis (SNA) as a more precise method of quantifying interpersonal problems in BPD. Rather than operationalizing interpersonal functioning as a global trait of the individual, SNA treats interpersonal functioning as an emergent property of a complex pattern of relationships. The present study investigates social networks in clinical and community participants with varying degrees of borderline personality pathology. Results suggest that SNA can identify patterns of interpersonal dysfunction associated with personality pathology. Implications for research applications and clinical intervention are discussed.

4.2  Using Experience-Sampling to Investigate Actual Symptom Occurrence in the Personality Disorders

William Fleeson, R. Michael Furr & Elizabeth Arnold (Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, USA)  
Personality disorders are diagnosed by retrospective reports of the presence of symptoms to a level "that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture" and that "is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations." However, nearly all scientific knowledge about actual symptom experience in real life relies on retrospective summaries of symptoms gathered via clinical interview and other self-report measures. Retrospective summaries of the frequency, severity, and pervasiveness of symptoms may suffer from serious biases and distortions. This study used experience-sampling methodology, in which an analog sample carried PDAs during waking hours for several days and described several times each day their current expression and severity of symptoms. Many individuals, not just those diagnosed as suffering from a personality disorder, experienced symptoms as part of their daily life. For example, more than half of the participants reported paranoid thoughts in the course of just two weeks, and about half reported having unstable relationships. Sizeable numbers of participants reported even more abnormal symptoms having to do with identity disturbance; a third or more reported feeling empty and/or having an unstable sense of self in the course of the two week period.

4.3  Making "Personality Disorders" Observable by Means of Brief Standard Interaction Tasks

Daniel Leising (Psychology Department, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany)  
As an alternative to retrospective self-report measures of personality pathology, I suggest the use of direct behavioral observations in so-called "standard interaction tasks". These are brief and simple dyadic situations that make individual differences in critical interpersonal skills observable. The approach has several advantages: (1) People often manage to avoid being confronted with their own personality problems, by selecting "buffer environments". In contrast, the interaction task approach exposes all participants to exactly the same situations. (2) The use of multiple observers improves reliability. (3) People with personality problems are often assumed to have idiosyncratic (biased) views of themselves and others. By using standard interaction tasks, it becomes possible to directly compare the target's and other people's views of the target's behavior. In my talk, I will present data from a recent project in which participants engaged in 17 interaction tasks (e.g., asserting oneself, self-disclosing, apologizing, criticizing someone). Results cover (a) the psychometric properties of the interaction tasks, (b) relationships between behavior in the tasks and interview-based personality disorder assessments, (c) the participants' problem-awareness (i.e., congruence between self- and observer-assessments of target behavior), and (d) relationships between performance in the tasks and measures of well-being and adaptation.

4.4  Clinical Assessment of Affective Instability: Comparing EMA Indices and Questionnaire Reports

Timothy J. Trull (Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA)  
Traditional retrospective self-report measures of psychopathology are limited by a variety of recall biases. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) circumvents these biases by assessing individuals' experiences as they occur in their natural environments. This study examines the discrepancy between retrospective and EMA measures of affective instability in psychiatric outpatients either with a borderline personality diagnosis (BPD; n=58) or within a current major depressive episode or dysthymia (MDD; n=42). Agreement between three retrospective questionnaire measures of affective instability (Personality Assessment Inventory-Borderline Features scale - Affective Instability scale, Affect Intensity Measure, and the Affect Lability Scales) and EMA indices of mood was examined. Results indicate only modest to moderate agreement between momentary and retrospective assessments of affective instability. Further, momentary and retrospective measures of affective instability are more highly correlated for individuals with BPD versus MDD/DYS. Implications for clinical research and practice and possible applications of EMA methodology are discussed.

5  Monday 10:00 - 12:00: Reward Sensitivity and Addictive Behaviour

Natalie Loxton (School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia) & Matthew Gullo (School of Psychology, Griffith University, Australia)  
In 2003 Professors Gordon Claridge from the UK and Caroline Davis from Canada published a text entitled "Personality and Psychological Disorders" in which they reviewed the influential contribution of personality perspectives to understanding of a range of clinical disorders. Jeffrey Gray's personality trait of reward sensitivity featured heavily in this text. At that time, in Australia, we (Dawe, Loxton and Gullo) were using reward sensitivity in investigating alcohol abuse and disordered eating. Since then there has been a tremendous surge of interest in reward sensitivity, and related traits such as disinhibition and anhedonia, from researchers in the addictions field. The proposed symposium will comprise five papers bringing together research from Claridge and Davis's labs in the UK and Canada with our research in Australia investigating various aspects of reward sensitivity in the vulnerability to/maintenance of substance abuse and compulsive overeating . This symposium is particularly relevant to the ISSID conference at which the proposed presenters have previously presented earlier research. The aim of this symposium is to contribute further data to this specific research focus using a range of methodologies including molecular genetics, implicit cognitions and longitudinal data.

5.1  The Relationship Between Impulsivity, Prosocial Risk Taking and Substance Use in Adolescents

Sharon Dawe, Andrew Wood, Julie Nos & Matthew J. Gullo (School of Psychology, Griffith University, Australia)  
Participation in prosocial risk taking activities and a healthy family environment generally serve as protective factors, while impulsivity is associated with substance use. This study tested a model predicting that participation in prosocial risk taking activities (competitive sports and performance) would moderate the relationship between rash impulsivity, reward drive, and substance use. A healthy family environment was expected to serve as a protective factor in a sample of 13 years olds (N = 1060). Rash impulsivity had a significant, positive association with substance use in girls, and a similar trend was found for boys. Unexpectedly, participation in competitive sports was associated with greater substance use. Furthermore, reward drive was indirectly associated with substance use through increased participation in competitive sports. Neither sports nor performance activities moderated the effect of impulsivity on substance use. There was a significant interaction suggesting that a positive family environment was associated with lower substance use in girls, but only for those who were engaged in performance activities. Thus, prosocial risk taking does not appear to modulate the effect of rash impulsivity on substance use. In fact, reward drive conveys risk for substance use, indirectly, through participation in sports activities, which was associated with substance use.

5.2  Separate Cognitive Mechanisms Mediate the Role of Approach- and Disinhibition-Related Traits in Hazardous Alcohol Use

Matthew J. Gullo & Sharon Dawe (School of Psychology, Griffith University, Australia) & Chris J. Jackson (Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales, Australia)  
Recent work suggests two separate, biologically-based impulsivity traits convey risk for alcohol misuse: Reward drive (approach-based) and rash impulsiveness (disinhibition-based). However, the cognitive mechanisms through which these traits convey risk is unclear. This study sought to test a model predicting that the risk conveyed by reward drive (RD) is mediated by a learning bias for the reinforcing outcomes of alcohol consumption (i.e., positive alcohol expectancy). The model also proposed that the risk conveyed by rash impulsiveness (RI) is mediated by drinkers' perceived ability to resist alcohol (i.e., drinking refusal self-efficacy). 342 university students were administered a battery of personality, cognitive, and alcohol use questionnaires. The model was tested using structural equation modelling. The model provided a good fit to the data and a better fit than non-hypothesised alternative models. Positive alcohol expectancy fully mediated the association between RD and hazardous alcohol use. Drinking refusal self-efficacy partially mediated the association between RI and hazardous use. Furthermore, neither trait was directly associated with the other cognitive mechanism. Results suggest separate cognitive mechanisms mediate the risk for alcohol misuse conveyed by approach- and disinhibition-related traits. These findings shed further light on how an impulsive temperament may convey risk for substance use problems.

5.3  Driven to Drink: Reward Drive in the Activation of Implicit Alcohol Expectancies

Natalie J. Loxton & Yolanda Gribble (School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia)  
Personality traits of reward sensitivity and rash impulsivity have been consistently linked with alcohol abuse. It has been suggested that these personality traits operate through positive alcohol expectancies and that expectancies are activated by exposure to drinking-related cues. Recent evidence suggests that explicit alcohol expectancies are specifically related to reward drive but not rash impulsivity. The current study investigated the relationship between reward sensitivity and rash impulsivity on the activation of alcohol expectancies using an implicit alcohol expectancies task embedded with either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage cues (i.e., photographs). 154 university students completed the task while endorsing alcohol outcome expectancy statements and "personality" statements. Results found that those high in self-reported reward drive responded faster to alcohol expectancies when exposed to pictures of alcoholic beverages compared to low reward drive participants (controlling for response to "personality" statements). There was no association between rash impulsiveness and alcohol expectancies. This study supports the hypothesis that individual differences in reward drive, but not rash impulsiveness, are associated with greater access to positive beliefs regarding substance use when exposed to alcohol cues.

5.4  Reward Sensitivity and Proneness to Addiction: Relevance to Compulsive Overeating

Caroline Davis (Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences,York University, Canada)  
There is increasing agreement that compulsive overeating shares many parallels with other addiction disorders like drug abuse. This acknowledgment has fostered an interest in identifying individual personality differences that increase the risk for overeating and weight gain. Reward sensitivity has been strongly linked with addictions, albeit from two seemingly opposite points of view. On the one hand, studies have associated low reward sensitivity and obesity, while other evidence suggests that a strong appetitive motivation leads to overeating and weight gain. Much of the neurobiological interest in reward sensitivity has focused on the dopamine pathways. There is now increasing evidence of a conjoint association of this neurotransmitter with the opioid system in the functioning of brain reward mechanisms - especially for food intake. This presentation will report the results of a study that examined genetic and psychological indicators of hedonic eating in obese adults with and without binge eating disorder (BED). Findings suggest that BED is a biologically-based subtype of obesity and that the proneness to binge eating may be influenced by a hyper-reactivity to the hedonic and palatable properties of food - a predisposition that is easily exploited in our current environment with its easily accessible surfeit of sweet and fatty foods.

5.5  The Role of Anhedonia in Some Addictive Behaviour

Gordon Claridge (Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK)  
Currently successful explanations of susceptibility to addiction invoke enhanced hedonic capacity, mediated by dopamine sensitive mechanisms associated with personality traits such as reward drive and (in some of its meanings) `impulsivity'. A complementary theory is that some forms of addiction proneness might reflect the opposite; viz a chronic tendency to anhedonia that is compensated for by compulsive behaviours which serve to raise the individual's feeling of pleasure to a more tolerable level. It will be argued that this might be the case for computer based addictions such as excessive Internet use. Evidence for the idea will be presented, drawing on data from experiments that examined computer usage in relation to a questionnaire measure of anhedonia, specifically Introvertive Anhedonia. The latter forms a schizoid component in schizotypy and has been shown to be highly correlated with a measure of the autism/Asperger spectrum - which, in turn, is also associated with increased computer use. This pattern of findings supports, it is proposed, a so-called `geek theory' of addiction, whereby very anhedonic individuals seek their satisfactions from non-social activities promoted by the Internet.

6  Monday 10:00 - 12:00: DEBATE: Biologically-Informed Approaches to Personality: How Far Can They Take Us?

Luke Smillie (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK) & Philip Corr (University of East Anglia, UK)   
In recent years there has been an increased focus on biological approaches to personality explanation. One of the most influential of these approaches has drawn upon the work of Neil McNaughton (Gray & McNaughton, 2000; McNaughton, 1989), who is a noted advocate of animal models of personality. However, cognitive psychologists such as Gerry Matthews have challenged the validity and utility of such approaches (e.g., Matthews, 2000; Matthews & Gilliland, 1999). The opposing perspectives of Matthews and McNaughton were recently presented in their respective contributions to a volume edited by Philip Corr (2008); Matthews argued for fundamental limitations to biological perspectives, while McNaughton suggested several fallacies in such arguments. The purpose of this debate is to bring Matthews and McNaughton together, for the first time, to discuss the strengths and limitations of the biological approach to personality explanation.

6.1  Why Biology Is Needed to Explain Human Personality

Neil McNaughton (University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand)  
Measured personality characters are largely stable through the lifespan. They reflect normal distributions of biological factors within a population - and have homologues in other species. Such consistent styles of behaviour must depend on phylogenetically ancient neural systems; although individual- and species-specific cognitive filters determine specific eliciting stimuli. Darwin argued that "facts observed both with man and the lower animals [can] be made use of; but the latter facts are preferable, as less likely to deceive us." This is particularly true with intuitions about questionnaire items. Meaning does not guarantee construct validity. Questionnaire scores do not determine the nature, number, or rotation of real underlying factors. Critically, one must not expect biological explanation to validate any existing scale. Rather, biology determines the alignment of real factors in multidimensional questionnaire space and may require existing questionnaire scores to be converted to new factor axes. However, behaviourally silent cognitions have been demonstrated in rats; and verbal report demonstrates processes such as illusion and worry that are difficult to demonstrate with biology but are also difficult to explain without biology. Our goal, then, should be predictive theory that links cognitive constructs with neural explanation via subcognitive models, not a justification of our preconceptions.

6.2  Can Neurological Theory Explain Human Personality?

Gerald Matthews (University of Cincinnati, USA)  
I will identify three `lines in the sand' for biological theories of personality. First, the field has moved on, mercifully, from debates over whether there is any meaningful biological influence. The issue is not whether there are correspondences between traits and neural processes, but whether we can use narrow neurological theory to explain the observed expressions of personality. Second, there are phenomena that may in principle be reduced to neurological explanations, but, in practice, should not be. Performance studies identify constraints on processing that are more scientifically tractable when treated as features of a virtual cognitive architecture rather than a physical neural architecture. Third, understanding personality also requires understanding the self and personal meaning, as also explored in cognitive theories of emotion. Individual differences in attributing meaning to events are critical for adaptation to human social environments. The role of language makes animal models fundamentally unsuitable for conceptualizing human personality. Biological theories of personality rightly cross the first line (biology is relevant) but should not approach the third (biology explains most trait-related differences in adaptation). The extent to which cognitive architectures can be reduced to neural architectures is likely to be a pivotal issue for research in the near future. I will conclude by outlining a cognitive-adaptive perspective on how biological approaches may be corralled to where they are most useful.

6.3  Discussion of "Biologically-Informed Approaches to Personality: How Far Can They Take Us?"

Philip J. Corr (University of East Anglia, UK)  
Professor Matthews identifies three `lines in the sand' for biological theories of personality. (1) Whether we can use narrow neurological theory to explain human personality. (2) Although, in principle, some phenemena may be reduced to a physical neural architecture, in practice, a virtual cognitive is more appropriate. (3) Concepts of self and personal meaning are crucial to understanding personality, as is human-specific language. Matthews states that biological theories should not approach the third line. In contrast to Matthews, Professor McNaughton lays emphasis upon the biological homologues with other species, and points to phylogenetically ancient neural systems as providing the cross-species bedrock on which human personality is based, although at the same time acknowledging species-specific cognitive filters through which eliciting stimuli are shaped. Following Darwin, McNaughton stresses the validity of non-human animal data as being less likely to deceive. In particular, he draws attention to the problem of validating questionnaire items: meaning (either from psychologists or respondents) is no guide to underlying biological processes. These theoretical positions are discussed in terms of appropriate level of explanation, species-specific factors, and the need for closer integration of biological, cognitive and experiental processes/systems.

7  Tuesday 10:00 - 12:00: Contemporary Findings from the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY): How SMPY Longitudinal Findings May Inform Human Capital Initiatives Aimed at Developing STEM Talent in a Flat World

Camilla Benbow & David Lubinski (Vanderbilt University, USA)  

7.1  The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY), Now Living in a "Flat World". Four Decades of Longitudinal Research

David Lubinski (Vanderbilt University, USA)  
Results are in. The SMPY longitudinal study, which includes five cohorts of more than 5,000 participants recruited throughout 1972-1997, has just completed a 25-year follow-up of 2,409 intellectually talented participants initially identified at age 13 (in the top 1% of mathematical reasoning ability). These findings have important implications for developing exceptional talent in STEM (science, technology, engineering, & mathematics). Economic and social well-being currently is determined more by ideas than natural and physical resources. Thus, mathematically talented populations have a special significance for human capital initiates in STEM and also in meeting the complex challenges found in modern society. However, the scope of individual differences within the top 1% of mathematical reasoning ability is huge across both intellectual (mathematical, spatial, and verbal abilities) and nonintellectual attributes (interests and personality); and these differences make a difference when modeling personal and organizational development. They cannot be ignored. Rather, they should be used to identify pools of talent to be tapped by society for meeting STEM careers and innovation demands. Moreover, there does not appear to be an ability threshold (even within the top 1%); more ability is better for enhancing the likelihood of creative achievement in middle age. Nonintellectual personal attributes, in addition to intra-individual ability strength, play a role in determining the domains within which mathematically talented individuals make their creative advances, however.
By using the Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA), talent identification and development can be conceptualized so as to bridge the interconnections between educational, counseling, and industrial psychology and to better understand the stubborn sex differences that emerge in learning and work settings among highly talented populations. Finally, given the ever increasing importance of quantitative and scientific reasoning skills in a flat world (Friedman, 2005), it also is suggested that when some mathematically gifted individuals choose to pursue careers and occupations outside of STEM it is not necessarily a loss of talent. Rather, this could be seen as exactly what is needed for disciplines and organizations to evolve to better meet the ever increasing demands posed by rapidly developing cultures facing the challenges posed by globalization, increasing technological nature of work, international markets, and the war for STEM talent.

7.2  Talented Women and the Factors that Impact Their Career Choices

Camilla P. Benbow (Vanderbilt University, USA)  
Women often are seen as an under-utilized source of STEM talent for our idea-driven, highly technological economy in the flat world in which we now live and work. While women compared to men earn just as good or even better grades in STEM courses in high school and college and as many or more college and graduate degrees, they, nonetheless, disproportionally seem to opt out of high powered careers. What might help explain this? In two separate studies, we looked at work preferences, life values, and personal views of top math/science graduate students (275 men, 255 women) at ages 25 and age 35. In Study I, analyses of work preferences revealed developmental changes and sex differences in priorities: Some sex differences increased over time and increased more among parents than among childless participants. This differentiation seemed to be due to changes in mothers' work preferences. In Study II, sex differences in the graduate students' life values and personal views at age 35 were compared with those of profoundly gifted participants (top 1 in 10,000, identified by age 13 and tracked for 20 years: 265 men, 84 women). Again, sex differences were larger among parents. Across both cohorts, men appeared to assume a more agentic, "telescopic", or career-focused perspective than women did, placing more importance on creating high-impact products, compensation, risk-taking, and being recognized as the best in their fields. Women appeared to favor a more communal, "wide-angle" life perspective, emphasizing community, family, friendships, and less time devoted to career. Sex differences in life priorities, which intensify during parenthood, seem to anticipate differential male-female representation in high-level and time-intensive careers, even among extraordinarily talented men and women with similar profiles of abilities, educational-vocational interests, and educational experiences. Contemporary SMPY findings on the dynamic nature of psychological attributes in adulthood underscore the importance of studying developmental changes over the entire lifespan. Doing so affords insight into how sex differences emerge over the psychological seasons of life.
Friedman, T. L. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.
Chair & Discussant Linda S. Gottfredson (University of Delaware, USA)

8  Tuesday 10:00 - 12:00: The Role of Individual Differences in Anger and Aggression: Emotion, Cognitions and Behaviour

ClaireLawrence (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK) & Hannelore Weber (University of Greifswald, Germany)   The role of individual differences in predicting aggressive behaviour has been highlighted in influential models of aggression (e.g., Anderson & Bushman, 2002). However, much of the work in this field has concentrated on clinical and forensic cases, using clinical measures of individual differences or general samples using broad measures of trait aggression such as Buss & Perry's (1992) Aggression Questionnaire. Whilst entirely useful approaches, there remains a need to examine the emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects of aggression in general populations using more theoretically focused measures of individual differences. This symposium aims to address this goal. The experience and expression of individual differences in functional and dysfunctional anger will be presented, illustrating the importance of individual differences in the emotional experience of anger and aggression. The influence of individual differences in provocation sensitivity on the perception and interpretation of aggressive behaviour and its subsequent impact on behaviour will be discussed. Finally sub-clinical measures of narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy will be examined in order to show their distinct but inter-related impact on aggressive and antisocial behaviour. The links of these focused constructs with broader personality dimensions including the Big Five will be presented - and the importance of Agreeableness highlighted.
Introduction: Claire Lawrence, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

8.1   Assessing Goal-Reaction Patterns in Anger Regulation

Hannelore Weber & Thomas Kubiak (University of Greifswald, Germany), Hans Westmeyer(Free University of Berlin, Germany)  
Two studies are presented in which we examined affective and interpersonal outcomes associated with different forms of anger regulation. Inter-individual differences in anger regulation were assessed using the Anger-related Reactions and Goals Inventory that measures seven anger-related reactions and seven anger-related goals derived from theory and research on anger and aggression. Results from Study 1 (N = 756) showed that venting anger, rumination and the goal of gaining revenge were associated with lower psychosocial well-being, whereas non-aggressive feedback was related with higher psychosocial well-being. In Study 2 (N = 123), participants who reacted assertively but non-aggressively to an experimentally induced provocation elicited a highly positive personality impression in terms of the Big Five dimensions, intelligence, and social attractiveness. By contrast, submission led to an unfavorable personality impression. Together, the findings suggest that feedback is highly functional in dealing with frustration and provocation, whereas venting anger, submission, rumination and the goal of gaining revenge are highly dysfunctional. These findings are (a) consistent with cognitive theories of anger and (b) highlight the interpersonal processes involved in anger regulation.

8.2   Witnessing Aggressive Behaviour: The Influence of Sensitivity to Provocation and Provocation

Claire Lawrence (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK)  
Some individuals are more prone than others to interpret the behaviours of others as aggressive. Such interpretations can be problematic as they have been associated with increased aggressive behaviour. However, examinations of individual differences in the interpretation of aggressive stimuli have typically focused on the influence of general trait aggression on the perception of aggressive text and static images. Two studies are presented to assess whether sensitivity to frustration and provocations influence interpretations of real life behaviors. In Study 1, participants viewed an argument between two individuals - one of whom was preventing the other from achieving a goal. The frustrated individual was judged to be less aggressive and more frustrated by those sensitive to frustrations. In Study 2, participants were shown two clips of provocation followed by violence, one between two females and one between two males. Those sensitive to provocation evaluated provoking individuals across both clips above to be more aggressive above and beyond the influence of trait aggression and mood. These findings suggest the influence of individual differences in provocation and frustration sensitivity on interpretations of actual behavior. Possible implications of individual differences in sensitivities to aggressive triggers on the witnessing of aggressive events are discussed.

8.3  The Main Predictors of Aggression: Low A, Low A and Low A?

Vincent Egan, Meryl Lewis, & Vickie Campbell (Department of Psychology - Forensic Section, University of Leicester, UK)   Although low Agreeableness (A-) and high Neuroticism (N+) are cardinal predictors of aggression, irritation produced by frustration and provocation, shame, aggressive interests, and hostile sustaining fantasies are thought to be additional influences on the behaviour. Two independent studies with the general public (n's = 280 and 150) examined the influence of these other dimensions upon self-reported physical aggression, as compared to the influence of A- and N+; we predicted these variables operated directly and indirectly through these additional variables, suggesting these other influences were surrogate constructs for basic personality traits. The first study found low A predicted physical aggression through direct and indirect influences on narcissistic sustaining fantasies and aggressive interests, with only 6% of predicted variance uninfluenced by A-. The second study examined the additional influences of shame, provocation and narcissism on physical aggression relative to A-. Physical and verbal aggression and narcissistic exhibitionism loaded on a factor defined by A-, whereas shame, frustration and provocation loaded on a factor defined by N+. Our studies show that additional influences on aggression beyond A- are driven by N+. Rather than pursuing `jangle' constructs, it may be productive to focus on those facets of A and N which best predict aggression.

8.4  Aggression Differences among the Dark Triad of Personalities

Delroy Paulhus & Daniel N.Jones (University of British Columbia, Canada)  
The Dark Triad of personalities (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) are interpersonally aversive, but not necessarily psychopathological, at the subclincal level. Although moderately intercorrelated, they exhibit unique associations with aggression. I will report on two studies that highlight their distinctive aggressive tendencies. Study 1 gave participants an opportunity to respond to a provocation with aggression (administer a blast of white noise). Results indicated that narcissists aggress in response to ego provocation (a personal insult), even when overlap with narcissism and Machiavellianism is controlled. By contrast, psychopaths aggressed in response to physical provocation (a previous white noise blast). In Study 2, Machiavellians exhibited aggression only when it led to instrumental benefits. Together, the results suggest that aggression mechanisms differ substantially across the members of the Dark Triad.
Discussant:
Professor Eamonn Ferguson (University of Nottingham, UK)

9  Tuesday 10:00 - 12:00: Neuroscientific Approaches to Personality Research: Molecular Genetics and Imaging

Martin Reuter & Christian Montag (Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Germany)  
Two fundamental questions have triggered research in personality psychology: first, the question to which extent personality traits are heritable and which genes form the basis for this genetic load and, second, the question which neural circuits form the biological underpinnings of individual differences in character and temperament. Due to revolutionary developments in the neurosciences, techniques are now available that can help to answer these questions. Unfortunately these techniques are not frequently used by psychologists themselves but instead classical research topics from personality psychology are adopted from scientists of other fields like psychiatrists or economists. It is time for a change! Therefore the aim of the syposium is to present empirical studies that apply molecular genetics, functional and structural imaging in order to conduct personality research in basic research and applied fields with relevance for psychiatry (anxiety/aggression) or neuroeconomics (trust behavior). It will be demonstrated a) how structural and functional imaging data can be combined with molecular genetics, b) how the connectivity between brain circuits can be revealed and c) how expression analyses can clarify the long way from genetic polymorphisms to behavior. In addition, the newest technical developments like diffusion tensor imaging and their relevance for personality psychology are presented.

9.1  Neural Signatures of Genetic Risk for Aggression

J.W. Buckholtz (Department of Psychology and Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, USA)  
It has long been noted that antisocial traits and behaviors tend to run in families. More recently, family, adoption and twin studies have confirmed the heritability of antisocial aggression, demonstrating that genetic influences are largely responsible for its intergenerational transmission. However, even for the most promising candidate gene for antisociality - MAOA - genetic associations to aggression are often weak and inconsistent. I will present neuroimaging evidence that the MAOA-L allele is associated with profound alterations in the structure and function of, and connectivity between, key neural nodes for affect processing, emotion regulation and social evaluation. This "socio-affective scaffold" - comprised of amygdala, rostral cingulate, and medial prefrontal cortex - appears to be uniquely vulnerable to the effect of elevated serotonin levels during development, as other putative genetic risk factors for violence are also linked to an ontogenic excess of serotonin. I will outline a model whereby genetic predisposition to aggression - by altering structure and function within the socio-affective scaffold - amplifies the impact of early adverse life experience, creating stable sociocognitive biases which, in turn, lead to impulsive aggressive behavior. Finally, I will detail potential epigenetic mechanisms through which early adverse life experience might interact with genetic variation in MAOA to bring about the development of adult impulsive violence.

9.2  Genetically Determined Differences in Human Trust Behavior: The Role of the Oxytocin Receptor Gene

M. Reuter & C. Montag (Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Germany), S. Altmann (Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) & Department of Economics, University of Bonn, Germany), F. Bendlow (Department of Epileptology, University Hospital of Bonn, Germany), C. Elger & B. Weber (Department of Epileptology, University Hospital of Bonn & Department of NeuroCognition, Life & Brain Center, Germany) & A. Falk (Department of Economics, University of Bonn, Germany)  
Trust is a prerequisite for social and economic interactions, both in dyadic as well as in more complex social relationships. Recent studies have shown that nasally administered oxytocin increases trust, highlighting the importance of this neuropeptide for cooperative behavior. We therefore hypothesized that the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene plays a role in explaining individual differences in trust. To test this hypothesis we conducted a laboratory trust experiment with 100 participants whose OXTR gene was screened. A haplotype block of six single nucleotide polymorphisms spanning the promoter region of OXTR was significantly related to trusting behavior, yet showed no influence on risk attitudes or on prosocial inclination in general. By means of genetic expression analyses in human hippocampal tissue, we demonstrated the functionality of the gene variants in the OXTR promoter region leading to a twofold difference in mRNA transcription. Our results thus indicate that individual differences in the proclivity to trust are influenced by variations in the OXTR gene.

9.3  The BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism and Anxiety: Insights from Functional and Structural Imaging including Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

C. Montag (Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Germany), B. Weber (Department of Epileptology, University Hospital of Bonn & Department for NeuroCognition, Life & Brain Center, Germany), J. C. Schöne-Bake & S. Roeske (Department of Epileptology, University Hospital of Bonn, Germany), C.Elger (Department of Epileptology, University Hospital of Bonn & Department for NeuroCognition, Life & Brain Center, Germany), C. Fiebach (Department of Psychology, Neurology, and Neuroradiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany) & M. Reuter (Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Germany)  
The role of neurotrophins in trait anxiety is controversial. Mounting evidence from animal studies and human beings point toward the involvement of the protein brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in anxiety. On a moleculargenetic level a single nucleotid polymorphism called BDNF Val66Met has been considered to play a major role in explaining individual differences with repect to anxiety related personality dimensions like harm avoidance. Especially, carriers of the 66Met allele variant (Val66Met and Met66Met) seem to be prone to show higher anxious behavior compared to the homozygous Val66Val genotype. A series of five BDNF-anxiety studies (two genetic association studies, two structural imaging studies including VBM and DTI and a functional MRI experiment) demonstrate the involvement of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in a) regulating the activity of neuronal circuits for negative emotionality and b) influencing also the structure of these brain areas (especially the hippocampal-amygdala circuit).

9.4  Genetic Influences on Sociability: Insights from the Study of Williams Syndrome

B.W. Haas (Center of Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA), D. Mills (School of Psychology, Bangor University, USA), A. Yam (Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA), F. Hoeft (Center of Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA), U. Bellugi (Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA) & A.L. Reiss (Center of Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA)  
The drive towards social engagement is a fundamental characteristic of the human species. Scientific pursuits have not yet fully determined the neural and genetic basis of social drive in humans. Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder caused by a hemizygous microdeletion on chromosome 7q11.23. WS is associated with a compelling symptom profile characterized by relative deficits in visiospatial function and preserved and in some cases enhanced social function. Understanding social processing in those with specific genetic deletions may yield insights into the relationship between genes and normal social functioning. We examined the neural basis of social processing in WS by assessing brain function in WS participants during two types of social stimuli, negative (fearful) and positive (happy) emotional facial expressions using fMRI. Here, we report a double dissociation such that WS participants exhibited absent right amygdala reactivity to negative (fearful) social stimuli, and heightened right amygdala reactivity to positive (happy) social stimuli compared to typically developing controls. This study provides the first evidence that the genetic deletion associated with WS may not only influence the reduction (or absence) of amygdala response during social/emotional processing, but in the case of positive emotional stimuli, increase amygdala response.

10  Tuesday 14:30 - 16:30: Individual Differences in the Elderly: The Lothian Birth Cohort Studies

Lars Penke & Michelle Luciano (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK)   Discussant: Ian J. Deary (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK)

10.1  Inspection Time, Reaction Time, and Perceptual Speed in the Context of Mental Ability in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Wendy Johnson & Ian J. Deary (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK)  
Much evidence has been amassed in support of the idea that information processing speed is related to mental ability. Two so-called elementary cognitive tasks - reaction time and inspection time - have been used to compile this evidence, but most studies have used either one or the other. Relations between speed and fluid intelligence have tended to be stronger than those between speed and crystallized intelligence, but studies testing this have confounded verbal abilities with crystallized intelligence and spatial/perceptual abilities with fluid intelligence. Questions have also been raised regarding whether speed contributes directly to general intelligence or to more specific mental abilities. We used 18 ability and speed measures in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, assessed at approximately age 70, to construct alternative models of mental ability to test different hypotheses regarding these issues. Though differences in model fit were relatively small, they suggested that reaction and inspection time tasks were comparable indicators of information processing speed with respect to general intelligence, that verbal and spatial abilities were similarly related to information processing speed, and that spatial, verbal, and perceptual speed abilities were more directly related to information processing speed than was general intelligence. We discuss the theoretical implications of these results.

10.2  Investigating the Associations between Religious Activity and Involvement, Spirituality and Normal Cognitive Aging

Alan J. Gow, Martha C. Whiteman & Ian J. Deary (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK)  
Several studies have reported positive associations between religious involvement and cognitive aging [Hill, T.D. (2008). Religious involvement and healthy cognitive aging: patterns, explanations, and future directions. J Ger: Med Sci, 63A, 478-479]. Members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 (LBC1921: a longitudinal study of the determinants of normal cognitive aging) provided details of religious attendance and completed measures of religiosity and spirituality. The participants have been assessed cognitively on 3 occasions (N = 550 at age 79, N = 321 at age 83 and N = 209 at age 87). All participated in a national test of mental ability when aged 11 when they completed the Moray House Test (MHT); they repeated this same test at the age 79 and 87 assessments. The measures of religiosity and spirituality were not found to be associated with IQ (derived from the MHT) at ages 11, 79 and 87. Religious attendance in young and midlife (assessed retrospectively) was associated with childhood (age 11) IQ (r = .15 and .11, p < .05) but not later life IQ level or change. The associations with childhood IQ and religious attendance will be further described, in addition to other cognitive measures used in old age.

10.3  Candidate Genes for Cognitive Ability and Cognitive Ageing

Michelle Luciano, Lorna M. Houlihan, Sarah E. Harris & Alan J. Gow (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK), John M. Starr (Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Royal Victoria Hospital, UK), Peter M. Visscher (Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia), Caroline Hayward (Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, UK) & Ian J. Deary (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK)  
Genetic influences account for over 50% of the variance in adult cognitive abilities, although the exact genes involved are largely unknown. Here, we investigate 14 candidate genes previously associated with Alzheimer's disease, autism or cognition in over 1,000 Scots measured on cognitive ability at 11 and 70 years. Participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) were tested on general cognitive ability (in the Scottish Mental Survey 1947) at age 11; at age 70, they completed a battery of diverse cognitive tests, including tests of reasoning, memory and processing speed. Individuals with possible dementia were excluded from the analyses. Linear regression analysis investigated the main effect of each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the cognitive variables, co-varying for gender and age. Significant associations were found for markers in the APOE, ADRB2, and DTNBP1 genes; the remaining SNPs were generally not associated with the cognitive ability traits in LBC1936 (P-values > 0.01). Future work in this cohort will include a genome-wide association study of 610,000 SNPs.

10.4  The Role of Neuronal White Matter Integrity in Mental Speed, Intelligence, and Lifetime Cognitive Aging

Lars Penke (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK), Mark E. Bastin & Susana Muñoz Maniega (Department of Medical and Radiological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK), Maria C. Valdes Hernandez (Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh, UK), Alan J. Gow & Catherine Murray (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK), Joanna M. Wardlaw (Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh, UK) & Ian J. Deary (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK)  
The brain's white matter provides the neuroanatomical substrate for functional integration between different brain areas, which has been implicated as fundamental for human intelligence differences [Jung, R. E., & Haier, R. J. (2007) The Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT) of intelligence: converging neuroimaging evidence. Behav Brain Sci, 30, 135-154.]. A pilot sample of 180 participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study who had already been tested for IQ in 1947 at age 11 underwent extensive cognitive testing and whole-brain scanning at a mean age of 72, including structural, diffusion tensor, and magnetisation transfer MRI. These imaging data were used to extract measures of visible white matter lesion load, water diffusion-based indices of white matter integrity for various regions of interest and specific fibre tracts (tractography), and magnetisation-transfer-based measures of myelin sheath integrity in regions of interest. We will present results on the relationships between these measures of white matter integrity and mental speed, general intelligence, and cognitive aging over 61 years.

11  Tuesday 14:30 - 16:30: Computational Models of Personality

Stephen Read & AlanPickering (Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK)  

11.1  Why Complex Biocognitive Theories of Personality Need to Adopt Formal Modelling Approaches

Alan Pickering, Ian Tharp & Francesca Pesola (Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London)  
In recent years we have suggested that formal modelling may enhance the study of personality. Models might be especially useful in at least 3 situations. First, cognitive tasks used as tests of personality theories have become increasingly complex and formal models of task processes can fulfil the now-familiar role they serve in mainstream cognitive neuroscience. Second, many biological accounts of personality propose the involvement of dynamically interacting systems; such interactions are helpfully modelled by connectionist-like interacting nodes, and these models can reveal counterintuitive insights not easily derived by verbal qualitative reasoning processes alone. Finally, models of neurocognitive processes may now be mapped onto biological structures and pathways with some confidence, using neural network methods. Recent simulation studies by our group have revealed that adding identical amounts of individual differences variance to model parameters can cause effects of very different kinds (linear vs. non-linear) or size (small vs. large) on simulated behaviour, dependent upon the simulated brain location at which such variance is added. If such variance can serve as a model for the effects of biologically-based personality traits, then this implies that any detectable personality-task correlations in real participants are likely to derive from effects at certain brain loci only. This is of great value for testing biocognitive theories of personality.

11.2  Connectionist Modeling of Attachment Differences in Personality

Roxanne L.Thrush & David C. Plaut (Department of Psychology & Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, USA)  
We advance a connectionist account of the acquisition and accessibility of attachment knowledge. Attachment theory is a prominent framework for understanding the development of relatively stable patterns of thinking in relationships. According to this theory, individuals gradually develop relatively stable mental models of relationships, and these models influence individuals' characteristic patterns of thinking and behaving. As a result of having a variety of different experiences in relationships, individuals are thought to develop multiple mental models of relationships and to differ with regard to how accessible any particular model is. Thus, subsequent situations an individual encounters are thought to potentially evoke different mental models of relationships and to lead to different cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The current work proposes that experience leads instead to individual differences in knowledge about general tendencies in relationships and that this knowledge is sufficient to explain outcomes thought to be associated with differences in accessibility of particular stored mental models. We provide a connectionist model of this proposal.

11.3  Individual Differences in Biological and Behavioral Traits Provide Insights into Decision-Making

Michael X Cohen (Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands & Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, USA)  
One critical function of the brain is to select the best or most rewarding actions based on recent experiences. Although cognitive neuroscience has made great strides in uncovering the neurobiology of decision-making, much of this work focuses on normative processes - those that are common across all individuals. In contrast, experience and psychology research tells us that individuals may differ markedly in how they make decisions. Incorporating these individual differences into cognitive neuroscience investigations will yield a richer understanding of the neurobiological processes that underlie decision-making. I will describe three approaches for using individual differences to understand the neurobiology of decision-making. (1) Genetics: Differences in genetics related to the dopamine system predict neural responses to monetary rewards, as well as neural and behavioral responses to dopamine medication. (2) Mathematical modeling: Individual differences in how subjects use performance feedback to adapt their decision-making can be estimated via computational modeling. These parameters predict both behavioral and neural dynamics during decision-making and gambling tasks. (3) Anatomical connectivity: Differences in the strength of white matter connectivity among amygdala-related networks predicts learning from rewards. Further, differences in the strength of striatum-linked networks predict self-reported personality constructs. Thus, capitalizing on individual differences continues to inform our understanding of brain function. Indeed, in some cases, individual differences prove critical for elucidating the neural dynamics underlying decision-making because the relationship between brain activity and behavior may be in opposite directions according to individual differences.

11.4  A Neural Network Model of the Structure and Dynamics of Human Personality

Stephen J. Read (Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA) & Lynn C. Miller (Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, USA)  
We present a neural network model that aims to bridge the historical gap between dynamic and structural approaches to personality. The model integrates work on the neurobiology of personality, temperament, a goal-based model of personality, an evolutionary analysis of motives, and the structure of the trait lexicon. It is organized in terms of two overarching motivational systems, an Approach and an Avoidance system, as well as a general Disinhibition/Constraint system. Each overarching motivational system influences more specific motives. Traits are modeled in terms of differences in the sensitivities of the motivational systems, the baseline activation of specific motives, and inhibitory strength. The result is a motive-based neural network model of personality based on what is known about the structure and neurobiology of human personality. The model provides an account of personality dynamics and person-situation interactions, and suggests how dynamic processing approaches and dispositional, structural approaches can be integrated in a common framework.

12  Tuesday 14:30 - 16:30: Psychoneuroendocrinological and Psychoneuroimmunological Biomarkers: Recent Developments and Implications for Individual Differences Research

Andrew Wawrzyniak (Psychobiology Group, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University College London, UK) & Gareth Hagger-Johnson (Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, The University of Leeds, UK)  
Individual differences in personality traits and cognitive functioning may cause disease. A model in which the association is explained indirectly, via health behaviour, cannot fully account for the associations. Direct pathways should also be examined, at three levels: genetic/environmental, behaviour and physiology. Psychoneuroendocrinology and psychoneuroimmunology operate at every level and can potentially explain the cascade of distal, proximal and physiological mechanisms that underlie trait-health associations. This symposium reviews four recent methodological developments and current controversies. First, in the area of gene/environment interactions, the s/s genotype of the serotonin transporter gene 5-HTTLPR is shown to produce exaggerated stress responses among subjects with high levels of stressful life events. Second, measured and modelled appropriately, salivary cortisol is a validated biomarker for the regulatory competence of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Diurnal cortisol output is associated with Neuroticism and the Anger Hostility facet of the NEO-PI-R. Third, to examine immunological ties with personality traits, salivary sIgA has emerged as a candidate biomarker for innate, mucosal immunity, and is sensitive to perceived levels of stress. Finally, sex differences in endocrine function are described, which are shown to influence cognitive functioning and memory processes. Endocrine and immunological measures have substantive potential for future individual differences research.

12.1  Endocrine Stress Reactivity Is Modulated by a Complex Interplay of Genetic and Environmental Influences

Nina Alexander, Yvonne Kuepper, Eva Mueller, Roman Osinsky, Anja Schmitz & Juergen Hennig (University of Giessen, Germany)  
Activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in response to psychosocial stress is characterized by substantial interindividual variability. Results from twin studies indicating that HPA-axis reactivity is partly heritable stimulated genetic association studies in this field of research. Previous findings provide convincing evidence for a central role of functional polymorphisms within the brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor (BDNF Val66Met) and the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) gene in the regulation of HPA-axis. Both genetic variants have been associated with anxiety-related traits and susceptibility to stress-related disorders, particularly in interaction with stressful life events (SLEs). Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate specific gene-gene and gen-environment interactions on HPA-axis reactivity. Healthy male adults (N=100) were genotyped and exposed to a standardized laboratory stress task (public speaking). Cortisol levels were assessed at 6 time points prior to the stressor and during an extended recovery period. The main finding of our study revealed an exaggerated stress-response in subjects with the s/s genotype of 5-HTTLPR, but only when they were exposed to a high degree of SLEs. Our results provide evidence for a complex interplay between genetic and environmental influences in the regulation of endocrine stress-reactivity and could help to identify potential endophenotypes which increase vulnerability to stress-related diseases.

12.2  Neuroticism, Angry Hostility and Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis Output across the Day: Latent Growth Curve Modelling Reveals the Association

Gareth Hagger-Johnson, Martha Whiteman, Andrew Wawrzyniak & Paul Dudgeon (Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, UK)  
Cortisol has been proposed as a key mechanism underlying the relationship between personality traits and health. Neuroticism plays a critical role in stress reactivity, but its association with the diurnal cortisol profile has been inconsistently demonstrated. Variations in methodology and statistical modelling techniques may have masked or minimized the size of the association. A salivary sampling protocol was developed to address the methodological weaknesses of previous research. A sample of 68 healthy adult volunteers provided saliva samples 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours after waking, repeated over two days to improve reliability. Latent growth curve modelling was used to demonstrate that Neuroticism, as measured by the NEO Personality Inventory Revised, predicted cortisol intercepts (b = .49). The association was also found at the facet level for N2 Anger Hostility (b = .42). The association remained after controlling for confounding factors (e.g., perceived stress, physical and mental health status, waking time and age). The results demonstrate that Neuroticism is associated with diurnal cortisol and illustrate why study findings can be mixed. Psychological predictors of neuroendocrine processes are highly dependent on the modelling used to capture variance in time-related outcomes. General implications for modelling psychobiological data are discussed.

12.3  Personality and Psychosocial Correlates of Mucosal Immunity during the First Year of University

Andrew Wawrzyniak & MarthaWhiteman (University College London, UK)  
University attendance is a salient context to examine personality and psychosocial dynamics since the higher education setting presents potent environmental influences that can stabilize or alter traits over time. Importantly, biological processes may mediate the link between these psychosocial factors and personality traits; specifically, immune functioning may be indicative of higher levels of underlying stress. To better understand this process, 68 undergraduate students (27 male, Mage = 18.94 years, SD = 0.15; 41 female, Mage = 18.85 years, SD = 0.11) completed personality and psychosocial measures at four times during their first year of university and provided three saliva samples over three minutes to measure salivary secretory immunoglobulin-A (sIgA) to determine immune functioning. sIgA levels changed over the course of the year, with times of higher stress (beginning of the school term, exam time) correlating with lower innate mucosal immunity. Agreeableness negatively correlated (-.29) with sIgA at the beginning of the first semester and Openness was positively correlated (.33) at the beginning of the second semester. Openness during exam time correlated positively with sIgA at the beginning of the second academic year (.39). Psychosocial factors did not significantly correlate at each time point with sIgA release rates, although meaningful trends (p < .09) were noted at the least stressful phases (at the start of both the second semester and the second academic year). Interestingly, previous levels of psychosocial factors correlated with subsequent levels of sIgA release rates at exam time for Life Experiences (.37), General Health (-.33), and Interaction with Students (.49). Self esteem (.31) and Perceived Stress (-.29) at exam time correlated with sIgA at the beginning of the second academic year. These findings have implications as to the impact of personality traits and psychosocial factors in innate immunity in light of the first-year university experience.

12.4  Sex Differences in Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis Reactivity: Implications for Cognitive Functioning

Nicole Weekes (Pomona College, USA)  
There is an abundance of evidence to suggest that males demonstrate greater cortisol reactivity in response to an acute stressor than do females. However, the extent and direction of the sex differences in stress reactivity is dependent both on the nature of the stressor itself and the measure of stress reactivity that is used. Furthermore, females tend to show greater psychological reactivity to acute stressors than do males. Finally, along with sex differences in stress reactivity, there also appear to be sex differences in the relationship between stress and a variety of outcome measures including cognition and immunity. Several explanations for these sex differences exist and will be discussed.

13  Wednesday 10:00 - 12:00: Individual Differences in Subjective State, Coping and Performance

Gerald Matthews (University of Cincinnati, USA) & William Helton (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)  
Dimensions of subjective state such as anxiety and arousal relate to objective performance on various tasks. Individual differences in cognition, information-processing, and coping may mediate the impact of various state factors on performance. The topic is important for both the theory of individual differences in performance and for real-world performance applications. The symposium covers recent advances in basic research linking states to memory and attention, in applied laboratory research on subjective states and human factors issues, and in educational and clinical applications. Helton and Kern discuss how state factors including tense arousal and cognitive interference relate to free recall of picture stimuli from memory. Finomore et al. report on state, ability and personality predictors of vigilance to military tactical displays, under various workload conditions (N = 462). Szalma examines how extraversion and neuroticism relate to performance, stress and trust when performance is assisted by adaptive automation of differing levels of reliability. McCann et al. examine the relationships between state and trait anxiety, coping and academic performance within a multi-method approach, in three studies (total N = 2745). Zeidner and Shaham investigate individual differences in coping in 92 epileptic patients, using a longitudinal study in which state anxiety and depression were assessed at three time points.

13.1   The Relationship between Memory for Emotional Stimuli and Subjective State

William Helton (University of Canterbury, New Zealand) & Rosalie Kern (Michigan Tech University, USA)  
In the present study, 80 participants (41 men) viewed picture stimuli of either negative or neutral valence. After viewing the slides the participants performed an intermediate task to prevent or reduce the likelihood of verbal rehearsal of the picture stimuli. After the intermission task, participants were asked to free recall picture stimuli. Energetic Arousal (EA), Tense Arousal (TA), Task-Related Thoughts (TRT), and Task-Unrelated Thoughts (TUT) were measured using the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ). These scales were given prior to the picture presentation and after the free recall test. Elevated TA is noted after viewing negative pictures. Females reported more TUTs and TRTs and greater TA than males overall. The largest gain in TA was for females viewing the negative pictures (there was a significant time x valence x sex interaction for TA, p=.002). In regards to memory, there was a significant valence effect for picture recall, with enhanced memory for negative pictures. Post-TRTs negatively correlated with recall accuracy regardless of valence of picture stimuli; more post-TRTs related to less ability to recall stimuli accurately. Self-reported TRTs regarding the task appear to interfere with memory accuracy independently of effects of the remembered items on arousal (TA).

13.2  The Vigilant Warrior: States, Traits and Individual Differences in Monitoring Tactical Displays

Gerald Matthews, VictorFinomore, Tyler Shaw & Joel Warm (University of Cincinnati, USA)   Typically, personality traits are only weak predictors of vigilance and sustained attention. Predictive validity may be improved by using other individual difference measures. In previous studies, we have shown that measures of stress response, including subjective task engagement and coping relate to superior vigilance. Cognitive ability measures have also been neglected in previous work. The aim of the present study, conducted as part of the Army Research Institute Vigilant Warrior project, was to test whether a battery of personality, ability and stress state measures predicted performance on 60-minute tasks requiring monitoring of a military tactical display. The test battery included a set of trait measures related to attentional dysfunction, a short signal detection task, two cognitive ability tests, and the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ). A total of 462 participants completed one of four different versions of the display monitoring task. Results showed that ability, the short signal detection task and DSSQ task engagement all predicted subsequent vigilance, with some variation in validity coefficients across task versions. Regression analyses identified multiple independent predictors of vigilance, explaining a total of 30-40% of the variance. Personality predicted subjective state but not performance. Results confirm that a battery of cognitive and stress state measures is effective in predicting monitoring performance.

13.3  Individual Differences in Stress and Workload Response to Adaptive Automation

James Szalma & Grant Taylor (University of Central Florida, USA)   Adaptive automation supports performance in complex human-machine systems by triggering automation only under certain conditions of task demands or operator state. However, there has been limited research on how operator personality and automation characteristics influence performance and stress. This study investigated the effects of automation reliability (high vs. low), the match between task load and activation of the automation support, and operator Extraversion and Neuroticism on performance and stress response to a simulated monitoring task. One hundred and sixty-one undergraduates participated. Traits did not significantly impact performance. However, across all experimental conditions Extraversion was negatively related to post-task distress. A reliability by extraversion interaction was observed for post-task worry. Extraversion was negatively related to worry only for the low reliability condition. Across all conditions Neuroticism was positively related to distress and worry and negatively related to task engagement, indicating that those high in Neuroticism experienced higher stress levels across multiple dimensions of cognitive state. These results indicate that although the traits of Extraversion and Neuroticism were not related to performance, they predicted stress response, regardless of automation reliability or whether it was well matched to task demands. The stress associated with using automated monitoring tasks may therefore be influenced by operator personality.

13.4  Coping in School: A State-Trait Continuum and its Relationship with Academic Outcomes in Middle School, High School, and College Student Samples

Carolyn MacCann, Anastasiya Lipnevich, Jeremy Burrus & Richard D. Roberts (Educational Testing Service, New Jersey, USA)   Coping styles are typically differentiated into problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping. This paper addresses two research questions in a middle-school sample (N=383), high-school sample (N=1326), and college/community college sample (N=1036). First, whether coping styles function as situation-specific states of behaviour generated by situational demands versus stable traits that are consistent across different situations (i.e., whether coping styles differ across different situations). Second, whether coping styles relate to academic outcomes (well-being, attitudes toward schoolwork, mathematics and vocabulary scores, and grades). The structure of coping is examined using parallel analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and multi-trait multi-method models (with coping styles as traits and situations as methods). Coping styles generalize across three different situations in middle-schoolers, suggesting that coping functions as a trait at this age. However, coping styles showed a greater level of situational specificity in high-school and college students. Generally, problem-focused coping related positively to grades and test scores (e.g., r=.39 and .20 for middle-school and college grades, respectively), and avoidant coping related negatively to academic outcomes. Strong relationships between coping styles and negative attitudes toward school-work in high school students (r=.30 to .50) suggest a motivational pathway for the effect of coping on academic achievement.

13.5  State Anxiety in Ordinary People Coping with Extraordinary Health Circumstances

Moshe Zeidner & Beatrice Shaham (University of Haifa, Israel)   Epilepsy, perhaps more than most other chronic illnesses, represents both a socially and culturally stigmatized disease. Thus, since ancient times epilepsy was construed as a sacred disease or demonic disease, and even in modern times it is still associated with discrimination and biased attitudes by the general public. For many, dealing with the stigmatic impact of the illness is far worse than dealing with the malady itself, evoking considerable anxiety, depression, and distress. This prospective study examines a number of personal predictors of state anxiety and depression, assessed at three points in time, in a clinical sample. The predictors were: Big-Five factors of personality, personal resources, coping strategies, and subjective evaluations of health and well being. Participants in this study were 93 diagnosed epileptic patients (60% female, mean age = 28.65) widely ranging in age from 14 to 59 (M = 28.65, SD = 11.44). Overall, neuroticism, perceived emotional and social resources, maladaptive coping methods, and self-evaluations of health were reported to be meaningful predictors of state anxiety and depression one year following baseline assessment. A number of mediating and moderating factors will be discussed, and the data interpreted using principles of transactional stress and coping theory.
Chairperson: Gerald Matthews (University of Cincinnati)  

14  Wednesday 10:00 - 12:00: Is There a General Factor of Personality?

J. Philip Rushton (University of Western Ontario, Canada) & Paul Irwing (University of Manchester, UK)  
A positive manifold among traits has led to the observation that a General Factor of Personality (GFP) occupies the apex of the personality hierarchy in the same way that g, the general factor of mental ability, occupies the apex in the organization of cognitive abilities. Within the lexical tradition, a large evaluative first factor (good vs. bad) has long been found. For those studying questionnaires, the notion of a general factor can be found in the "w-factor" (for will power; Webb, 1915; Spearman, 1927). Several researchers have now published robust evidence of a GFP using multitrait-multimethod procedures and diverse samples including 2- to 9-year-old twins from South Korea (e.g., Rushton et al. in 2008 JRP and PAID). The GFP is present by three years of age and is 50% heritable. High scorers on the GFP are altruistic, open, conscientious, sociable, agreeable, emotionally stable, have a sense of well being and emotional intelligence; low scorers may suffer from a personality disorder. Many new analyses will be presented in the symposium. Does the GFP reflect a substantive dimension that evolved as a result of natural selection for socially desirable behavior or is it merely an evaluative artifact?

14.1  The Genetics and Evolution of the General Factor of Personality

J.P. Rushton (University of Western Ontario, Canada)   A positive manifold among traits has led to the observation that a General Factor of Personality (GFP) occupies the apex of the personality hierarchy in the same way that g, the general factor of mental ability, occupies the apex in the organization of cognitive abilities. Several researchers have now published robust evidence of a GFP using multitrait-multimethod procedures and across diverse samples including 2- to 9-year-old twins from South Korea (e.g., Rushton et al. in 2008 JRP and 2008 PAID). Individuals high on the GFP are characterized as altruistic, emotionally stable, agreeable, conscientious, extraverted, and intellectually open, with high levels of well-being, satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and emotional intelligence. Low scorers may be prone to the personality disorders. Analyses of the twin data showed the GFP was present by 2- to 3-years of age with 50% of the variance attributable to non-additive genetic influence (dominance) and 50% to unique, non-shared environmental influence. The GFP is conjectured to have evolved as a result of natural selection for socially desirable behavior.

14.2  Evidence for a General Factor of Personality in the CPI, the CPS, the MPQ, the MMPI-2 and Other Inventories

P. Irwing (University of Manchester, UK)   We have analyzed data from nine validation samples (total N = 14,299) provided in test manuals from published personality questionnaires and found a General Factor of Personality (GFP) occupies the apex of the multi-factorial hierarchy in each. For example, in a cross-validation study of the Comrey Personality Scales (Ns = 746, 2,097), we found a GFP explained 41% of the reliable variance in a model that went from the eight primary traits to three higher-order factors, and from there to the GFP. In the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (N = 2,600), we found a GFP explained 49% of the variance in two second-order factors and 20% of the total reliable variance in a model that went from the 10 Clinical Scales to four higher-order factors to two second-order factors to the Big One. In the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (N = 840), we found a bi-factor model in which a GFP accounted for 41% of the reliable variance with significant loadings on four of the five factors (Open-Mindedness, 0.49; Social Initiative, 0.36; Emotional Stability, 0.38; and Flexibility, 0.95). The consistency of these findings is impressive, since there are innumerable reasons why a general factor may disappear in any given data set.

14.3   Trans-Cultural Stability of the Highest-Order Factor of Personality

J. Musek (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)  
A comprehensive hierarchical structural model has been recently proposed in the Five Factor domain of personality (Musek, 2007). It comprises five levels of generality: the specific item level, facet level, first order factors level (Big Five), second order factors level (Big Two), and third order factor level (Big One or general factor of personality, GFP). While the cross-cultural aspects of the Big Five have been investigated in a number of studies, the question of intercultural stability of higher-order factors of personality remained unresolved. The present study analyses the higher-order structure of personality derived from culturally different sources of data, including more than 20,000 participants from more than 60 nationalities. The results suggest a rather stable dimensional structure of personality and confirmed the transcultural stability of GFP. In the majority of cases, the extracted first factor explained a very substantial amount of variance and showed a consistent pattern of saturations with the personality dimensions on the subsequent levels of generality. The results of the study represent thus an important contribution to the psychological meaning of the GFP and reinforce the hypothesis of its biological and evolutionary basis.

14.4  The General Factor of Personality: A Large Meta-Analysis (k =212, N = 144,000) and Criterion Validity Study

D. van der Linden & J. te Nijenhuis (University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands)  
It has been proposed that a general factor of personality (GFP) occupies the top of the hierarchical structure of personality. An ongoing discussion is whether the GFP is substantive and meaningful or whether it merely reflects artifacts, such as social desirability. Firstly, we present a large meta-analysis (K = 212, total N = 144,117) on Big Five intercorrelations showing that the GFP explains 50 percent of Big Five variance and that all Big Five dimensions loaded high on the general factor. Secondly, we present a multi-method validity study (N = 144) showing that supervisor-rated job performance was related to employees' GFP scores. Overall, results of the two studies indicate that the general personality factor is not an artifact but a substantive factor.

14.5  A General Factor of Personality in the Big-5 and Trait Emotional Intelligence and the Big-5 and Mental Toughness

J.A. Schermer & V. Veselka (University of Western Ontario, Canada), K.V. Petrides (University of London, UK) & P.A. Vernon (University of Western Ontario, Canada)  
254 pairs of adult MZ twins and 98 pairs of adult DZ twins completed the NEO-PI-R, the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MT48), and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue). Factor analysis of the 5 NEO factors plus 4 factors from the MT48 yielded a strong first unrotated (general) factor accounting for 46% of the variance. Factor analysis of the 5 NEO factors plus 15 trait EI facets from the TEIQue also yielded a strong general factor accounting for 37% of the variance. MZ correlations were larger than DZ correlations for both general personality factors. Univariate behavioral genetic model fitting showed that additive genetic and nonshared environmental effects fully accounted for individual differences in the factors, with heritabilities of 53% and 46% for the NEO + MT48 and the NEO + TEIQue general factors, respectively. These results are compatible with those of several previous studies and lend support to the existence of a heritable general factor of personality.

15  Wednesday 13:30 - 16:00: Anxiety - Cognitive and Individual Differences Perspectives. A Symposium in Memory of B azej Szymura

Ma gorzata Fajkowska (Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)   In this symposium we attempt to provide representative, albeit not exhaustive, studies that we consider key to understanding the bio-behavioral mechanisms, cognitive processes and individual characteristics underlying anxiety. The papers included in the session draw on a wide range of research and methods of inquiry - paper-pencil questionnaires, neuropsychological assessment, laboratory paradigms designed to assess the biological, cognitive and personality constituencies of anxiety. As a result, researchers are gaining insight into such compelling questions as, is anxiety solely evoked by external factors, what are internal determinants of anxiety, and whether or not bringing different, but partially overlapping and complementary perspectives to study anxiety will be a challenge for the unresolved puzzles in this area.

15.1  Anxiety: Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) and Beyond

Philip J. Corr (University of East Anglia, UK)  
Jeffrey Gray's influential work provides a basis for anxiety in the operations of a Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS). Gray and McNaughton's (2000) revised neuropsychology of anxiety updates the BIS, distributing its components among the hippocampus, septum and amygdala, as well as the frontal cortex; and it clarifies the functions of the BIS in terms of goal-conflict, which in the case of approach-avoidance conflict manifests as cautious defensive approach in potentially threatening environments, entailling inhibition of prepotent responses and risk assessment behaviour. Revised BIS is differentiated from the Fight-Flight-Freeze system (FFFS), which is now charged with mediating reactions to all aversive stimuli. Studies that have addressed the details of the revised theory are reviewed, which include behavioural, pharmacological and psychometric studies; and the adequacy of BIS theory for a comprehensive account of human anxiety is discussed.

15.2  Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and the Positive-Negative Asymmetry in Categorization

Agata Wytykowska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland) & Maria Lewicka (University of Warsaw, Poland)  
Confirmation bias - a tendency to test the hypothesis from cases predicted by this hypothesis - occurs when the categorization error of false positives has more weight than the error of false negatives. This explanation makes it possible to look at the phenomenon from the pragmatic perspective: as adaptive behavior which may be particularly salient in some circumstances (where avoiding false positives is more adaptive than avoiding false negatives) and which may disappear in other situations (when avoiding false negatives is more or as important as avoiding false positives). Lewicka hypothesized that size of confirmation bias may depend on the affective meaning of category exemplars: people tend to attach more weight to the error of false negatives when faced with negative stimuli and to the error of false positives when faced with positive or neutral stimuli. In a series of studies, using rule discovery paradigm, it was demonstrated that potential losses stimulated more search for non-instances than potential gains, leading to reduction of confirmation bias and thus to wider final categories. In the present study Gray's theory of behavior inhibition (BIS) was used to understand the role of anxiety in processes of categorization. It was predicted that the observed differences between gains and losses in size of confirmation bias in categorization tasks will be particularly pronounced in individuals with high sensitivity as compared to those with low sensitivity of the BIS system. The data are being currently analyzed.

15.3  Anxiety and Attentional Processing: Fear-then-Relief and Pride-then-Frustration Procedures

B azej Szymura (Jagiellonian University, Poland)  
Two basic dimensions of attentional processing serve as theoretical framework of this study (Kolaczyk, 2001). Extensive, at the shallow level, attentional processing is characterized by fast, parallel, sensual, and holistic processing of large number of elements that can potentially enter the field of attention. Whereas, intensive, at the deeper level, attentional processing is seen as slow, sequential, semantic and analytic processing of smaller number of attended elements (Craik & Lockhart, 1972). It was assumed that extensive and intensive attentional processing is associated with individual differences and situational context, including the emotional nature of stimuli (Eysenck, 1992; 1997). Accordingly, the main aim of presented study was to analyze effects of anxiety on these two dimensions of attentional processing when fear and pride or an emotional see-saw (fear-then-relief and pride-then-frustration) were induced, respectively. Results indicated that both anxiety and situational context specifically modulate the operation of the extensive and intensive attentional processing of emotional stimuli.

15.4  Anxiety, Attention and Risk: A Study of Tactical Decision-Making

April Rose Panganiban & Gerald Matthews (Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, USA) & Eva Hudlicka (Psychometrix, Inc., USA)  
The biasing effects of anxiety on selective attention are well-known. However, computational models of anxiety suggest that trait and state factors may have multiple influences on different processing modules. In the present study, 120 participants performed a computer-based search-and-rescue task, requiring them to choose the optimal route to reach a lost party of explorers as quickly as possible. Each route had potential risks and benefits which participants accessed by `mousing over' icons on a map-like display. 60 participants were exposed to an anxious-mood induction, using guided imagery and music. The others were exposed to a neutral induction. Anxiety was assessed using the Spielberger trait and state scales. The mood induction was effective in elevating state anxiety throughout performance. Several biasing effects were observed. The most robust effects of anxiety were found with measures of the frequencies with which the risks and benefits for the routes were sampled, interpreted as indices of voluntary attention. State anxiety was associated with greater attention to both types of information, possibly reflecting compensatory effort. Trait anxiety was associated with a bias towards sampling risk information, but only in the neutral mood condition. We conclude that anxiety-related biases in decision-making are shaped by the affective context and the task strategies it activates.

15.5  Relationship between Job-Related Anxiety and Job Satisfaction according to the Level of Neuroticism and Extraversion

Anna M. Zalewska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland)  
The study examined relations between job-related anxiety and job satisfaction from perspectives of three distinct approaches to well being: "bottom-up", "top-down", and "transactional" (boosted with elements of greatest significance of aforementioned two approaches). Overall job satisfaction and differentiation in satisfaction according to the job facets (Work Description Inventory), situational (4 items from Job Affect Scale) and persistent job-related anxiety (Mood at Workplace Questionnaire), neuroticism and extraversion (NEO-FFI) were investigated among 240 employees (120 males). Analyses done from the perspective of "bottom-up" theories showed that two forms of job-related anxiety were negatively correlated with overall job satisfaction, but they were not associated with differentiation in satisfaction. Data analyzed from the perspective of "top-down" model demonstrated that neuroticism affected the job-related anxiety and job satisfaction; moreover, persistent job-related anxiety mediated the relation between neuroticism and overall job satisfaction. Data analysis within the transactional model indicated that overall job satisfaction depended on interaction between job-related anxiety, neuroticism and extraversion. The study has made an important contribution to the well-being literature because it has revealed the possible methodological problems and measurement artefacts of "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches. In addition, it provided evidence supporting the adaptive role of anxiety and individual properties as its moderators.

15.6  Anxiety, EEG Signals and Detection of Emotional Facial Expressions: Performance on a Go/No-Go Task

Ma gorzata Fajkowska (Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland), Michael W. Eysenck (Royal Holloway University of London, UK), Piotr Ja\'skowski (University of Finance and Management, Poland) & Anna Zagórska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland)  
Differences in processing emotional material among repressors, truly low anxious, high anxious and defensive high anxious individuals (Weinberger, Schwartz & Davidson 1979) might be explained on the basis of differentiation in the level of cortical activation (see M.W. Eysenck, 2006, 2007; Fajkowska, 2007; Kline & Allen, 2008; Crost, Paulus & Wacker, 2008). In presented studies both defensiveness and anxiety have been associated with the EEG activity and processing emotionally salient information such as emotional facial expressions. 100 participants completed STAI and Marlowe Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSD). One week apart they took part in the Emotional Go/No-Go task (cf. Hare et al., 2005; Ladouceur et al. 2006) and were instructed to either respond to (Go trials) or not respond to (No-Go trials) specific facial expressions (angry, sad, happy, neutral). Results challenged the well-established effects of defensiveness and frontal asymmetry in predicting anxiety. Findings are discussed in the light of theory related to the two neuroanatomically, functionally different regulatory systems controlling motor readiness and perceptual receptivity (Pribram & McGuinness, 1975, 1980; Tucker & Williamson, 1984; De Brabander, Declerck & Boon, 2002) and affective reactivity (two affect dimensions approach-Heller, 1993; Russell, 2003; Robinson & Compton, 2006).

Chapter 4
Papers

1  Sunday 10:00 - 12:00: Paper Session 1: Behavioral Genetics

1.1  Gene-Environment Interaction in General Cognitive Ability (g) ? is Socioeconomic Status a Moderator?

M. Spengler, F.M. Spinath & J. Gottschling (Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Germany)  
The interplay of genetic and environmental influences on interindividual differences in general cognitive ability (g) is complex and yet not fully understood. Especially in young children, environmental factors like socioeconomic status (SES) appear to play an important role in moderating genetic and environmental variance in intelligence. The present study is part of the ongoing twin study CoSMoS (Cognitive Ability, Self-Reported Motivation, and School Achievement; Spinath & Wolf, 2006), which includes data from 399 pairs of twins (138 monozygotic, 261 dizygotic). We conducted analysis of gene-environment (GxE) interaction using a continuous moderator variable (Purcell, 2002). Our findings indicate that SES modifies the genetic and environmental etiology of general cognitive ability in young children (aged 8 to 11 years). Results and implications for future research are discussed, especially in the context of other GxE studies on intelligence.

1.2  Sources of Variance in Personality Faces: A Twin Study of Self-Peer (DIS-) Agreement

Christian Kandler & Rainer Riemann (Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Germany), Frank M. Spinath (Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Germany)  
We analyzed the etiology of common and specific variance in personality facets based on the five-factor model of personality using both self- and mean peer reports on NEO-PI-R facets. The data of 433 identical, 263 fraternal and 223 unmatched twins were analyzed using a hierarchical multiple-rater twin model to disentangle genetic and environmental domain-level trait, facet-specific trait, method and random error variance. Model-fit analyses suggested that about 63% of valid domain-level variance was due to genetic influence and 37% to specific environmental influence. Method effects on self-reports showed substantial genetic influence across all domains whereas method effects on mean peer reports did not. Genetic effects accounted for 64% of facet-specific trait variance. The results support the hypothesis that after correcting for method effects and measurement error the hierarchical structure of NEO-PI-R dimensions primarily reflects a genetic architecture.

1.3  Causes of Stability of Motivation from Early to Middle Childhood: A Longitudinal Genetic Analysis

J. Gottschling, F.M. Spinath & M. Spengler (Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Germany), B. Spinath (Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Germany)  
Although behavioral genetic studies have repeatedly shown the important role of genetics for individual differences in motivational variables (e.g., Spinath et al., 2008), there is only limited knowledge about the relative importance of genetic and environmental effects on the stability and change of these variables for children between 8 to 11 years. As part of the ongoing twin study CoSMoS (Cognitive Ability, Self-Reported Motivation, and School Achievement; Spinath & Wolf, 2006), we investigated how the influence of genetic and environmental factors on different motivational variables (e.g., self-perceived ability, intrinsic values, fear of failure, hope for success) changed over a period of three years. Data from 399 pairs of twins (138 monozygotic, 261 dizygotic) was collected at the first measurement occasion in 2005. The second assessment is currently underway and will be completed in early 2009. Results of longitudinal genetic analyses will be presented and implications for future research will be discussed.

1.4  Predicting School Success: The Role of Working Memory Capacity, Motivation and Environmental Factors

H. Weber, F.M. Spinath & J. Kray (Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Germany)  
The main goal of the presented study is to determine the relative contribution of cognitive and non-cognitive variables (e.g., motivation, parenting and involvement) to the development of school success. Whereas the importance of general intelligence regarding school success is well understood, less is known about the role of Working Memory Capacity as a major cognitive predictor in the school context. Family and other environmental influences provide the setting in which achievement behavior develops and is carried out. Between family differences regarding parental support and involvement on the one hand as well as cultural influences (e.g., norms and values) can contribute beyond cognitive factors to individual differences in school success. The simultaneous assessment of Working Memory Capacity and non-cognitive variables in one study is a new approach aimed at identifying factors which influence school success in young children.
Our sample will contain 300 German primary school children aged between 9 and 10 years. The assessment of Working Memory Capacity will take place in the classroom. All non-cognitive variables will be measured via questionnaires answered by children and parents at home.
At ISSID 2009, we plan to report first results from this interdisciplinary study which is conducted in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China).

1.5  Patterns and Sources of Adult Personality Development: Growth Curve Analyses in a Longitudinal Twin Study

Wiebke Bleidorn, Christian Kandler, Rainer Riemann & Alois Angleitner (Bielefeld University, Germany), Frank M. Spinath (Saarland University, Germany)  
The present study examines the patterns and sources of 10-year stability and change of personality assessed by the five domains and 30 facets of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory. Phenotypic and biometric analyses were performed on data from 126 identical and 61 fraternal twins from the Bielefeld Longitudinal Study of Adult Twins (BiLSAT). Consistent with previous research, latent growth curve analyses revealed significant mean-level changes in domains and facets suggesting maturation of personality. There were also substantial individual differences in the growth trajectories of both domain and facet scales. Biometric extensions of growth curve models showed that 10-year stability and change in personality were influenced by both genetic as well as environmental factors. Regarding etiology of change, our analyses uncovered a more complex picture as findings suggest noticeable differences between traits with respect to the magnitude of genetic and environmental effects.

1.6  Assortative Mating for Social Attitudes

Rainer Riemann (University of Bielefeld, Germany)  
Previous research has shown substantial assortative mating for social attitudes. In our study the genetic and environmental basis of assortative mating for social attitudes is examined in a sample of 226 monozygotic and 168 twin pairs diagnosed as dizygotic. In addition to twins' reports on social attitudes, measures of Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, and Conservatism were collected from the twins' partners and parents. An analysis of genetic and environmental correlations (based on a Cholesky decomposition) of data from twins and their partners informs about the genetic and environmental basis of mate selection and shows a very strong genetic effect on the correlation between the twins' partners. An extended twin family analysis (based on data from twins, twin parents, and twin partners) allows examining the sources of assortative mating. The discussion of results focuses on the comparison of the two analytic strategies.

2  Sunday 14:30 - 16:30: Paper Session 2: Intelligence over the Life Span

2.1  Openness to New Experiences, Memory and Everyday Functioning in the Elderly

T. Nettelbeck & T. Gregory (School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Australia), C. Wilson (School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Australia & Flinders University of South Australia)  
Anecdotal evidence suggests that elderly people who are more open to new experiences or willing to try new things may age more successfully. This study administered the NEO-Openness scale (as a measure of openness to new experience), the Wechsler Memory Scale - III (WMS-III) and the Everyday Problems Test (EPS) to a sample of 74 elderly adults aged 75 to 90 years. Results confirmed that higher Openness was associated with better performance on the EPS (r = .24, p < .05), and several indices of memory from the WMS-III, namely visual immediate memory (r = .27, p < .05), auditory immediate memory (r = .25, p < .05) and general delayed memory (r =.25, p < .05). Controlling for age reduced these correlations only marginally but controlling for differences in Raven's scores, measured five years previously, reduced correlations to non-significant levels. This suggests that the positive benefits of openness to new experiences reflect differences in reasoning abilities five years previously.

2.2  Relationships between Age, Processing Speed, Working Memory, Inhibition and Fluid Intelligence in Older Adults

V. Danthiir (CSIRO Human Nutrition, Australia), N. Burns & T. Nettelbeck (School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Australia), C. Wilson (CSIRO Human Nutrition, Australia), & G. Wittert (School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Australia)  
Processing speed, working memory, and inhibition have all been postulated as mediating age-related differences in higher-order cognitive abilities such as reasoning. Given overlap between these cognitive constructs, it is unclear to what extent each construct is independently related to age-related differences in higher-order cognitive abilities. Furthermore, empirical evidence supports a multifactorial structure of processing speed but multiple speed factors have not generally been considered when assessing relationships between age-related slowing of processing speed and higher-order abilities. This cross-sectional study investigates these issues by examining together all constructs in an elderly sample. 391 (46.3% male) community-dwelling adults, aged 65-90 years (M = 73.1, SD = 5.5), with a mean of 12.9 years of education (SD = 3.8) completed a large battery of tasks. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine relationships between fluid intelligence, processing speed, working memory, inhibition and age and various models are discussed. General processing speed was found not only to mediate the relationship between age and fluid intelligence indirectly through working memory, but also directly, in this study.

2.3  Age, Self-Estimates of Memory and Memory for Words, Faces, and Names

A. Hildebrandt & O. Wilhelm (Department of Education, Humboldt University, Germany), K. Tauber & W. Sommer(Department of Psychology, Humboldt University, Germany)  
Subjective complaints about cognitive performance and their correspondence with actual performance decrements are rarely investigated. Subjective complaints about age decrements in memory for faces and names are pronounced and are reported at a rather young age. Self-estimates of ability and corresponding abilities are not strongly related. This is also valid for self-estimates of memory performance and memory performance. In an age heterogeneous sample (N=448, 18-88 years) self-estimates for face, name and word memory were collected. Participants subsequently worked on a battery of tasks including corresponding performance measures. Using multiple-group CFA for three age groups strong invariant measurement models for both, self-estimates and memory performance were established, respectively. Therefore the total sample was analyzed with respect to correlations between self-estimates and performance. Self-estimates for face memory and for word memory were correlated with corresponding performance measures (.30-.32 respectively). The correlation within the name domain failed to reach significance. Additional results with respect to potentially moderating or mediating self-reports and abilities will be reported. Harmful "not seeking memory training when objectively indicated" and protective "forgetting that you forget" consequences of the low relations between self-estimates and abilities will be discussed.

2.4  IQ in Childhood and Atherosclerosis in Middle-Age: 40 year Follow-up of the Newcastle Thousand Families Cohort Study

Beverly A. Roberts (Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK), G. David Batty (Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh & MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, UK), Ian J. Deary (Centre for Cognitive Ageing & Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK), Louise Parker (Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics & Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Canada), Nigel Unwin & Mark S. Pearce (Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University, UK)  
Objective: Higher childhood intelligence is associated with lower risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) in later life. We examined the association between childhood intelligence and intima-media thickness (IMT), a marker of atherosclerosis, to investigate gender differentials in this association and its potential mechanisms. Methods: Data were taken from members of the Newcastle Thousand Families Study, a prospective cohort study of all 1142 births in the city of Newcastle in May and June 1947, who took an IQ test at 11 years and participated in a medical examination and lifestyle assessment at age 50 years. Results: Individuals with higher childhood IQ had lower levels of intima-media thickness (IMT) in middle-age. For every standard deviation increase in childhood IQ, IMT decreased by 9.35mm (95% CI=-17.98, -0.73) in men and by 9.83mm (95% CI=-19.29, -0.39) in women. Adjustment for a range of covariates increased the effect in women (?=-12.25, 95% CI=-21.12, -0.39) and slightly attenuated the effect in men (?=-7.84, 95% CI=-17.58, 1.90). Conclusions: Higher childhood IQ was associated with lower levels of intima-media thickness in adult men and women.

2.5  Consequences of Grade Retention for Later Life: A Forty-Year Longitudinal Study

Daniela S. Schalke, Martin Brunner & Romain Martin (Research Unit for Educational Measurement and Applied Cognitive Science, University of Luxembourg)  
Grade retention of students in school is a controversial issue. Retaining a student is a pedagogical measure that is supposed to improve both the student's academic achievements and social and emotional adjustment. Most empirical studies, however, did not find positive effects on academic achievements and showed even negative effects on the social and emotional adjustment of retained students. Although some studies report long-term effects of retention until the end of students' school careers, little is known about the long-term consequences of grade retention for later life. The present longitudinal study examines the effects of retention on key life out-comes over a 40 year time-span. Data were obtained from a representative sample of over 600 persons who participated in two waves of data collection when they aged 12 years and 52 years, respectively. We investigated the long term effects of grade retention on highest level of education completed, socio-economic status as well as general and specific cognitive abilities. Meaningful relations were found between retention and the life outcome variables even when cognitive abilities and academic achievement at the age of 12 were controlled for. Implications for educational practice as well as socio-cognitive development are discussed.

2.6  Inter- and Intraindividual Variability in Cognitive Abilities and Student Achievement

Gizem Hueluer & O. Wilhelm (Institute for Educational Progress, Humboldt University, Germany)  
Research on cognitive abilities is usually restricted to the analysis of interindividual differences in a variety of cognitive tasks. The relation between traditional cognitive abilities and student achievement is a critical and sensible topic in educational research. Questions regarding this relation are usually addressed from an interindividual differences perspective. In this study we are concentrating on change in working memory capacity (WMC) and student achievement in 9th graders over the course of two years. The sample consists of 196 9th graders attending different secondary school types. The students participate every 14 days in a 2 h testing session and complete 44 measurement points per participant. In each testing session participants complete two blocks of automatically generated parallel tests of three working memory tasks (N-back, Alpha-span, Memory updating), student achievement tests in German (Mother tongue for most participants) and Mathematics. Additionally participants complete a variety of questionnaires on school-related behavior and achievement related personality traits. We will report preliminary results from the first year focusing on the structure of individual differences at baseline, the growth and change patterns of WMC and student achievement and whether there are causal effects of WMC or self report constructs on student achievement.

3  Sunday 16:30 - 17:30: Paper Session 3: New Approaches to Intelligence

3.1  Viewing Comprehension: A New Ability or a Composite of Existing Constructs?

U. Schroeders, O. Wilhelm & N. Bucholtz (Institute for Educational Progress, Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany)  
The ability to derive valid conclusions and to comprehend complex material is essential for reasoning and knowledge acquisition. Comprehension tests are unnecessarily restricted to texts, sometimes enriched with graphs, tables or figures. We created comprehension tests based on educational video materials. Short video sequences were followed by a number of comprehension questions. Research questions were whether or not viewing comprehension a) works fine psychometrically, b) is perfectly related with reading comprehension, and c) can be regarded as a linear function of established constructs. In study 1, 216 students worked on natural sciences viewing and reading comprehension tests and completed sciences knowledge tests and three fluid intelligence measures. Performance in both comprehension tasks is essentially perfectly correlated. Comprehension ability in a science context is a linear function of decontextualized reasoning and domain specific knowledge. In study 2, 442 participants completed reading, listening, and viewing comprehension tasks for English as a foreign language. The results show high correlations among the latent factors. Relations with fluid and crystallized intelligence are high but far from perfect. We conclude that viewing comprehension tests work fine as a new method in the assessment of domain specific comprehension.

3.2  Openness, Fluid, and Crystallized Intelligence: A Different Model

M. Ziegler (Psychology Institute, Humboldt Universität Berlin, Germany), M. Heene (Psychology Institute, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany), W. Schneider (Psychology Institute, University Würzburg, Germany), J. Asendorpf (Psychology Institute, Humboldt Universität Berlin, Germany) & M. Bühner (Psychology Institute, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany)  
Openness to experience is often regarded as a moderator, influencing the relationship between fluid and crystallized intelligence. Two studies were conducted here to test a different model in which fluid intelligence acts as a mediator between openness and crystallized intelligence. It is argued that Openness only leads to greater accumulated knowledge if people employ reasoning when encountering new information. In study 1 data from the LOGIC study were used. In this longitudinal study N=239 children were assessed at the age of 4, 10, and 12. Results show that openness at the age of 4 predicts knowledge at the age of 12. This relationship is fully accounted for by fluid intelligence. In a second study, openness and fluid intelligence were assessed on a facet level in a sample of N=180 students. Results showed that (a) openness as measured by the facets fantasy, ideas, actions, and values predicts verbal knowledge and (b) that this relationship is fully mediated by verbal reasoning. The present findings support the above stated idea that fluid intelligence acts as a mediator between openness and crystallized intelligence and are discussed in the light of existing theorie.

3.3  Switching between Three Tasks: Relationships with Personality, Intelligence, Anxiety, and Level of Arousal

Edward Necka, Joanna Rusinska & Maciej Taraday (Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Poland)  
Task switching requires efficient cognitive control; hence, it is costly in terms of response latency and probability of error. Usually the performance characteristics are poorer in the switch condition compared to the repetition condition. In our presentation, we will focus on relationships between magnitude of switch costs and a few dimensions of individual differences. As to general intelligence, the literature is not conclusive concerning the question whether highly intelligent people pay lesser switching costs. They should since intelligence seems to be rooted in efficient cognitive control; however, there are mixed results concerning this issue. As to personality, anxiety, and arousal, the literature does not say almost anything concerning relationships between these dimensions and magnitude of switch costs, although there are theoretical reasons to expect some links out there. Results of two studies will be presented (N=70 and N=90). The methods are: Ravens's matrices, EPQ-R, STAI, and our own scale of arousal. Switch costs are assessed with a computerized task allowing study of how people manage to perform three tasks in an unpredictable manner.

3.4  Are Auditorily Intelligent People also Socially Intelligent?

K. Seidel (Department of Aviation and Space Psychology, German Aerospace Center, Germany), H.-M. Süß (Department of Methods, Psychodiagnostic and Evaluation Research, University of Magdeburg, Germany) & S. Weis (Center of Methods, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany)  
Auditory/musical giftedness has often been associated with social abilities. Against the background of assumed links between auditory ability and social functioning, it is surprising that no psychometric research has related social intelligence to auditory intelligence. Emotions research studies dealing with social/emotional cues in the voice are exceptions. This paper investigates the relationship between auditory and social intelligence by focusing on their common parts, the social/emotional auditory abilities. The sample involved 175 participants aged between 23 and 40 years who worked on a revised and complemented form of the Stankov and Horn (1980) auditory intelligence tasks. Social intelligence was assessed by the performance-based Magdeburg Test of Social Intelligence (Süß, Seidel, & Weis, 2008) which measures social understanding, memory, and perception applying textual, audio, photographic, and video-based stimuli. Additionally, subjects completed a musical experience questionnaire. The findings show that auditory speech tasks are more highly correlated with social intelligence than auditory nonverbal tasks. The correlation was particularly strong between social memory and auditory speech tasks. Musical experience was not consistently correlated with social intelligence. Conclusively, people who are good at perceiving, memorizing and reasoning with regard to speech dealing with non-social topics score significantly higher than average on aspects of social intelligence.

4  Sunday 16:30 - 17:30: Paper Session 4: Affective Processes

4.1  Automatic Processing of Verbal and Nonverbal Emotional Stimuli in Alexithymia

B. Szymura, K. Czernecka, D. Asanowicz & M. Wierzcho\'n (Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Poland)  
According to some theories, emotional information or emotional experience can be represented on different levels and in different codes. Visual code is considered fundamental, inborn and simplest while verbal code is acquired and developed with time, allowing more subtle and sophisticated representations to be built. A number of studies were aimed at examining possible differences in processing of visual and verbal emotional information by alexithymics (i.e. individuals having difficulties with emotional processing). It was suggested that the deficit is general as it exhibits itself while processing emotional stimuli in both visual (e.g. facial expressions) and verbal code (e.g. language tags). We carried out a similar comparison, but involving fast, involuntary and automatic responses to such stimulation. We used carefully preselected material (emotional words, pictures of emotional expressions) in a number of widely used procedures (e.g. dot-probe task) to assess automatic processing of theirs by alexithymic individuals. The pattern of results was expected to be different from the one observed in previous experiments involving controlled processing; although verbal stimuli may still cause difficulties, processing of non-verbal information should remain intact, being the most basic and primarily automatized. The data are currently being analyzed.

4.2  The Emotional Stroop Interference in Alexithymic Individuals

D. Asanowicz, K. Czernecka, B. Szymura & M. Wierzcho\'n (Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Poland)  
Many studies confirm that high levels of trait alexithymia result in an impairment of emotional information processing. Nevertheless, few were focused on early stages of cognitive processing that occur largely involuntarily and outside the awareness. Such data is in demand, as it is possible that alexithymic deficit does not manifest itself when emotional stimuli are automatically processed and is in fact limited to conscious level only. The emotional Stroop test was acknowledged to be a useful tool in such investigations yet the results obtained so far with its use are inconclusive, mostly due to methodological constraints. We attempted to clarify the matter, trying to overcome some of the limitations of preceding studies. In order to minimize the influence of confounding factors, the classic version of the task and pretested stimuli were used and the participants were drawn from a highly alexithymic non-clinical population (soldiers). It was expected that interference effect will be influenced by the level of alexithymia, but the question whether the effect will be stronger (sensitization towards emotional stimuli) or weaker (indifference to emotional stimuli) for such individuals compared to non-alexithymics remained open as both possibilities are partially supported by previous findings. The data are currently being analyzed.

4.3  Why Gamblers Always Win: An Examination of the Link between Impulsive Personality and Gambling Behaviour

P.J. O'Connor (School of Arts and Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Australia) & C.J. Jackson (Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales, Australia)  
Research tends to indicate that trait Impulsivity and Problem Gambling are related; however, the nature of this relationship remains unclear. In this study, a moderated-mediated model of personality precursors to problem gambling was tested. Specifically, it was suggested that Impulsivity indirectly predicts gambling via the socio-cognitive dimension of Cooperativeness (an indicator of social competence), but also interacts with this variable to directly predict gambling behaviour. Participants were 260 adults who claimed to gamble at least occasionally. In accordance with the hypothesis, results indicated a significant indirect effect between Impulsivity and Gambling, and also indicated that this effect was stronger at high levels of Impulsivity (conditional indirect effect). Results are discussed in terms of development of problem gambling, and suggestions are offered regarding the treatment and prevention of problem gambling.

5  Sunday 16:30 - 17:30: Paper Session 5: Interpersonal Processes

5.1  Neuroticism and Extraversion Moderate Effects of Marital Status on Life Satisfaction

Peter Borkenau & Marko Paelecke (Department of Psychology, Martin-Luther University, Germany)  
Testing reinforcement sensitivity theory, we studied whether extraversion and neuroticism moderated effects of marital status on life satisfaction, using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, a household survey started in 1984 and involving more than 10,000 persons living in Germany. Each year participants indicated their marital status and life satisfaction. Moreover, measures of the Big Five were administered once in 2005. This allowed studying main effects of personality and marital status on life satisfaction, as well as personality-related differences in effects of marital status on life satisfaction. Out of 21,100 participants: (a) 2,067 entered the studied unmarried, married during the study, and remained married; (b) 1,462 were divorced during the study and did not remarry; and (c) 718 entered the study married, were widowed, and did not remarry. Persons scoring high on neuroticism and introverts were less happy than emotionally stable persons and extraverts. More interestingly, hierarchical linear modeling showed that these differences grew stronger following changes in marital status, to the effect that divorce and death of spouse had persistent negative effects on the life satisfaction of emotionally unstable but not of stable persons. Low Neuroticism operated as a buffer from negative effects of adverse life events on life satisfaction.

5.2  Why Are Narcissists So Charming at First Sight? Decoding the Narcissism-Popularity Link at Zero Acquaintance

Mitja D. Back (Department of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany), Stefan C. Schmukle (Department of Psychology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Germany) & Boris Egloff (Department of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany)  
Based on a realistic behavioral approach, we show that narcissists are popular at zero acquaintance and explain why this is the case. In Study 1, a group of psychology freshmen (/N/ = 73) judged each other based on brief self-introductions using a large round-robin design (2,628 dyads). Three main findings were revealed: First, narcissism leads to popularity at first sight. Second, the aspects of narcissism that are most maladaptive in the long-run (exploitativeness/entitlement) proved to be most attractive at zero acquaintance. Third, an examination of observable verbal and nonverbal behaviors as well as aspects of physical appearance provided an explanation for why narcissists are more popular at first sight. Results were confirmed using judgments of uninvolved perceivers under three different conditions for which the amount of available information was varied systematically: (a) full information (video and sound, Study 2, /N /= 95), (b) nonverbal information only (video only, Study 3, /N /= 68), or (c) physical information only (still photograph of clothing, Study 4, /N /= 45). These findings have important implications for understanding the inter- and intrapersonal dynamics of narcissism.

5.3  Trait Empathy and Altruistic Behavior: The Moderating Effects of Behavioral Cost and Choice

Eamonn Ferguson (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK)  
Individual differences in empathy have long been considered within psychological theory as a key determinant of altruistic behavior. However, other theories in psychology (e.g., negative state relief model)- as well as economics and biology-state that empathy is not important, instead emphasizing egoistic motivations. For human altruism both cost to the individual and the choice to act are key features. To reconcile the two positions on empathy (required or not-required for altruism) a theoretical model is advanced whereby empathic traits are hypothesized, in a choice phase, to orient attention towards helping. Subsequently empathy is envisaged to predict low cost helping and egoistic traits to predict high cost helping. Davis' multidimensional index of trait empathy was completed across 3 experiments (Ns = 200, 200, 60) manipulating cost to the individual, choice and altruistic versus egoistic orientation and assessing behavioral choice and responses to experimental lotteries. The consistent pattern of results indicated that cognitive empathy oriented people towards helping. Affective empathy and hedonism were shown to predict low cost helping, with high cost helping predicted by the egoistic motivation of benevolence (benefits both recipient and donor). Implications for theoretical models of altruism and role of individual difference within those models are discussed.

5.4  Mechanisms of the National Character Stereotype: How People in Six Neighboring Countries of Russia Describe Themselves and the Typical Russian

Anu Realo & Jüri Allik (University of Tartu and The Estonian Center of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Estonia), Jan-Erik Lönnqvist & Markku Verkasalo (University of Helsinki, Finland), Anna Kwiatkowska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland), Liisi Kööts & Maie Kütt (University of Tartu, Estonia), Rasa Barkauskiene (Vilnius University, Lithuania), Alfredas Laurinavicius (Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania), Konstantin Karpinski & Alexandr Kolyshko (Grodno State University, Belarus), Sandra Sebre & Viesturs Renge (University of Latvia, Latvia)  
Altogether, 1,448 individuals from six neighboring countries of Russia in the Baltic Sea region (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Belarus) described a "typical" member of their own nation and a "typical" Russian, as well as rated their own personality "I am É"), using the same set of 30 National Character Survey (NCS) items. Results suggest that national character stereotypes are indeed widely shared and temporally stable, but are, nevertheless, unsystematically related to assessed personality traits. Agreement between national auto-stereotypes and assessed personality traits was either positive (Belarus), strongly negative (Lithuania and Poland), or completely absent (Estonia, Finland, and Latvia). Although members of the six nations studied had a relatively similar view of the Russian national character, this view was only moderately related with the Russian auto-stereotype. National character stereotypes about one's own nation appear to be formed in contrast to a dominant neighboring nation or to people's self-rated personality traits: the typical ingroup or outgroup member is portrayed in less socially desirable terms than people's ratings of their own personality.

6  Monday 10:00 - 12:00: Paper Session 6: Experimental Measures of Cognitive Processes

6.1  Individual Differences in Cognitive Control: The Role of Psychoticism and Working Memory in Set-Shifting

A.J. Cooper, L.D. Smillie, I.J. Tharp & E. Pelling (Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK)  
Set-shifting refers to a process of cognitive control which is shown through flexible behavioural adaptation to changes in task parameters or demands, such as the switching of an explicit rule (extra-dimensional rule shifting) or the reversal of a reinforcement contingency (reversal-learning). Set-shifting deficits are widely documented in specific neuropsychological disorders, but seldom investigated in relation to normally-occurring individual differences. In a sample of healthy adults (N = 78, 28 % male), we showed that Working Memory and trait Psychoticism have independent involvement in extra-dimensional rule shifting as measured using an analogue of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Only Psychoticism, however, was involved in reversal-learning, as assessed using a recent modification of the Iowa Gambling Task. Individual differences in extra-dimensional rule shifting were explained in terms of rule abstraction speed, while individual differences in reversal-learning were explained in terms of response perseveration. These results clarify component processes in different forms of set-shifting, and highlight the role of individual differences, especially personality, in cognitive control.

6.2  Mental Rotation of 2- and 3-Dimensional Objects: Sex Differences, Effects of Training and Changes in Cortical Activity

Aljoscha C. Neubauer & Andreas Fink (University of Graz, Austria)  
The well-documented sex difference in mental rotation favouring males has been shown to emerge only for 2-dimensional presentations of 3-dimensional objects, but not with actual 3-dimensional objects or with augmented reality presentations of three-dimensional objects. Training studies using computer games like Tetris or Blockout have demonstrated training effects on mental rotation performance. Here we wanted to study the combined effect of a two-week mental rotation training (including a variety of rotation tasks from psychometric intelligence tests as well as Tetris) on 2-dimensional vs. 3-dimensional versions of a classic Shepard-Metzler task (presented in a pretest-training-posttest design) and their accompanying cortical activation patterns assessed via EEG. For reasons of comparison two additional tasks drawing on aspects of math competence (charts, subtractions) were presented during pretest and posttest. A preliminary analysis of the behavioral results in the currently tested sample of 55 adolescents (around 15 years of age) reveals clear training effects on both 2- and 3-dimensional mental rotation performance (as operationalized by speed and accuracy). Training effects were also observed for the subtraction but not for the chart task. Training effects appear to be weakly moderated by participants' sex, particularly during 2-dimensional mental rotation.

6.3  Strategy Shifts as Indicator for Intelligence: An Eye-Movement Analysis for Analogical Reasoning

Gudrun Wesiak & Wolfgang Krenn (Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria)  
This study investigates the effects of item difficulty and individual solution strategies on analogical reasoning performance. Twenty-eight university students processed 24 geometric matrices (with eight answer alternatives each) while their eye-movements were recorded. Item difficulty was varied systematically by combining the three problem components difficulty (low/high), number (2/3/4), and ambiguity (low/high) of rules. The analysis of fixation frequencies and scan paths showed an effect of the item components as well as differences between low and high scoring participants (split at the test score Median). Especially for difficult item components, high scoring participants displayed a stronger increase of (a) the fixation frequency per item, (b) the proportion of fixations on the nine matrix cells (as compared to the answer alternatives), (c) alternation latency (time to the first fixation on the alternatives), and (d) the proportion of systematic scan-paths (number of fixations falling in predefined solution patterns). In other words, they seem to adapt their solution behaviour to item difficulty, whereas low scoring participants show significantly smaller changes in their behaviour. The results suggest that the successful solution of analogical reasoning tasks is not only due to inter-individual differences in strategy, but also to intra-individual strategy shifts.

6.4  Can Auditory Tests Measure General Speediness?

Ian T. Zajac, Nicholas R. Burns, Vanessa Danthiir & Ted Nettelbeck (School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Australia)  
Very little research has explored whether broad cognitive abilities persist when tests are presented via modalities other than visual; such as auditory. The abilities referred to are those identified in current taxonomies of human intelligence such as Gf-Gc theory and the issue is of principal interest because the extent to which these abilities reflect general cognitive processes is not entirely evident. This research explored whether the broad ability General Speediness (Gs) could be measured using auditory tests. To achieve this, a series of auditory Gs tests were developed so as to be analogous to existing visual measures; such as Symbol Digit and Number Comparisons.
Undergraduate university students (N=180) completed a battery of tests including the new auditory tests, a series of Reaction Time tasks (visual and auditory), and existing visual Gs marker tests. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the auditory and visual RT tasks loaded on a single RT factor, which correlated moderately with a factor defined by the new auditory and existing visual Gs tasks. These results provide preliminary evidence that Gs can be measured auditorily, and suggest that other second stratum abilities might also be measurable with specially designed auditory tests.

6.5  Mental Ability and ERP Components: P300 and Mismatch Negativity for Frequency and Duration Discrimination

Stefan J. Troche (Institute for Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland), Michael E. Houlihan (Department of Psychology, St. Thomas University, Canada), Robert M. Stelmack (School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada) & Thomas H. Rammsayer (Institute for Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland)  
Previous research reported an association between mental ability (MA) and temporal information processing on the behavioral level of information processing. To the best of our knowledge, on the level of event-related potentials (ERPs), the relation of MA to temporal information processing has not been investigated up to now. Therefore, the present study compared the relations of MA to ERPs derived from a frequency and a duration oddball task in 61 female and 12 male participants (mean age ± SD: 19.6 ± 4.2 years). P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN) were analyzed to obtain information about speed of information processing (P300 and MMN latencies) as well as duration and frequency discrimination abilities (MMN amplitudes). Frequency and duration P300 latencies explained large variance of MA commonly but also independently of each other. Duration and frequency MMN amplitudes predicted the quality of the behavioral discrimination process and MA. The outcome of the present study emphasizes the crucial role of both mental speed and discrimination ability for the understanding of human intelligence. Furthermore, our results encourage ERP research to investigate more dimensions of information processing since both temporal and frequency ERP measures contributed to the explanation of MA.

6.6  The Efficiency of Attentional Networks in Bilingual Individuals: Evidence from the Lateralized Attention Network Test

Anna Marzecová & Dariusz Asanowicz (Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Poland)  
Bilingual individuals, in comparison with monolinguals, exhibit a more effective mechanism of language control due to the need of continual differentiating and switching between two languages. A study examined how the consecutive use of this particular control mechanism enhances a general functioning of Attentional Networks. A purely non-verbal task - the lateralized version of Attention Network Test (ANT) was used in order to measure an efficiency of Executive, Orienting and Alerting networks in each cerebral hemisphere separately. The aim of an experiment was: 1) to replicate the study of Costa et al. (2008), which revealed more efficient conflict resolution and reduced switching cost between the different types of trials in bilinguals in comparison with monolinguals; 2) to examine whether this control benefit is generalized to other mechanisms of cognitive control by analyzing the cost component of orienting; 3) to investigate the impact of training on magnitude of conflict cost in between groups by using a longer and more difficult task than one previously used; 4) to explore a potentially occurring alerting effect. In addition, the study attempted to cast a light on a controversial topic of hemispheric asymmetries in bilinguals by indicating laterality patterns of non-verbal cognitive functions.

7  Monday 12:00 - 13:00: Paper Session 7: Interrelationships of Cognitive and Affective Processes (4)

7.1  A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship of Personality and Academic Performance: Complex, Dynamic and a Lot More than g

Arthur Poropat (Department of Management, Griffith University, Australia)  
This report is a description of a meta-analysis of personality-academic performance relationships, based on the Five-Factor Model (FFM), with cumulative sample sizes ranging to over 70,000. The FFM dimension of Conscientiousness had the strongest correlation with academic performance, but correlations with other FFM dimensions were also found. Controlling for intelligence had little effect on these correlations and when fairly compared with intelligence, the FFM dimension of Conscientiousness had similar validity as a predictor of academic performance. This is despite the fact that the FFM was developed as a summary of personality, while most intelligence measures were developed on the basis of academic performance or in order to predict it. Previous authors proposed that the interaction between motivational aspects of personality and changing academic performance demands would moderate relationships between personality and academic performance, so the moderating effects of academic level (primary, secondary and tertiary) and age were examined. Both had significant moderating effects on correlations with each of the FFM dimensions, and some interactions between these moderators were found. It was concluded that the relationship of personality with academic performance is important, but it is also complex and dynamic, precluding simple extrapolation of results from one age group to another.

7.2  Individual Differences in Confidence Judgments, their Determinates and their Role in Academic Outcomes of Primary School Children

Sabina Kleitman & Tanya Moscrop (School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Australia)  
Prior research into the area of metacognition has demonstrated robust individual differences in confidence ratings that adults assign to their answers during test-taking the Self-confidence factor. No studies, however, have demonstrated evidence of this construct among children and its role in school outcomes. There is also scarce evidence regarding the determinants of confidence levels. The current study investigates the existence of the Self-confidence factor in children aged 9-12 years (N=183) across a variety of cognitive tests. Students' intelligence was also assessed and their school grades were collected. Finally, the students indicated the quality of their relationship with parents. A series of Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted to examine individual differences in confidence ratings. Then, a theory-driven path model was examined. The results were three-fold: 1) the robust Self-confidence factor did emerge in children; 2) higher levels of Self-confidence predicted greater grades, irrespective of studentsâ intelligence, age and gender; 3) certain family dynamics predicted the levels of Self-confidence. Thus, the results support the existence of the stable individual differences in Self-confidence construct as early as in primary school and demonstrate the importance of this construct for academic outcomes. Implications for confidence levels and family dynamics that foster metacognitive development are discussed.

7.3  Personality, Vocational Interests, Cognitive Abilities and Values: Relationships and Potential Personality Complexes

Annamaria R. Quaresima & Aspasia Sarris (School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, Australia)  
Despite previous research reporting significant relationships between personality factors, vocational interests, cognitive abilities and values, few studies have examined more than two of these variables in combination, and, to date, no study has examined all four of these variables in combination. Further, in terms of personality, facet level relationships among these variables have not been fully explored. This study examined the relationship between personality at the facet level, vocational interests, cognitive abilities and values using a sample of 100 undergraduate students that completed the NEO-PI-R, the Self Directed Search, the Kit of Factor Referenced Cognitive Tests, and the Schwartz Values Survey. The results revealed low to moderate significant correlations between all of the variables, including a moderate negative relationship between the personality facet of Openness to Ideas and the value of Tradition, and a moderate positive relationship between the Extraversion facet of Assertiveness and the Enterprising vocational interest. Results suggest that personality, vocational interests, cognitive abilities and values are related yet distinct constructs. The implications of this research are that latent personality complexes may exist and may explain these relationships.

7.4  Individual Differences in Face Cognition

O. Wilhelm & A. Hildebrandt (Department of Education, Humboldt University, Germany), W. Sommer & Grit Herzmann (Department of Psychology, Humboldt University, Germany)  
Face perception and face cognition are important social abilities. Functional and neuroanatomical models suggest multiple abilities of face cognition that are distinct from established ability constructs. In a series of studies we developed and refined a test battery for face cognition and established measurement and structural models. In study 1 (N=151 young adults) a measurement model with latent factors for face perception, face memory, and facial speed was established. In study 2 (N=209 young adults) this model was replicated with a slightly modified task battery. Additionally, we found that face cognition factors could be regressed only partly onto established ability factors. In study 3 (N=448, 18-88 age range) a further revised battery of face cognition tasks was used to test the age invariance of the factors. Strong factorial invariance of the measurement model across the age groups was supported. Multi group models, age-weighted measurement models and latent interaction models show that primarily factor means change with age. The relative independence of established abilities was replicated. Taken together the results provide strong support for the ideas that there are several face cognition factors, that these factors are distinct from established abilities, and that these factors show strong age decrements in means.

8  Monday 12:00 - 13:00: Paper Session 8: Motivation and Career Choice

8.1  Individual Differences in Approach and Avoidance Motivation Underling Degree Choice among the Students of British Universities

Anya Skatova, David Clarke & Eamonn Ferguson (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK)  
Economic experiments in choice behavior (e.g., public goods games) have identified behaviorally consistent individual differences in motivation (altruistic versus selfish free-ride behaviors). However, it is unclear if the same consistent motivation orientations are observed when considering real life choices where selfish and altruistic motives may compete. Further, to start to have a better understanding of these motivations we need to know how they are related to established approach and avoidance individual differences such as BIS/BAS (Gray & McNaughton, 2000). The current study set out to examine these issues.
Differences in participants' career and degree choices were examined in 989 undergraduates, to see if the same altruistic or selfish motives guide people's behavior when they are making broader life chooses. Exploratory factor analysis revealed distinct factors relating to helping others; intrinsic interest; career success; and free-riding. Moreover, the results demonstrate significant correlations between these motivations and BIS/BAS orientations. For example a free-riding orientation was negatively associated with BIS (-.142) and positively with BAS drive (.147). The results are discussed with respect to how traits identified behaviorally in economics are related to established individual differences in approach-avoidance and how understanding of choice behavior can be advanced through the consideration of individual differences.

8.2  Assessing Achievement Motivation by Situational Judgment Items

Nicolas Sander (Applied Psychological Research and Development, Federal Employment Agency, Nürnberg, Germany)  
A central duty of the Psychological Service of the German Federal Employment Agency is to assess occupational aptitude in unemployed clients. Besides the examination of individual cognitive abilities, the adequate assessment of auxiliary non-cognitive traits is indispensable. This paper addresses the construction of an item pool comprising 40 items which aim to assess individual achievement motivation by situational judgments. Critical aspects of the construction process will be highlighted. This entails dealing with the trade-off of construct fidelity vs. ecological representativeness of the single situations. Further, fakeability of non-cognitive measures was taken into account by (a) focussing on individual biographic episodes, (b) enriching the items with an elaboration demand, and (c) providing an open answer format where the assessor judges the client's reactions. Finally, issues of mapping the responses onto Likert-type scales are dealt with by providing item-specific and general rating instructions. As a result, an item format will be presented not only consisting of situational descriptions but also of diagnostic aids for the assessor (e.g., BARS, targeted customers, item constraints). Preliminary data of an ongoing nationwide pilot study will allow evaluations of psychometric properties.

8.3  The Investigation of Spillover between Work and Private Life Referring to Personality and Coping

C. Reichl, H. Wolf & F.M. Spinath (Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Germany)  
Research on the interface between work and private life is increasing (Eby et al., 2005). However, little is known about interindividual differences in the process of handling multiple role demands. Focusing on physicians (n = 280) working in German hospitals, the present study investigates the influence of personality (five-factor-model) and coping (Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations; Endler & Parker, 1990) on the experience of positive and negative spillover between work and private life as well as on the longitudinal relationship between spillover and burnout/work engagement. Data were assessed at two points in time with a 1-year time interval. The main goals of the study are twofold: First, to provide evidence for a reciprocal relationship between spillover and burnout/work engagement. Second, to explain individual differences concerning the experience and reactivity to spillover in a model that includes personality and coping simultaneously. We report results of cross-lagged structural equation models assessing moderation effects of personality and coping. Results will be discussed with regard to implications for work-life-balance research as well as for practical issues.

8.4  Are There Individual Differences in the Quality of Assessing the Job Relevance of Big5-Personality Constructs?

Panja Andreßen (German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany), Stefan Höft (University of Applied Sciences (HdBA), Germany), Peter M. Muck (Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Germany)  
Different meta-analyses have shown the general relevance of personality aspects for job performance, but the importance of specific personality aspects seems to vary between different jobs. Job analysis techniques working with subject matter experts are common approaches to derive job-specific profiles. Two combined studies investigate experts' and laypersons' individual differences in assessing desirable personality profiles in the field of aviation personnel selection. The five-factor-model of personality is used to assess a personality profile of an `ideal pilot', measured by two different instruments: the NEO-PI-R, a non-transparent instrument, and the TIPI, a transparent questionnaire. In the first study, consensus of seven job specialists (training pilots) and six psychological experts (aviation psychologists) was analyzed and compared with equivalent laypersons' ratings (N=34 trainee pilot applicants). In a second study, the similarity of applicants' self-reported personality profiles (N=294) with the derived ideal profile was investigated as a predictor for application success. First results show support for the supposed interlinks between the ability to adequately assess personality profiles, the transparency of the measurement, and job performance.

9  Monday 12:00 - 13:00: Paper Session 9: Genetic mechanisms

9.1  The 5-HT1A C(-1019)G Polymorphism, Personality and Electrodermal Reactivity in a Reward and Punishment Paradigm

A. Schmitz (Department of Psychology, University of Giessen, Germany), P. Kirsch (Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany), M. Reuter (Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Germany), R. Osinsky, N. Alexander, E. Mueller & J. Hennig (Department of Psychology, University of Giessen, Germany)  
During the last years serotonergic polymorphisms were repeatedly associated with anxiety-related personality traits, vulnerability for depression and reactivity of neuronal pathways relevant for emotional processing. In this line, we examined the relationship between the 5-HT1A C(-1019)G polymorphism, personality measures of negative emotionality and reaction times in a punishment and reward paradigm as well as electrodermal activity, as a marker of physiological reactivity, in 123 healthy subjects. Participants with the GG genotype, which is related to increased expression of 5-HT1A autoreceptors, exhibit slower reaction times when they were able to win money (reward condition). Additionally, these subjects show a greater difference between reaction times in the reward condition compared to the punishment condition. Regarding electrodermal reactivity, the same participants show higher amplitudes in all experimental conditions. Furthermore, the mentioned reaction time pattern was related to higher scores in personality traits related to negative emotionality. These findings indicate that the 5-HT1A polymorphism is related to processing of punishment and reward cues as well as to an attenuated electrodermal reactivity.

9.2  Genetic and Cognitive Factors in the Prospective Prediction of Anxiety and Dysphoria

R. Osinsky (Department of Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University, Germany), A. Losch (Department of Psychology, University of Western Australia), N.Alexander (Department of Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University, Germany), A. Schmitz (Section on Developmental Genetic Epidemiology, NIMH, USA), J. Hennig (Department of Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University, Germany), C. MacLeod (Department of Psychology, University of Western Australia)  
Although previous research has repeatedly demonstrated the influence of genetic and cognitive variables on negative emotionality, only little is known about potential interrelations between these two classes of vulnerability-factors. By use of a prospective design, we measured the course of anxiety (STAI-T) and dysphoria (BDI) across the first college-semester in 120 undergraduate students. Moreover, we assessed a common variation in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and the attentional processing of negative information at semester-week one. Changes in anxiety during the semester were predicted by the attentional bias for negative information at week one but not by the 5-HTTLPR. However, we detected a substantial interaction of the cognitive and genetic factors for changes in dysphoria. In detail, the predictive capacity of the attentional bias score was moderated by the 5-HTTLPR genotype: only in homozygous carriers of the 5-HTTLPR short allele we observed a positive correlation between week-one attentional bias and dysphoria-changes later on. This modulatory interaction indicates that neuronal substrates of selective attention for emotional material are influenced by 5-HTTLPR genotype.

9.3  Associations between the 5-HTTLPR and the Dimension of Constraint Differ between Males and Females

J. Hennig, A. Schmitz, N. Alexander, Y. Kuepper, E. Mueller & R. Osinsky (Department of Psychology, University of Giessen, Germany)  
In the personality model of Depue the dimension "constraint" as measured by the MPQ was postulated to be mainly mediated by the serotonin neurotransmitter system. In fact several lines of evidence suggest that this dimension is affect-neutral and modulates positive as well as negative emotionality related to other systems (e.g. dopamine, norepinephrine). Moreover, recent studies demonstrated that activation or depletion of serotonergic activity (e.g. by challenge or depletion tests) lead to different effects in males and females. We therefore investigated in a sample of 250 males and females whether a) the dimension of constraint relates to the well-known polymorphism of the gene coding the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and b) whether possible associations differ between males and females. Our results demonstrate that women exhibit higher levels in constraint as compared to men. Whereas a main effect for 5-HTTLPR was not significant, an interaction with gender could be observed with men having lower and women having higher scale values when carrying the S-allele. Results will be discussed with respect to sex-dimorphic associations between serotonin and behavior.

9.4  The Role of the 5-HTTLPR in Attentional Processing of Emotional Stimuli

E. Mueller, R. Osinsky, N. Alexander, A. Schmitz, Y. Kuepper & J. Hennig (Department of Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Germany)  
Findings of recent behavioral and neurophysiologic studies indicated an association between a common serotonergic polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and selective attentional processing of emotional stimuli. In this context short(s)-allele carriers exhibit a hypersensitivity of neuronal emotional circuits and appear to allocate more cognitive resources to affective information. In our study 64 subjects (40 females and 24 males) participated in an emotional stroop task with a subliminal and a supraliminal condition. Subjects were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR and assigned to two groups: carriers of the short allelic variant (ss & sl) versus homozygous long allele carriers (ll). In contrast to previous findings s-allele carriers displayed behavioral indices of reduced attentional processing of emotionally valent material. Results are discussed with respect to the association between the 5-HTTLPR and negative emotionality.

10  Tuesday 16:30-17:30 Paper Session 10: Methods

10.1  Interrater Reliability: Measuring Agreement, and Nothing Else

Paul Barrett, Bob Hogan & Joyce Hogan (Hogan Assessment Systems Inc, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA)  
Conventionally, interrater reliability of ratings or scores is computed using a nonparametric estimate of agreement, a relevant intraclass model, or a Pearson correlation. For the case of multiple groups of raters, the rwg coefficient and its variants have been suggested. Within the latent variable domain, the use of Rasch Facet models for estimating reliability is recommended. But, what if we just treat ratings as simple numbers assigned by raters on some form of meaningful scale. All we want to do is estimate how similar ratings are to one another. This is not a matter of reliability at all, but simple discrepancy/similarity assessment. Using a dataset of over 800 raters, divided into two groups, peers and supervisors, each of whom provided ratings on two individuals, interrater reliability was computed using several conventional models. In contrast, two new coefficients utilizing simple absolute discrepancy and a computationally intensive procedure were computed. Results indicated that the conventional coefficients seriously underestimated actual rating agreement. The reasons for this are obvious, once you look at the raw data. The implications are significant for those meta-analyses which use a reliability coefficient of  0.5 for ratings. The figure from this study indicates it is nearer to 0.75.

10.2  Applicant Faking and the Prediction of Counterproductive Work Behavior

R.L. Griffith, M.H. Peterson & J.A. Isaacson (College of Psychology and Liberal Arts, Florida Institute of Technology, USA), P.M. Mangos (Kronos, Inc., USA)  
Concern over applicant faking has spurred considerable research; however, the use of within-subjects designs with real job applicants has been relatively scarce. The current study utilized a within-subjects design and data from a sample of 206 job applicants. We collected scores on a measure of conscientiousness at the application stage, and then later during a non-motivated research setting. We then compared estimates of faking via within-subjects score change to one traditional measurement of faking: a social desirability scale. Additionally, we examined both the impact of faking on the relationship between conscientiousness and counterproductive work behaviors, as well as the direct linkage between faking and counterproductive work behaviors. Using the faking identification methodology of Griffith, Chmielowski, and Yoshita (2007), we determined that 24% of the sample faked the conscientiousness assessment. Our results also suggested that social desirability scales are poor indicators of applicant faking, identifying only 19% of fakers correctly and exhibiting high false positive and false negative rates. In addition, bivariate correlation and polynomial regression results indicated that applicant faking is both directly related to counterproductive work behaviors (r = .23 p < .001) and has a negative impact on the criterion-related validity of conscientiousness as a predictor of these behaviors.

10.3  Are the Big Five Only Valid for Persons with Higher Educations?

Beatrice Rammstedt (Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences - GESIS, Germany), Lewis R. Goldberg (Oregon Research Institute, USA), Ingwer Borg (Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences - GESIS, Germany)  
Previous research findings suggest that the Big Five factor structure may not be measurement equivalent at all educational levels. The present study examines the factor structure of the Big Five for two large samples (N = 2,567 and N = 3,421, respectively) of the German adult population, both of whicht are representative of all educational levels. Results reveal that for the total population the Big Five factor structure does not replicate. Split by educational levels, the Big Five clearly emerge only in those subsamples with a general university entrance qualification or an university degree, and thus at those educational levels at which personality researchers recruit most of their subjects. However, in the less well- educated subsamples, large individual differences in acquiescent responding were found. This acquiescence variability had a pronounced effect on the psychometric characteristics and thus on the factor structure. When the data are standard-scored separately for each participant, these differences disappear. Results are discussed against the background of possible reasons and potential implications for this measurement inequivalence.

10.4  Thinking about Myself Changes the Way I Report My Personality, Reporting My Personality Changes the Way I Think about Myself

Avner Caspi & Sonia Roccas (Department of Psychology and Education, Open University of Israel)  
During selection processes, candidates are often asked to describe themselves both with structured questionnaires and with open ended self description. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the order in which candidates respond to the two types of assessments may have important consequences for responses because the structured personality questionnaires raise the saliency of all traits, even those a person may feel are undesirable. To test this hypothesis 100 participants completed the Mini-markers measure (Saucier's, 1994) of the Big five personality traits before or after writing open ended self descriptions. Participants who wrote open ended self descriptions first scored significantly higher in Conscientiousness and Agreeableness than participants who completed the structured personality questionnaires first. No effect was found for other traits. The order of the self description and the structured questionnaire also affected beliefs regarding the positivity of the impression they created: participants who completed the open ended self descriptions before the structured questionnaires believed, more than participants who first filled out the structured questionnaires, that others who read their self descriptions would have positive impressions about them. These results point to the malleability of the self-concept and the importance of taking into account the order of assessment procedures in an applied setting.

11  Tuesday 16:30 - 17:30: Paper Session 11: Affective Processes

11.1  Personality Correlates of Moral Judgment

V.S. Athota & C. Jackson (University of New South Wales, Australia)  
The present study is concerned with the role of Big-Five personality factors in the ethical-decision making process. This paper utilized a cross-sectional study to examine the relationship between Big-Five personality factors, moral reasoning, and moral judgment. The sample consisted of 131 University students who completed a battery of psychological tests, which included the Machiavellian IV test (MACH IV), the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) and the Moral Judgment Test (MJT). Correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between Big-Five personality factors extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and moral reasoning subscales tactics, views and morality. There was also a clear correlation between moral judgment and Big-Five personality factor agreeableness. These results have important implications such as individuals high in extraversion and neuroticism can reason well morally and yet not necessarily make moral judgments. Furthermore, people who score high on Big-Five personality factor agreeableness can reason well morally and make moral judgments. The implication is that Big Five Personality factor agreeableness is vital for effective ethical-decision making process.

11.2  Examining the Mediators between Personality Traits and Health: Trait Emotional Intelligence and Work Locus of Control

S.J. Johnson, M. Batey & L. Holdsworth (Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK)  
Research has started to examine mediators between personality traits and health (Greven, Chamorro-Premuzic, Arteche & Furnham, 2008). The current research aims to investigate the roles of Trait Emotional Intelligence (Trait EI) and Work Locus of Control (WLC) as mediators of the paths between the Big Five personality traits and General Health in a sample of 328 university students (160 male). Structural equation modelling and mediation analyses, demonstrated as hypothesised, that Trait EI and WLC mediated the paths between personality and health. Direct effects on health were observed for Trait EI, WLC, Emotional Stability and to a lesser extent Openness to Experience. The study provides further evidence for the role of mediating variables in the path between personality traits and health.

11.3  Individual Differences in Affective Experience are Related to Personality States and Perceptions of Situations

Joshua Wilt, Katharine Funkhouser & William Revelle (Psychology Department, Northwestern University, USA)  
Most theories of affect predict that affects of opposite valence are either negatively correlated (de-synchronous) or independent (asynchronous). An early investigation of individual differences in within-person correlations between positive and negative affect revealed that some individuals were characterized by de-synchrony and others asynchrony; however a third group experienced positive correlations between positive affect and negative affect, termed affective synchrony (Rafaeli, Rogers, & Revelle, 2007). This study aimed to further explore individual differences in momentary affective experience. Participants were 42 college-aged individuals (36 women). We introduced a new method for studying the within-subject structure of affect: cell phone text-messaging. Prior techniques making use of paper-and-pencil daily diaries or personal digital assistants are both cumbersome and expensive. Participants responded six times per day for two weeks to a list of items measuring concurrent affect, personality states, and appraisals of situations. Individuals with more positive within-person correlations between state extraversion and state neuroticism had more positive relationships between positive affect and negative affect. Individuals who tended to perceive threatening situations as challenges exhibited greater positive relationships between energetic arousal and tense arousal. These findings suggest that individual differences in routine behavior (personality states) and reflective cognitions (perceptions of situations) influence momentary affective experience.

11.4  The Utility of Neuroticism and Hemispheric Brain Preference in Predicting Performance on a Social Conflict Task

Elliroma Gardiner (The School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia), Chris Jackson (The School of Business, The University of New South Wales, Australia) & Natalie Loxton (The School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia)  
The current study examines the effects of neuroticism and lateral preference on response Disinhibition. Disinhibition is a passive avoidant deficit behaviour at least partly associated with habitual attentiveness to approach response sets in the presence of neuroticism. Therefore, since approach behaviours are associated with the left hemisphere it is suggested that the lateral preference of an individual will influence how they respond to conflict (Jackson, In Press). Specifically, it is hypothesized that lateral preference will moderate the influence of neuroticism on disinhibition. Participants (N = 122) completed questionnaire measures of personality and lateral preference. Disinhibition was measured using a computerized social conflict resolution task. Disinhibition was calculated in terms of reaction time in resolving Approach-Approach, Approach-Avoidance, Avoidance-Avoidance conflict vignettes that describe everyday situations. A condition of no-conflict was also included as a base-line measure. Results supported the hypothesis. A significant neuroticism x lateral preference interaction was found for Approach-Approach and Avoid-Avoid conflicts but not for Approach-Avoid vignettes. Furthermore, as expected, no significant interaction was found for the no-conflict condition. Combined, these results suggest that lateral preference does act as a moderator of the neuroticism-disinhibition relationship.

12  Tuesday 16:30 - 17:30 Paper Session 12: Biological Processes

12.1  Motor and Cognitive Impulsivity as Related to Desire for Eating and Serotonergic Responsivity

P. Netter, T. Birkenbach-Holdschuh & C. Toll (Department of Psychology, University of Giessen, Germany)  
Impulsivity is composed of different subtypes as represented in Barratt«s Impulsivity Scale BIS 11. Motor and Cognitive Impulsivity have been shown to differ in aggression and patterns of transmitter responsivity . Since impulsivity is also related to bulimia characterised by deficiency of serotonin, the questions were raised: 1).Are impulsivity subtypes also different in desire for food craving in the normal range? 2) Are these relationships related to differences in serotonergic responses? Method: Serotonergic (5-HT) responsivity was measured by plasma cortisol responses to a challenge with citalopram in comparison to placebo in 36 males divided into high and low Motor and Cognitive Impulsives according to the BIS 11 and deprived from eating for 4 1/2 hours . Their hunger and desire for sweets was assessed by questionnaires. Results obtained by analyses of variance revealed the following: 1.High Motor Impulsives exhibited a higher desire for sweet food than high Cognitive Impulsives, confirming results obtained for bulimics. 2. High Motor Impulsives with high cortisol responses to 5-HT stimulation developed more hunger and desire for sweet food than low responders, possibly due to their upregulation of 5-HT receptors which suggests 5-HT deficiency to be the causal link between Motor Impulsivity and carbohydrate craving.

12.2  Interindividual Differences in Aggression - on the Role of Adult and Embryonic Testosterone Levels

Y. Küpper, N. Alexander, A. Schmitz, R. Osinsky, E. Mueller & J. Hennig (Department of Psychology, University of Giessen, Germany)  
Testosterone (T) has frequently been implicated in the regulation of aggression. Concerning the association between T-Level and human aggression results are inconclusive. Beyond its effects in the adult organism, T affects the development of the nervous system. The 2D:4D ratio, a marker of embryonic testosterone, was shown to be associated with aggression. However, neither adult nor embryonic T-Levels alone are able to comprehensively explain variance in human aggression. Together these results indicate that the combined effects of adult and embryonic T might explain variance in human aggression more satisfactorily. We tested this assumption in 48 healthy men. Actual testosterone levels, the 2D:4D, experimental and psychometric measures of aggression were assessed. Results revealed main effects of 2D:4D on measures of experimental aggression (p < .05) as well as interaction effects (p < .05). Low levels of embryonic T in combination with high levels of adult T were associated with substantially reduced aggression. Our results further support the importance of testosterone in the regulation of human aggression and confirm our initial hypothesis. They, however, also indicate the need to identify other factors influencing human aggression, which might further modulate the combined effects of adult and embryonic T-Level, to fully explain individual differences.

12.3  Distinguishing between Trait Fear and Anxiety: Right Frontal Activity and Fear Extinction

M.J. McHugh, P. Davis & D. Shum (School of Psychology, Griffith University, Australia)  
In 2000, Gray's Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory was revised to account for an observed behavioural, pharmacological and neurological distinction between fear and anxiety. Behaviourally, fear mediates avoidance of threat where as anxiety mediates approach to threat. The current study draws on the approach-withdrawal model of frontal brain asymmetry, which aligns right frontal activity with withdrawal/avoidance motivation (fear), to test Gray's distinction between fear and anxiety at a human trait level. Eighty 17-35 year-old females completed a differential aversive conditioning task whilst electroencephalography was recorded. Different coloured lamps functioned as the CS+ and CS- and an aversive sound as the UCS. Based on an exploratory factor analysis (N=154), self-report measures loading on a trait fear or anxiety factor were formed into composite fear and anxiety scores. As expected, right frontal activity to the CS+ was associated with fear, but not anxiety scores. Right frontal activity to the CS- and higher fear scores were both associated with slower extinction learning. In contrast, anxiety scores predicted faster extinction learning. Findings demonstrate a distinction between trait fear and anxiety at both a neurophysiological and behavioural level and thus provide support for the application of Gray's theory to human models of anxiety and fear.

12.4  Individual Differences in Cognitive Control during Attentional and Rule-Based Set-Shifting

Ian J. Tharp, Alan D. Pickering, Luke D. Smillie & Andrew J. Cooper (Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK)  
Recently, Smillie et al. (in press) explored the role of personality and working memory in cognitive control during set-shifting. In an analogue of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, EPQ-Psychoticism and working memory were uniquely associated with poorer and superior extra-dimensional rule-shifting respectively. We extend this work using an attentional set-shifting task based on work by Dreisbach, Goschke, Müller & colleagues. Greater cognitive flexibility should decrease (reaction-time) switch costs in a perseveration condition (wherein participants must respond to a novel colour and ignore the previously relevant colour), yet elevate switch costs in a learned irrelevance condition (respond to the previously irrelevant colour and ignore novel colour). Healthy student participants, from Goldsmiths, University of London, performed both the attentional set-shifting and extra-dimensional rule-shifting tasks. Flexibility on the attentional set-shifting task may be mediated by dopamine and a measure of spontaneous eyeblink rate was taken as an index of dopamine functioning. Furthermore, other measures of putatively dopaminergic personality traits (e.g., Extraversion, Schizotypy) were included in addition to Psychoticism and working memory. This study compares various forms of cognitive control and their relation to key individual differences. Early results suggest that the manifestation of flexibility in cognitive control may be dependent upon specific task demands.

13  Wednesday 10:00 - 12:00 Paper Session 13: Brain Imaging

13.1  Neuro-Intelligence, Neuro-Personality and Neuro-Metrics: Can Brain Imaging Replace Psychometrics?

Richard J. Haier (University of California, USA)  
Twenty years have passed since the first neuro-imaging studies of intelligence and personality. After a slow start, researchers from around the world are now using a variety of brain imaging techniques to investigate the neural basis of individual differences. Recent papers, reviewed in this presentation, illustrate progress made in identifying key brain areas underlying g and other intelligence and personality factors. Samples are becoming large enough to address individual differences. They include children, adults, and seniors, as well as separate analyses for males and females. Imaging includes structural assessments and functional determinations during cognitive tests of memory and processing speed. Here we argue that a simple idea permeates most neuro-imaging findings so far: not all brains work the same way. While hardly a surprising concept in the field of individual differences, the empirical delineation of the details is now possible. One possible consequence may be the replacement of psychometrics by neuro-imaging. As individual difference research engages 21st century neuroscience, new hypotheses and new controversies are inevitable. This is a wonderful time to work in this field.

13.2  A Latent Variable Approach to the Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT) of Intelligence

Roberto Colom (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain), Richard J. Haier (University of California at Irvine, USA), Rex E. Jung (The Mind Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA), Kevin Head (University of California at Irvine, USA), Juan Álvarez-Linera (Hospital Ruber Internacional, Spain), M» Ángeles Quiroga (Universidad Complutense, Spain), (Pei Chun Shih (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain)  
Jung and Haier (2007) have proposed the parieto-frontal integration theory (P-FIT) of intelligence after the consideration of 37 published neuroimaging studies. Colom et al. (in press) have reported a VBM analysis showing findings largely consistent with the P-FIT model. However, confirmatory approaches are required. Here we use a latent variable approach determining gray matter (GM) values by creating a 5mm diameter sphere using coordinates for each cluster of voxels correlating with general intelligence (g) as shown in Colom et al.'s report. The average GM value of the voxels within each sphere correcting for brain size is computed. Twenty clusters defined regions of interest (ROIs) selected for CFA analyses, according to the processing stages considered by the P-FIT model. These ROIs are comprised in stage 1 (temporo-occipital Brodmann areas, BAs), stage 2 (parietal BAs) and stage 3 (frontal BAs). Further, twenty random ROIs are also selected for comparative purposes. Results show that the theoretical model fits better than the alternative random model. Therefore, P-FIT can be seen as a reasonable approximation to the biological basis of g.

13.3  Positive Association between Cognitive Ability and Cortical Thickness in a Representative US Sample of Healthy 6 to 18 year-olds

S. Karama & Y. Ad-Dab'bagh (McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Canada), R.J. Haier (Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, USA), I.J. Deary (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK), O.C. Lyttelton, C. Lepage & A. Evans (McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Canada)  
Neuroimaging studies, using various modalities, have evidenced a link between the general intelligence factor (g) and regional brain function and structure in several multimodal association areas. While in the last few years, developments in computational neuroanatomy have made possible the in vivo quantification of cortical thickness, the relationship between cortical thickness and psychometric intelligence has been little studied. Recently, cortical thickness estimations have been improved by the use of an iterative hemisphere-specific template registration algorithm which provides a better between-subject alignment of brain surfaces. Using this improvement, we aimed to further characterize brain regions where cortical thickness was associated with cognitive ability differences and to test the hypothesis that these regions are mostly located in multimodal association areas. We report associations between a general cognitive ability factor (as an estimate of g) derived from the four subtests of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and cortical thickness adjusted for age, gender, and scanner in a large sample of healthy children and adolescents (ages 6-18, n=216) representative of the US population. Significant positive associations were evidenced between the cognitive ability factor and cortical thickness in most multimodal association areas. Results are consistent with a distributed model of intelligence.

13.4  Cortical Thickness Correlates of Intelligence, Creativity, and Personality in a Large Unified Cohort

Rex E. Jung (Mind Research Network and Department of Neurosurgery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA), Judith Segall, H. Jeremy Bockholt, Ranee A. Flores, Shirley M. Smith & Robert Chavez (Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA), Richard J. Haier (Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, New Mexico & Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, USA)  
Understanding the biological underpinnings of intelligence, creativity, and personality have long been the goal of luminaries of individual difference research including Eysenck, Guilford, and Jensen. Modern neuroimaging techniques provide the necessary tools designed to shed light upon the biological substrates of these complex behavioral constructs. Specifically, structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) provides detailed information regarding the thickness of the cortical mantle within which the neuronal bodies and dendritic arbor give rise to thought. Sixty-five healthy subjects between the ages of 18 and 39 were administered measures of intelligence, creativity, and personality. All subjects underwent sMRI at 1.5 Tesla. FreeSurfer was used to obtain cortical thickness measures, which were then regressed against behavioral measures, controlling for age and gender. Results support a parieto-frontal network of cortical regions underlying intelligence as reported previously (Jung & Haier, 2007), a fronto-temporal network underlying creativity, and several overlapping brain regions underlying personality constructs of Neuroticism, Extroversion, and Openness to Experience. These results provide biological evidence localizing individual differences in behavior to discrete brain networks in a large, young, healthy cohort.

14  Wednesday 13:30 - 16:00: Session 14: Affective Processes

14.1  Predicting Happiness in the German Speaking Countries: The Role of Strengths of Character and Personality

Willibald Ruch (Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland)  
Strengths of character are considered to be the inner determinant of the good life. Indeed, character strengths as assessed by the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS; Peterson, & Seligman, 2004) were reliably associated with satisfaction with life (Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2005). The present paper examines whether the 24 strengths have incremental validity compared to personality traits known to be associated with happiness (i.e., N, E, A, and C). A sample of German speaking adults (N = 4140) filled in the German adaptation of the VIA-IS, a well-validated adjectival measure of the five factor-model (BARS179; Ostendorf, 1994) and the Diener et al. (1985) satisfaction with life scale. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that age, gender and the FFM predicted happiness already very well (R = .60), but the inclusion of character strengths yielded a highly significant increment (r square change = .112), with the strengths of zest, love, gratitude, and hope being especially predictive. Conversely, the FFM proved incremental validity (r square change .058) to character strengths. It is concluded that character and personality traits strongly overlap in their prediction of satisfaction with life but also add unique sources of variance.

14.2  Target and Subject Gender Effects in Performance Tasks of Social Understanding

S. Weis (Center of Methods, University Koblenz-Landau, Germany), K. Seidel (Department of Aviation and Space Psychology, German Aerospace Center, Germany), H.-M. Süß (Department of Methods, Psychodiagnostic and Evaluation Research, University of Magdeburg, Germany  
Theory and data frequently suggested subject gender effects in tasks of social abilities in favor of women. Reporting about these effects, the gender of the target (i.e., the person whose mental states have to be judged) was often neglected or not possible to investigate due to task characteristics. In the Magdeburg Test of Social Intelligence (MTSI; Sź§, Seidel, & Weis, 2008), social understanding is operationalized as the ability to judge the mental states of eight target persons relying on realistic multimedia-based stimuli. The targets represent four male and four female persons heterogeneous in age and profession. The present paper investigates the effects of target and subject gender on the performance in the tasks of social understanding based on two samples of more than 300 subjects altogether. Subjects were balanced in gender and age. Results show a significant main effect of the target gender showing male targets to be easier to judge by both male and female subjects. No significant main effect of subject gender occurred. The findings suggest that it is necessary to control for the target gender when social understanding abilities are assessed.

14.3  Individual Differences in the Sequential Regulation of Affective Priming Effects

Marko Paelecke & Peter Borkenau (Department of Psychology, Martin-Luther University, Germany)  
Human information processing is influenced by the affective quality of pleasant and unpleasant stimuli, and persons probably differ in their regulation of the induced emotions. We tested how persons differ in the immediate regulation of short-term affective states induced by sequentially presented, emotionally valent stimuli, and how such differences are related to personality traits. In a sequential priming paradigm, 116 participants were instructed to categorize as fast as possible (while remaining accurate) the valence of positive or negative words that were presented in a randomized order. Within this paradigm, priming effects occur if negative or positive stimuli in the previous trial reduce reaction times for negative or positive stimuli in the subsequent trial, respectively. Whereas overall classification speed was uncorrelated with personality measures, priming for negative words was reduced among participants scoring low on measures of neuroticism and negative affect. This may point to automatic processes of emotion regulation, to the effect that emotional stability is associated with less influence of unpleasant information on subsequent information processing.

15  Wednesday 14:30-16:00: Paper Session 15: Emotional Intelligence

15.1  An Examination of the Relationship between Birth Order, the Five Factor Model, and Trait Emotional Intelligence

Emily Cole (Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, UK)  
This study examined the relationship between birth order, the Five Factor Model (FFM) and trait emotional intelligence (trait EI). While there has been a considerable amount of research into the relationship between birth order and the personality traits including the FFM, this was the first to incorporate trait EI. Data were collected via a web-based questionnaire completed by 303 (76 males, 227 females) adults. The self-report questionnaires included International Item Pool, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- Short Form, and a set of questions relating to birth order. The main hypothesis suggested a relationship exists between birth order and the six personality traits. More specifically that later-borns will tend to have higher trait EI scores than first borns or only children. This study also hypothesized that the relationships between birth order and the FFM would follow Frank Sulloways's (1996) model. Results found there is no significant difference in trait EI scores between the different birth order groups. However, this study found evidence against Sulloway's claims, specifically in the Openness facet; a significant difference was found in scores between the trait Openness and oldest born children. This study exemplifies the conflicting evidence in the examination of birth order and personality traits.

15.2  How are Social, Emotional and Academic Intelligence Related?

H.M. Süß, J. Karthaus, J. Nötzold & J. Strien (Department of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany)  
Although research on social Intelligence (SI) has a long tradition, SI as a cognitive ability construct has not yet been firmly established. Due to problems in distinguishing SI from academic Intelligence, particularly from verbal intelligence, and only low convergent validity between former SI-tests, the construct was put into question. We assume conceptual and methodological shortcomings, e.g. low internal consistencies and method-related biases, as reasons for the inconsistent validity results. This paper postulates a facetted model of SI with social understanding, social memory and social perception as cognitive facets. In an ongoing study with about 180 subjects SI was measured by the newly revised Magdeburg Test of Social Intelligence (MTSI-2), a multimedia based performance test of SI. This test is based on realistic stimulus-material using verbal (written and spoken language) and non-verbal (picture- and videos) item formats. In addition, academic intelligence was measured by the Berlin Intelligence Structure Test (BIS-Test; Jäger, Süß, & Beauducel, 1997), and emotional intelligence by the MSCEIT (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, 1997). Based on SEM analyses we like (a) to demonstrate, replicating earlier results of our research group, that social intelligence can be separated from academic intelligence, and (b) to investigate the overlap of social and emotional intelligence.

15.3  Emotional Intelligence: The Relevance of Emotional Management Deficits to Deviant Behaviour at School

H. Harald Freudenthaler &Aljoscha C. Neubauer (Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria)  
This paper encompasses two studies referring to the validity and utility of an adolescent version of Freudenthaler and Neubauer's (2005, 2007) "Typical-Performance (TP) Emotional Management Ability (EMA) Test," purporting to assess the adequacy of individuals' emotion-related behaviours more directly than knowledge-related maximum performance (MP) tests. Study I examined the effects of instruction (TP vs. MP) on eighth graders' EMA scores, using a within-subjects design (n = 125). In addition, the relations of TP-EMA and MP-EMA to sex, intelligence, personality, well-being and deviant behaviour at school (e.g., bullying, truancy, disturbing behaviour in class) were tested. Overall, the observed instruction effects accord well with those obtained for adults in our previous studies. Adolescents displayed substantially higher scores in the MP-condition, with girls outperforming boys in both instruction conditions. While MP-EMA scores were associated with intelligence, TP-EMA scores were correlated with personality and displayed incremental validity in predicting deviant behaviour at school beyond sex, intelligence and personality. Using a more representative sample of 1.353 eighth graders, study II corroborated the usefulness of TP-EMA by replicating and extending the findings of study I. In sum, behaviour-related TP-measures appear to be better predictors of relevant EI outcomes than knowledge-related MP-measures.

15.4  Trait Social Intelligence: Continuing the Incorporation of Faux Intelligences into Mainstream Personality Hierarchies

K.V. Petrides (University College London, UK)  
Trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) theory can be extended to accommodate faux intelligences other than emotional intelligence (e.g., social, intrapersonal, and interpersonal). In this paper, we review the principles of the theory and briefly present significant highlights from the latest research in the domains of behavioral genetics and medical psychology. The bulk of the paper focuses on the new operationalization of trait social intelligence (trait SI or trait social self-efficacy), defined as a constellation of social-related self-perceptions at the lower levels of personality hierarchies. We cover such issues as the construct's sampling domain, its relationships with the Big Five and correlational as well as experimental data from several recently conducted studies. We also present data on the Trait Social Intelligence Questionnaire (TSIQue), including its internal consistency, factor structure and short form.

15.5  Emotional Intelligence and Stress in Canadian and Scottish Undergraduate Students

Elizabeth J. Austin (University of Edinburgh, UK), Donald H. Saklofske & Sarah M. Wills (Division of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary, Canada)  
Emotional intelligence (EI) has been found to be associated with adaptive coping (Saklofske, Austin, Galloway, & Davidson, 2007) and should be protective in dealing with stressors. The associations of personality, emotional intelligence and coping style with perceived stress were studied in samples of Canadian and Scottish students (N = 472, 215). Stress was assessed early in the term and again immediately prior to examinations. The pattern of correlations amongst the measured variables was as expected (e.g. perceived stress was negatively and significantly correlated with Extraversion and task-focussed coping, and positively correlated with Neuroticism, total EI score, and emotion-focussed coping). As found in previous work there were associations between EI and coping style (e.g. total EI score was positively correlated with task-focussed coping and negatively correlated with emotion-focussed coping). A joint factor analysis of the EI and coping scales produced several higher-order factors. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the potential mediating role of these factors in the personality-stress relationship.

15.6  The Psychometric Properties of the Revised Magdeburg Test of Social Intelligence (MTSI-2)

C. Karthaus, J. Nötzold, J. Strien & H.-M. Süß(Department of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany)  
The present study investigates the psychometric properties of the newly revised second version of the Magdeburg Test of Social Intelligence (MTSI; Sź§, Seidel, & Weis, 2008). The MTSI is a performance-based test representing a facetted model of social intelligence (SI) distinguishing between social understanding, social memory, and social perception as cognitive facets of the SI model. The test is relying on realistic multimedia stimuli with verbal, auditory, picture- and video-based stimulus material. In an ongoing study, a heterogeneous sample of 180 subjects between 18 and 49 years of age is working on the MTSI-2. We anticipate an improvement of the psychometric properties compared to the first test version. Results are expected to show that the revised MTSI is a reliable and structurally valid operationalization of the assumed SI model. Results will be presented at the conference.

16  Wednesday 14:30- 16:00: Paper Session 16: Affective Processes

16.1  Mood as Information: The Regulatory Role of Personality

Magdalena Marszal-Wisniewska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Institute of Psychology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)  
According to the mood-as-input model, the influence of mood on one's evaluations, motivations, and behaviors depends not so much on the moods themselves as on the interaction between mood and situational conditions (the context-dependent effect of mood). The presented study (N = 128) was meant to confirm the context-dependent effect of mood and to answer the question Ïs this effect a general phenomenon or an inter-individual diverse (i.e. depending on stable personality traits)?" The measurement of individual properties (temperamental and volitional) was attached to experimental procedure. The results showed that the motivational implications of people's moods are mutable (e.g. positive moods tell us to continue activity when they reflect our level of enjoyment but tell us to stop when they reflect our level of goal attainment). Moreover, the influence of moods on the course of activity depends not only on the context of task, but also on personality. Temperamental and volitional traits weaken or reinforce the effect of the informative nature of a mood. The effect is strengthened by the intrasubjective coherence of temperamental and volitional traits and weakened by intrasubjective incoherence. The results are interpreted in the context of person-environment fit theory and transactional model of temperament.

16.2  Emotional Promiscuity and its Consequences for Intelligence, Relationships, and Infidelity

Daniel N. Jones & Delroy L. Paulhus (Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada)  
Emotional promiscuity has been shown to be conceptually and empirically distinct from sexual promiscuity (Jones & Paulhus, 2008). Individuals high in emotional promiscuity fall in love quickly, easily, and more often than others. One could argue that those who rush into relationships and frequently believe they are in love may be less intelligent than those who treat relationships in a practical fashion. Approximately 474 students took timed intelligence tests online and responded to questionnaires assessing emotional promiscuity, sexual promiscuity, and romanticism. Results indicate that emotionally promiscuous and romantic individuals had lower scores of intelligence overall. Findings suggest that emotional promiscuity and romanticism may require the ability to view things in a less practical fashion. Implications exist for how individual differences in intelligence may affect relationship behavior in relation to emotional promiscuity and romanticism.

16.3  Individual Differences in Statistics Anxiety

Donncha Hanna (School of Psychology, Queens University Belfast, UK)  
Statistics anxiety, prevalent in university students, has been shown to influence academic performance and postulated to affect retention rates. This paper reports the findings of three studies. The first study aimed to examine the structure of the Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS). Responses from 650 undergraduate psychology students throughout the UK were collected through an on-line study. It was concluded that the original six factor model was the best explanation of the data. In the second study the statistics anxiety scores of 497 Psychology, Pharmacy, Economics and Actuarial studies university students from one university were measured using the multi-dimensional STARS. Psychology students and second year had the most negative attitudes and highest anxieties. The aim of the final study was to investigate the relationship between individual differences in levels of statistics anxiety among UK-based psychology undergraduates. The sample consisted of 710 UK-based students representing 31 different universities. Male students, mature students, those with greater mathematical competence and those with prior knowledge of the statistics component of the psychology pathway reported more positive attitudes and lower anxieties. Tutors, especially within psychology, must carefully consider their methods of statistics teaching and assessing to reduce anxiety.

16.4  Cognition and Change: The Role of Self-Unity, Complexity and Need for Structure in Coping and Identity Negotiation

Magdalena Cholakova (University Bocconi, Italy) & Martin Fellenz (Trinity College, Ireland)  
The individual-level factors facilitating a person's ability to engage and cope with change events has been a relatively underexplored area. In order to address this issue, the present work has investigated the impact of certain cognitive-structural properties of people's self-domains on their ability to cope with change (Judge et al., 1998), and their different coping strategies (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980). Change was defined as a major negative event that undergraduates experienced within a student organization/society in which they were active members. Using hierarchical regression (sample size 95), the study showed that after considering individuals' identity networks, and controlling for their group memberships, self-concept clarity (Campbell et al., 1996) significantly predicted undergraduates' ability to cope with change. Furthermore, greater self-concept clarity predicted lower self-controlling coping responses and greater problem-solving, whereas greater personal need for structure predicted greater self-control. Using a trait sorting task, the average positivity of people's sorts and their self-compartmentalization were also computed; however, these factors did not predict better coping. Average positivity of people's sorts and self-concept clarity significantly predicted lower burnout. These findings are based on initial work investigating the hypothesized relationships, and further analyses will also incorporate the role of self-complexity in coping and identity negotiation.

16.5  Mental Toughness of Youth in Relation to Age, Sex and Ecological Niche

Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz (Faculty of Social Science, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland) & Anna M. Zalewska (Faculty of Psychology, Warsaw School of Social Science and Humanities, Poland)  
Mental Toughness (MT) is humans' ability to deal with challenges, pressure and difficulties. It determines reactions to stress and enables us to achieve best results. MT consists of 4 key-factors: Challenge, Commitment, Control and Confidence. There has been no systematic research on developmental aspects of MT so far. The aim of this study is to examine whether MT and its factors depend on age, sex and ecological niche. 319 students (134 boys) aged 11-14-17 from two niches (city and town) were investigated with Questionnaire MTQ48. Results of 3-factor ANOVA showed a tendency that MT increased with age (it was higher at age of 17 than 11). Age and interaction between age and niche affected Challenge and Confidence. In large cities 11-year old children were less open to challenges and less confident than students at age of 14 or 17; they also were lower in Confidence than 11-year olds in small towns. 14-year old students in small towns were lower in Challenge and Confidence than students at this age from large cities and lower in Confidence than 17-year olds from small towns. Data tempt to conclude that large cities hinder MT of 11-year old children, but small towns hinder it of 14-year old adolescents.

Chapter 5
Posters

Posters will be presented on Sunday evening from 17:30 to 19:30 and Tuesday evening from 18:30 to 20:30. There will be a reception with food and drink with each poster session.

1  Poster Session 1 - Sunday 17:30 - 19:30

1.1  Birth Order, Birth Space and Sibling's Cognitive Development

Olga Alekseeva (Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Russia)  
The present study is the part of the Moscow Sibling Study (MSS), which examines shared and nonshared environmental influences shaping differences in siblings in the same family. This research was supported by a grant from The Russian Foundation for Humanities (06-06-00227a). The aim of our study was to research links between birth order, birth space and sibling's cognitive development in two-child families. The subject was entered for 70 non-step families with two children. Average age of older siblings was 17.7 years, average of younger was 14.5 years. Methods of the study were: 1. Russian version of WAIS; 2. Russian version of WISC. It was found that cognitive traits of younger siblings depend on birth space. The lowest IQ score had younger children in sibling pairs with birth space 1-2 years and the highest IQ score in sibling pairs with birth space 5-6 years. On intelligence of the senior child the given variables do not render special influence.

1.2  Cognitive Determinants of Efficiency of Pilot's Behavior in Conditions of Spatial Disorientation

Hanna Bednarek (Faculty of Psychology, The Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland)  
This study examined efficiency of pilots' behavior in conditions of spatial disorientation. It has been assumed that visual illusion of false horizon tends to produce spatial disorientation. Efficiency of execution of flight's profile in conditions of spatial disorientation was analyzed in context of dependent vs independent style of perception. Additionally, efficiency of attention and working memory were analyzed. 29 pilots participated in the experiment (air-raid 1021.2; hours +/- 18.4). Efficiency of execution of flight profile has been defined on simulator YAPETUS based on indicators of course (high, velocity). Cognitive processes were researched by means of computer tasks. It appears that false horizon illusion influences the efficiency of pilot's behavior. In conditions of cognitive conflict: visual field - navigational instruments, pilots dependent on field were most strongly exposed to disorientation (lower efficiency of selective and divided attention, less resistance to distraction, weak mechanism of inhibition and higher susceptible to interference).

1.3  The Academic Achievement of Twins and the Size of Family

Y. Chertkova & N. Zyryanova (Department of Psychology, Moscow State University, Russia)  
This study is a part of comparative research of academic achievement in school-age twins and singletons, which was supported by a grant from the Russian Humanitarian Scientific Fund 04-06-00240.
Subjects and measures. In this study we received scholastic measures of 2282 twin pairs (2% of all twins in Russia) and more than 4000 singletons - twins' classmates (0.05% of all schoolchildren of Russian Federation) born from 1982 to 1997. All these children are students of comprehensive schools from 1st to 11th grades. Our sample is representative to Russian population of schoolchildren. We also gathered data about family structure, parents' educational status, leadership, etc.
Statistical Procedures - the comparison of groups by t- criterion.
Results. 1) Twins having no siblings have higher scholastic achievement than those who have siblings. 2) Decrease in educational progress appears from fourth child in family. 3) In families with higher educational status of parents, sibship size has less influence on scholastic achievement. 4) Birth order doesn't influence academic achievement of twins in families with 3 children.

1.4  Temperamental Differences in the Magnitude of the SNARC Effect

Krzysztof Cipora, Karolina Czernecka & B azej Szymura (Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Poland)  
The decisions about relatively small numbers are made faster on the left-hand-side, whereas decisions about relatively big numbers are made faster on the right-hand-side. This phenomenon has been called the Spatial - Numerical Association of Reaction Codes (SNARC) effect (Dehaene et. al. 1993). In the SNARC tasks (parity judgment or number classification) no speed-accuracy trade-off effect is observed. Instead, the significant positive correlation between speed and accuracy is usually reported (Fisher, 2003). Lately, Gevers et. al. (2006) showed that subjects who were slower performing the SNARC task reveal the stronger SNARC effect. Temperamental traits (anxiety, impulsivity, extraversion and neuroticism) are related to the speed of reactions as well as to the magnitude of speed-accuracy trade off effect (e.g.: E: Brebner, 1983; N: Larson & Saccuzzo, 1986; P: Jakes & Hemsley, 1986; Anx: Terelak, 1990; Imp: Dickman & Meyer, 1988). Thus, it has been hypothesized that the magnitude of the SNARC effect is differentiated with regard to temperamental variables. The subjects (N=40) fulfilled EPQ-R, STAI and BIS/BAS questionnaires. They also performed the SNARC tasks. Data is just being analyzed.

1.5  Neuroticism, Anxiety Sensitivity Thoughts, and Anxiety Symptomatology: An Experience-Sampling Study

Ryan Y.Hong (Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore)  
Relations among Neuroticism, anxiety sensitivity (AS) thoughts, and anxiety symptoms were examined in this study using an experience-sampling methodology. Daily AS thoughts and anxiety symptoms arising from naturally-occurring negative events were assessed among 100 college students over a one-month period. Neuroticism moderated the relation between anxiety symptoms and AS thoughts such that individuals high on Neuroticism reported more AS thoughts on days in which high (versus low) anxiety is experienced compared to individuals low on Neuroticism. Consistent with previous research, elevated levels of AS thoughts on any particular day were associated with increased subsequent anxiety symptoms. This supports the idea that AS is a vulnerability factor for anxiety symptoms. The present findings highlight the importance of elucidating psychopathological processes associated with AS and anxiety not only at the interindividual level, but also at the intraindividual level.

1.6  Differential Parental Treatment and Personality Development of Siblings

Irina Kozlova (Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Russia)  
In this poster we analyze the results, obtained in research of differential parental treatment in two-child families. The aim of the study was to estimate influence of parental differential treatment on personality development of siblings.
Subjects: 254 nonstep families with two children. Siblings' age ranged from 8-21 yers old.
Methods: Parent-child interaction questionnaire (Markovskaya), Personality questionnaires: EPI (Eysenck, Russian version), Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, Russian version), Locus of Control questionnaire (Russian version). A dissimilarity was found between older and younger siblings in structure of correlations between personality traits and features of differential parental treatment. It has been shown that in a case when parents are emotionally closer to one child of sibling pair, it positively influences personality characteristics of the older child, and negatively on the younger child.

1.7  Predictive Validity of Ability Tests for Academic Achievement Similar for English-Language Learners and Non-ELL Students

Joni M. Lakin (Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, The University of Iowa, USA) & David F. Lohman (Belin-Blank Center and Iowa Testing Programs, The University of Iowa, USA)  
U.S. schools have observed a rapid rise in the number of English-language learner (ELL) students, increasing interest in the validity of tests used for this population. There is evidence that ELL students score lower on achievement and ability tests than their non-ELL classmates, but there is little evidence on the predictive validity of ability tests for ELL students. In this study, achievement and ability test scores were obtained for a sample of ELL and non-ELL students over the course of two years. In total, 192 ELL and 454 non-ELL students took the Cognitive Abilities Test, Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and a state achievement test. Correlations for the sample of ELL students were lower, but still showed significant predictive validity and similar patterns of correlations across ability and achievement tests. Specifically, nonverbal tests showed lower correlations with future achievement than quantitative and verbal reasoning ability, contradicting claims that they are better predictors for ELL students. For Math, ability and previous achievement accounted for 49% of variance in achievement for non-ELL students and 24% for ELL students. For Reading, the proportion was 44% and 49%, respectively. The most effective ability batteries sample multiple symbol systems required for classroom learning.

1.8  The Relationship of National Means of Personality Traits to Objective Criteria Is Not Always Straightforward

René Mõttus, Jüri Allik & Anu Realo (Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Estonia)  
Aggregate levels of basic personality traits have been interpreted as valid and informative characteristics of cultures. This conclusion is corroborated by the findings that mean personality test scores demonstrate geographic regularity and relate meaningfully to other psychological domains such as values or self-esteem (McCrae et al., 2005; Schmitt et al., 2007). Recently, however, some researchers have claimed that not all culture-level aggregate personality scores predict relevant objective criteria, thus casting doubt on their validity (Heine et al., 2008; Oishi & Roth, in press). In this study-employing new data previously unused for this purpose-we show that, indeed, mean self-rated Conscientiousness and its lower-level facets tend to have contrary to hypothesized relationships with a number of objective country-level criteria. We present preliminary evidence concerning potential mediators of these counterintuitive relationships.

1.9  Dichotomous Thinking and the Extreme Views of Others

Atsushi Oshio (Department of Psychology, Chubu University, Japan)  
Dichotomous thinking is an individual's propensity to think in terms of binary opposition. While this thinking style may be advantageous for quick decision-making, it has also been associated with negative psychological outcomes such as borderline personality disorder, narcissism, and perfectionism. Oshio (2008) developed the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory (DTI) to assess individual differences in attitudes and beliefs that emerge with this thinking style. This study examines whether individuals who think dichotomously hold extreme views of others with regard to their appearance. The participants in the study included 80 undergraduate students (45 males and 35 females). They were asked to evaluate the appearance of three women on the screen in front of them, after having completed the DTI. The faces presented to them differed in the level of beauty: the first face was at the intermediate level, and the subsequent faces of the beautiful and not-so-beautiful women were presented in a counter-balanced order. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the DTI further worsened the evaluations that the participants made of the not-so-beautiful women. This result indicates that dichotomous thinkers easily tend to undervalue an individual when they perceive that individual's negative aspects.

1.10  Individual Differences in Mate Preference for Altruistic Traits: Survey and Genetic Evidence for a Sexual Selection Hypothesis

Tim Phillips (School of Biology, University of Nottingham, UK) & Eamonn Ferguson (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK)  
Altruistic behavior raises major questions for biology and psychology, as it should not be favoured by natural selection. One, often overlooked, alternative is to hypothesize that altruism arose via sexual selection. The argument is that altruistic displays are linked to an ability to provide quality parental investment during human evolution and it is proposed that genes linked to such altruistic displays would have been favoured as a result. It is predicted, therefore, that individual differences in preference for mates with altruistic traits should be higher in females, correlated with spouses' self-reported altruism, and show significant genetic heritability. Furthermore, self-reported altruism should also be heritable. Using measures of individual differences in (1) preference for mates with altruistic traits and (2) altruistic personality across 3 studies (2 undergraduate samples of 380 and 398 and a sample of 170 couples from a twin registry) we show a consistently higher preference for altruistic traits in women (once social desirability and altruistic personality are controlled), a cross spouse correlation between preferred and self-reported altruistic traits, and significant heritability for both expressed preference for altruistic traits and self-reported altruism. The implications for current theories of altruism based on reciprocity and social norms are discussed.

1.11  Is Attentional Control Guided by Personality? Effects of Sex and Aggressiveness

M.A. Quiroga (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain), R. Colom & J. Botella (Autonoma University of Madrid, Spain), J. Privado (Cardenal Cisneros University College, Spain), F.J. Román (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)  
This research focuses on individual differences in attentional control using neutral (numerical, verbal and spatial contents) and emotional stimuli (aggressive contents). Flankers and Simon tasks were created and computer administered. Aggressiveness was assessed with the Spanish version of Buss and Perry's (1992) questionnaire (Navascués & Quiroga, 1995). A sample of 327 university undergraduate students participated in the study (222 women and 97 men) with a mean age of 19.8 (SD = 1.5, range from 18 to 25). Findings show that (a) response time was longer for verbal and numerical than for spatial stimuli, (b) women had longer response times for neutral spatial stimuli than men, but no sex differences were found for emotional stimuli, and (c) attentional conflict for emotional stimuli decreases at higher levels of aggressiveness for men only. Some applications of these findings are discussed. References: Buss, A.H. & Perry, M. (1992). The Aggression Questionnaire, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 2, 452-459. Navascués, V. & Quiroga, M.A. (1995). Assessment of Buss's seven temperament dimensions: Spanish Scales. Vlith Meeting of the ISSID, Warsaw.

1.12  Negative Outcomes of Discrepancies between Explicit and Implicit Self-Esteem

M. Schröder-Abé, A. Rudolph, A. Schütz (Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany)  
Implicit self-esteem (ISE) is taken into account to explain contradictory results concerning the adaptiveness of explicit self-esteem (ESE). For this purpose, congruent self-esteem (ISE and ESE correspond) is differentiated from discrepant self-esteem (ISE and ESE diverge). To date, research has focused on fragile self-esteem (high ESE, low ISE). It has been unclear, however, whether the second self-esteem discrepancy (low ESE, high ISE) is adaptive or not. One could argue that having high ISE and low ESE is better than having congruent low self-esteem (buffer hypothesis). However, one could also reason that discrepancies of any kind can be regarded as maladaptive, as they are similar to ambivalent attitudes and thus connected with emotional tension (stress hypothesis). We conducted two studies using the Single Category IAT as ISE measure. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the combination of low ESE and high ISE in particular is connected with impaired psychological and physical health, which was assessed through self-report (Studies 1 and 2) and friend report (Study 2). Dysfunctional emotion expression and emotion regulation strategies were identified as possible mediators. In sum, the results suggest that high ISE is not necessarily advantageous, but (in connection with low ESE) may be connected to dysfunctional outcomes.

1.13  Emotional Dilution of the Classic Stroop Effect with Highly-Anxious and Non-Anxious Individuals

Assi Schupak & Eran Chajut (Department of Psychology and Education, The Open University of Israel)  
The notion that emotional stimuli capture attention in anxious individuals is widely accepted; yet the most popular tool used to gauge the emotional induced bias, the emotional Stroop effect, does not conclusively show the involvement of attention. Consequently, we developed a new tool that imports the classic Stroop effect into the realm of measuring attention under emotion. The results of two experiments showed that the Stroop effects were smaller with emotion than with neutral words, showing the power of emotion items to capture attention. This emotional dilution effect was particularly robust with highly anxious participants. These findings support the conclusion that the modulation of the classic Stroop effect by emotion is a valid measure of the bias of attention wrought by threat stimuli in anxious people. The emotional dilution of the Stroop effect opens up new avenues for generating test items for various clinical populations within a new conceptual framework.

1.14  T-data, Why Not? On R.B. Cattell's Steps

Pei-Chun Shih, Agustin Martinez-Molina, Mariana S. Leone & Jose Santacreu (Departamento de Psicologia Biologica y de la Salud, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain)  
A theoretical and empirical alternative to assess personality using self-report questionnaires it is possible with behavioral measures by means T-data instruments (Cattell & Warburton, 1967). The aim of this poster is to present the main results obtained in our research about objective assessment of personality during the last ten years. 12 studies with 10 different samples (n = 83 to n = 1998) were carried out to analyse the reliability and validity of eight computerized behavioral tests of personality*: Risk Tendency, Cooperation and Conscientiousness. Results have shown good ranges of reliability and validity indices: internal consistency as Cronbach's alpha or split-halves (.590 to .947), temporal stability (1-year test-retest: .430 and .508), concurrent validity (correlations between tests: .131 to .545), and predictive validity (coefficient of determination = .549). Therefore, following Cattell, we consider T-data computerized instruments as a very interesting psychological assessment method that will allow us to improve our scientific knowledge in personality psychology.
*The assistants of the congress will be able to play the eight computerized behavioral tests on our laptops.
Reference: Cattell, R.B., & Warburton, F.W. (1967). Objective personality and motivation tests: A theoretical introduction and practical compendium. Champaign, IL, US: University of Illinois Press.

1.15  Individual Differences in Fearfulness (Flight Fight Fear System, FFFS) as a Predictor of Emotional Empathy

Anya Skatova, David Clarke & Eamonn Ferguson (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK)  
Sensitivity to punishment (FFFS, Gray & McNaughton, 2000) is hypothesised as a key personality trait to differentiate pro- and anti-social behaviour. Findings in personality psychology demonstrate that individuals high in psychopathic traits are less sensitive to punishment and are likely to exhibit anti-social behaviour. Experimental evidence from economics suggests that cooperation (i.e., pro-social behaviour) is predominantly regulated by sanctions, while sanctions are in turn related to the possibility of punishment. Behavioral economic games have identified individual differences in behaviour under the presence of punishment: some cooperate, while others free-ride (are anti-social). It is, therefore, hypothesised that those who are high in sensitivity to punishment should also score high on other pro-social related behaviour traits, including empathy.
In a cross-sectional study of 793 students we observed a significant positive correlation (.219) between FFFS and emotional empathy. While sensitivity to punishment has been extensively studied in the context of anti-social behaviour, there is less empirical work on its role in pro-social behaviour and the results reported in this study help us to understand how fearfulness and empathy may be related. The results are, therefore, discussed in relationship to the bio-social theories of motivational traits, behavioral economics and social norms.

1.16  Adolescent Perceptions of Parental Marital Quality and Identity Development: The Mediating Role of Family Functioning

H. Utsunomiya (Department of Psychology, Ritsumeikan University, Japan)  
Relatively little is known about how adolescents perceive their interparental commitment. This study examined associations between adolescent perceptions of interparental commitment, family differentiation, and identity achievement. A self-report questionnaire survey was carried out among 271 Japanese adolescents (77 males and 194 females), 18 to 24 years of age (mean=20.0 years, SD=1.2). Path analysis indicated that perceptions of interparental commitment had direct effects on identity achievement. In addition, they had indirect effects that were mediated by differentiation in the family system. These results highlight the importance of considering parental marital quality when investigating identity development in late adolescence.

1.17  Genetic and Environmental Influences on Aggression: A Meta-Analysis of Twin Studies

L. Veselka & P.A. Vernon (Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, Canada)  
This poster presentation reports a meta-analysis of the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual differences in aggressive behaviours among humans. It combines 91 twin studies spanning 42 years of research, from the mid-1960s to the present. Findings are based on a total of 41,011 monozygotic twin pairs, 31,694 same-sex dizygotic twin pairs, and 18,088 opposite-sex dizygotic twin pairs, with ages ranging from 9 months to 90 years. Studies included in the meta-analysis are grouped into three categories of aggression. The overt category centres upon interpersonal conflict and includes minor, physical, and violent aggression. The covert category includes antisocial behaviours such as vandalism and theft. The third "other" category captures clinical-level manifestations of aggression, self-harm, and measures of aggression that combine both interpersonal and antisocial behaviours. Although virtually all studies show evidence of genetic and primarily non-shared environmental factors contributing to individual differences in aggression, a wide range of effect sizes exists. Additional analyses revealed that individual differences in more violent aggressive behaviours showed consistent evidence of being more heavily attributable to genetic factors.

1.18  A Behavioural Genetic Study of Mental Toughness and Personality

L. Veselka (Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, Canada), V. Horsburgh (Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, Canada), J.A. Schermer (Management and Organizational Studies, University of Western Ontario, Canada), P.A. Vernon (Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, Canada)  
This poster presentation reports the first behavioural genetic (BG) investigation of mental toughness, as measured by the 48-item mental toughness (MT48) questionnaire, as well as the first BG investigation of relationships between mental toughness and the Big-5 factors of personality. Participants were 219 pairs of adult monozygotic and dizygotic twins from across North America. Twin study methodology was used to determine the extent to which genes and/or environmental factors contributed to individual differences in mental toughness, and to assess the genetic and/or environmental basis of any relationship between mental toughness and personality. Univariate BG analyses revealed that individual differences in mental toughness (as well as in personality) were largely attributable to genetic and nonshared environmental factors. Bivariate BG analyses revealed that phenotypic correlations between mental toughness and personality were largely attributable to common genetic and common nonshared environmental factors.

1.19  Cognitive Inhibition Reaction Time Distributions and their Correlations with Intelligence

Paul Wilson, Colin Cooper & Margaret McRorie (School of Psychology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland)  
We investigated the relationship between cognitive inhibition and intelligence. Research has highlighted the inadequacy of `traditional' normal-distribution descriptions of reaction-time (RT). Alternative models propose to account for common features of RT distributions not described by the normal-distribution (skew) and to have a theoretical cognitive rationale. Three such models were applied to RTs from young adults performing common cognitive inhibition tasks. The Stroop Colour-Word Task was used; however, because of the arbitrary mode of response (buttons assigned to a particular colour) a directional-stroop task was also used. Correct responses were given via hand held switches in the left and right hands and foot pedals positioned one in front of the other emulating the directions up/down. By changing the arbitrary array of response choices to a more ergonomic array, we hypothesised a reduction in `response-requirement' loading on working memory. A third task used negative priming to elicit inhibition during blocks displaying direction-words by oscillating instructions between responding with the congruent or incongruent (axial opposite) response switches. IQ was measured using the Wide Range Intelligence Test. Performance across tasks was compared and RT-model parameters were correlated to IQ. Adaptability to negative priming in the final task was also assessed and correlated with IQ.

1.20  Nonshared Environmental Effects on Behavior

S. Yamgata & Y. Takahashi (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science & Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Japan), K. Ozaki (Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan), K.K. Fujisawa (Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Japan), K. Nonaka (Department of Human Development, Wako University, Japan), J. Ando (Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Japan)  
The present study examined nonshared environmental association between body weight (BW) and head circumference (HC) at birth, 3 months, and 9 months, and later behavior problems.
Data of 300 monozygotic twins who entered a Tokyo Twin Cohort Project (ToTCoP) were analyzed. BW and HC were measured at birth, 3 months, and 9 months. Maternal report on Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire was used to assess conduct problems, emotional problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems at 36 months and 42 months.
When the association of BW and HC with behavior problems at 36 months was analyzed, only conduct problems were associated with BW or HC at birth. Conduct problems were only associated with HC at birth, but not with HC at 3 months or at 9 months. When the association of BW and HC with behavior problems at 42 months was analyzed, only conduct problems were associated with BW or HC at birth. Conduct problems were associated with both BW and HC at birth, but their effects get weaker for 3 months and 9 months. These results suggest that prenatal environmental factors that influence BW and HC at birth are also responsible for later conduct problems.

1.21  Individual Characteristics in Visual and Auditory Processing of Emotional Material

Anna M. Zagórska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland), Ma gorzata Fajkowska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland) & Izabela Szumska (University of Finance and Management, Poland)  
Angry voice prosody activates similar regions in the brain as threatening visual stimuli, and processing of emotional material in both these modalities engages mainly structures in the right hemisphere. Moreover, processing of fear, expressed by both face and voice, activates OFC (orbitofrontal cortex) when voluntary attention is included. We assumed that processing of emotional material in these two modalities depends probably on the emotion that is attended and on the individual characteristics related to effortful and extensive evaluation, such as arousal/activation or attentional control. Thus, two studies aimed at investigating how visual and auditory systems process emotional material were conducted. The goal of the first study was to examine whether the threat or happiness favor in processing visual emotional cues would also occur if auditory stimuli were utilized. The aim of the second study was to analyze the contribution of individual differences and attentional control to processing of emotional material. In the first study, participants took the Emotional Version of Moron's Attention Test with Ekman's faces as the signals. They were instructed to detect (by crossing out) the signals (friendly, sad, angry) as quickly as possible in the matrix of faces within 2 minutes. Next day they completed the Emotional Prosody Test in which they had to indicate the emotional intonation of spoken pointless sentences pronounced with three different intonations: friendly, sad, and angry. In the second study, apart from taking Emotional Version of Moron's Attention Test and Emotional Prosody Test, subjects had to complete 3 questionnaires: Attentional Control Scale, Activation-Deactivation Adjective List, and EPQ-R. The results of the first study showed happiness superiority in processing of facial expressions and surprisingly sadness superiority in processing of emotional prosody. The second study has revealed different pattern of processing emotional material depending on the level of arousal/activation and attentional control.

1.22  Do Auditory Temporal Discrimination Tasks Measure Temporal Resolution of the CNS?

Ian T. Zajac & Nicholas R. Burns (School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Australia)  
Recent research has proposed that temporal resolution of the CNS is partly responsible for higher order cognitive functioning and that Auditory Temporal Discrimination (ATd) tasks provide a measure of CNS resolution. This study addressed whether ATd tasks might be better interpreted as measures of working memory, rather than temporal resolution as proposed. This was achieved by assessing the relationship between performance on auditory and visual discrimination tasks and measures of speed of processing and working memory (WM), respectively, and through a re-analysis of ATd data presented in previous publications. Analyses of performance by N = 66 undergraduates showed that temporal discrimination performance did not predict performance on speed of processing tasks. However, there was some evidence of a relationship between temporal discrimination tasks and a measure of WM. Furthermore, re-analysis of previously published data showed that the relationship between ATd and other cognitive abilities is mediated through Working Memory. This study provides preliminary evidence that ATd tasks do not measure temporal resolution of the CNS as proposed, but might still prove useful in the measurement and exploration of WM functions.
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1.23  Polymorphism of DAT Gene Associated with Over-Reproduction of 1-Second Interval, and Increased Alpha Rhythms Frequency

Olga V. Sysoeva & Galina V. Portnova (Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia), Natalia V. Maluchenko & Alexandr G. Tonevitsky (Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Russia), Alexey M. Ivanitsky (Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia)  
Inter-individual differences in time perception might be the basis for temperament. Psychopharmacological and neuroimaging studies suggest that perception of short duration is related to dopaminergic system. The link between brain rhythms and time perception is also described. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between polymorphisms of DAT gene, reproduction of short durations (1-12 s) and resting EEG activity in healthy men. Thirty right handed male subjects (18-32 years old) took part in the experiment. Half of them had 10/10 DAT VNTR gene polymorphism. EEG was measured during 4 minute resting period of eyes open/close conditions. Individual alpha frequency (IAF) was determined as the frequency with maximum spectral power from 7-13 Hz at Pz electrode. It was found that carries of 10/10 genotypes of DAT VNTR gene over-reproduce 1 second interval (produce it as being longer than 1 second) compared to carries of other genotypes (10/9 and 9/9), who were more accurate. Carries of 10/10 genotypes of that gene also had higher IAF. IAF and reproduction of 1-second interval was found to be correlated. Therefore, the following chain from DAT gene through the brain activity (IAF) to the behaviour (reproduction of 1 second) may be suggested.

1.24  Personality and Vocational Interest Factors

J.A. Schermer (Management and Organizational Studies, The University of Western Ontario, Canada)   The relationships between personality and vocational interest factors were examined. Adults (N = 528) completed both a short-form version of the Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS) and a 20 Adjective checklist. For each measure, five factors were extracted. The vocational interest factors included business, science, liberal arts, work styles, and working with people. The personality adjective factors resembled the Big Five factors. Extraversion was positively related to an interest in business and surprisingly negatively related to an interest in working with people. Openness to experience was correlated with business, science, and liberal arts interests. Agreeableness was positively related to liberal arts, work styles, and working with people. Conscientiousness was positively related to work styles. Neuroticism was not found to correlate significantly with the vocational interest factors. The results build upon previous work with the short form JVIS and in the area linking personality and vocational interests.

1.25  Personality and Politics: A Behaviour Genetic Study

J.A. Schermer (Management and Organizational Studies, The University of Western Ontario, Canada), E. Bell (Sociology Department, Brescia University College, Canada) & P.A. Vernon (Psychology Department, The University of Western Ontario, Canada)  
The phenotypic (observed), genetic, and environmental correlations between the Big Five personality factors and interest in politics, probability of voting, self-placement on a left-right political continuum, and six political attitude scales were examined. Participants were 496 adults from Canada and the USA, including 161 MZ twin pairs and 54 DZ same sex pairs. At the phenotypic level, neuroticism was negatively related to interest in politics and probability of voting and positively related to attitudes on toward economic equality and state activism. Interest in politics was positively related to the other four personality dimensions. Extraversion had a positive correlation with attitudes toward competition/business. Openness was associated with a left-wing orientation, pro-environmentalism, economic equality, and pro-minorities. Agreeableness was positively correlated with probability of voting and religiosity/social conservatism. Conscientiousness was found to have a positive correlation with voting probability. Many of the significant phenotypic correlations were found to be due to common genetic factors with significant genetic correlations found between the scales.

2  Poster Session 2 - Tuesday 18:30 - 20:30

2.1  Self-Regulation of Mood Using Exercise and Music in Jazzercise Sessions

Joaquin Castro & Robert E. Thayer (Department of Psychology, California State University, USA)  
From 32 all-inclusive categories of behaviors that people use to self-regulate mood, exercise was found to be the best, and music was the second best (Thayer, Newman & McClain, 1994). To assess elements of these two methods of mood regulation together, the present research utilized 37 male and female participants (means age = 49) engaged in Jazzercise, an exercise program that incorporates dance routines set to popular music during one-hour sessions. Before and after four Jazzercise sessions, participants completed an Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD ACL) a measure of transitory mood states that assesses Energy, Tension, Tiredness and Calmness (Energetic Arousal and Tense Arousal). Based on past research involving moderate exercise and mood it was hypothesized that participants engaged in Jazzercise sessions would report increased energy and calmness and reduced tension and tiredness. Analyses of difference scores confirmed our hypotheses for Energy, Tiredness and Calmness. However, contrary to our hypothesis, Tension increased, perhaps because of the anaerobic activity associated with the last half of Jazzercise sessions. Individual differences showed no effect.
Reference: Thayer, R.E., Newman, J.R., & McClain, T.M. (1994). The self-regulation of mood: Strategies for changing a bad mood, raising energy, and reducing tension. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 910-925.

2.2  Individual Differences and the Decoding of Facial Expressions of Emotion: Incorporating Naturalistic Stimuli

Christopher Edgar, M. McRorie & I. Sneddon (School of Psychology, Queen's University, UK)  
Previous research has highlighted both theoretical and empirical links between measures of personality/emotional intelligence and our ability to accurately decode facial expressions of emotion. This study aimed to expand on previous findings by incorporating naturalistic stimuli as opposed to photographs of emotional archetypes used in previous research. Fifty participants, 24 Male and 26 Female (mean age of 24 years) completed questionnaires assessing personality and self-report EI. Using novel software, participants then continuously rated the changes in emotional intensity expressed in a series of 12 video clips. Participants watched and rated each video clip twice to provide a means of testing decoding consistency. There were a number of significant results, as hypothesised self-report EI correlated positively with decoding consistency (r=.27, p=.03). Exploratory analysis also revealed a link between decoding consistency and the range of the scale utilised to rate expressed emotional intensity. From the results it was concluded that EI plays a mediating role in our ability to consistently judge emotions in others; on-going research is assessing the role of personality traits in the variation of decoding of emotional expression.

2.3  Extraversion and the Tendency to Engage in Arousal Procrastination

Erin K. Freeman, Luz-Eugenia Cox-Fuenzalida & Ilea Stoltenberg (Department of Psychology, University of Oklahoma, USA)  
This study investigated the relationship between arousal procrastination and the personality dimension of extraversion. Arousal procrastination can be defined as a tendency to seek stimulation or thrill from the increasing pressure of delaying work on a task. While there is increasing interest in this type of procrastination, our understanding of underlying explanatory mechanisms remains quite limited. The present study examines the relationship between extraversion, a theoretically arousal-based trait (Eysenck, 1967), and individual differences in arousal procrastination. Specifically, it was hypothesized that extraverts would be more likely to engage in arousal procrastination than introverts. Participants consisted of 34 undergraduates who were randomly selected from a larger participant pool. Participants completed a series of counterbalanced questionnaires measuring extraversion and the tendency to engage in arousal procrastination. A linear regression was conducted and results indicated that extraversion predicts the engagement in arousal procrastination, b = .37, t(31) = 2.30, p=.03. Specifically, the results of this study suggest that the more extraverted a person, the more likely he/she is to engage in arousal procrastination. The findings may have important implications for many real world jobs, including safety sensitive occupations, where procrastinating could have deleterious consequences.

2.4  The Impact of Heart Rate Variability on Well-Being Is Mediated by Emotion Regulation

F.C.M. Geisler, N. Vennewald, T. Kubiak & H. Weber (Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Germany)  
The capacity to regulate emotion is vital for well-being. Heart rate variability (HRV) could be an index for the capacity to regulate emotional responding (Applehans & Luecken, 2006). We tested the hypotheses that resting HRV is associated with well-being and that its impact on well-being is mediated by cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation. 125 students filled in questionnaires to assess well-being and the habitual use of emotion regulation strategies. Resting HRV was computed from a five minute beat-to-beat heart rate measurement by employing time (RMSSD) and frequency domain methods (HF). Well-being (calculated from scales assessing general mood, life satisfaction, and social integration) was associated with resting HRV, r RMSSD = .24, p < .05; r HF = .25, p < .01. Results from a Structural Equation Model pointed to a better fit of the mediation model. We interpret our results as a backup for the use of resting HRV as an index for the capacity to regulate emotional responding. Our further research aims at examining in more detail which aspects of emotion regulation are associated with resting HRV.

2.5  Invariance of the Short and Abbreviated Versions of Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

Rapson Gomez (School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Australia)  
This study used the mean and covariance structures analysis approach to examine if there is measurement and construct invariance across the common items of the abbreviated (JEPQRA) and short (JEPQRS) versions of Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised (JEPQR). Participants were adolescents, between 15 and 17 years of age. One group of 439 participants completed the JEPQRA, while another group of 466 participants completed the JEPQRS. The findings showed equivalency for factor structure, loadings, variances, covariances, and mean scores. In contrast, the item intercepts and error variances were different for like items lower down the list of items in the JEPQRA and JEPQRS, thereby raising the possibility of bias position effects. Implications for the development of shorter questionnaires from their longer counterparts are discussed.

2.6  Validity of the Spanish Version of the ITQ (Interpersonal Trust Questionnaire), a New Measure of Social Support

Leticia Guarino (Dpto. de Ciencia y Tecnología del Comportamiento, Universidad Simón Bolivar, Venezuela) & Victor Sojo (Escuela de Psicología, Facultad de Humanidades y Educación, Universidad Central de Venezuela)  
The present paper reports on the results of the adaptation and validity of the Spanish version of the Interpersonal Trust Questionnaire (ITQ ? Forbes & Roger, 1999), conducted with a sample of Venezuelan college students. The original 48 items scale measures the capacity of individuals to use social support effectively, through three different dimensions: Fear of Disclosure (FOD), Social Coping (SC) and Social Intimacy (SI). The scale, jointly with other personality questionnaires, was administered to a sample of 292 university students from three different universities in Caracas-Venezuela. Results from the factor analysis resembled only two of the three dimensions of the questionnaire, comprising 46 items with high internal consistencies in each. The concurrent validity study showed the dimensions to be related in the expected way, while the predictive validity study conducted with a different sample of 328 unemployed people revealed the FOD to be positively related to a poor general health status and the SC to be protective of the individual's psychological health.

2.7  Panel studies and twin research combined: Advantages of a genetically sensitive multi-group design

Elisabeth Hahn & Frank M. Spinath Saarland University Germany  
Panel studies, such as PSID (Panel Study of Income Dynamics) in the USA, or SOEP (Socioeconomic Panel) in Germany, provide by their wide variety of information, their sample size and the longitudinal design a great basis for the research of individual differences in psychological, social and economic issues. Quantitative genetic research designs, on the other hand offer insights into the etiology of individual differences.
In the present study, data from parents, siblings, adoptees, and twins from the SOEP, enriched with additional twin pairs, was used for multi-group analyses including a total of 260 monozygotic and dizygotic pairs of twins as well as 429 sibling pairs. Genetic and environmental influences were studied in univariate and bivariate analyses targeting personality, life-satisfaction, and views of life.
We present initial analyses and highlight methodological advances of using a genetically sensitive multi-group design.

2.8  Unraveling the Three Faces of Self-Esteem: A New Information-Processing Sociometer Perspective

Sarah Hirschmüller & Mitja D. Back (University of Leipzig, Germany), Sascha Krause (Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Germany), Boris Egloff (University of Leipzig, Germany) & Stefan C. Schmukle (Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Germany)  
Based on an integration of sociometer theory and information-processing models, the present study investigated the predictive validity of three self-esteem measures: self-report, an implicit association test, and an affective priming task. In a first session, self-esteem measures were obtained from 93 participants. After an interval of four weeks, interpersonal perception ratings were collected in small round-robin groups. Participants were requested to briefly introduce themselves to the group before evaluating one another and indicating how they expected to be evaluated by the others (meta-perceptions). As hypothesized, all three self-esteem measures independently predicted the perception of being valued (PBV) in a real-life situation. In sum, the present study shows that three independent faces of self-esteem can fruitfully be distinguished, a finding that has important implications for the measurement and understanding of self-esteem.

2.9  Regulation and Personality mechanisms of decision making in emergency situations

T. Indina & V. Morosanova (Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Russia)  
Subject of the study: Self-regulation and personality factors of decision making in lifesavers' professional activity. Sample: 100 lifesavers of Moscow emergency situations department. Methods: NEO PI-R (V.Oryol, I.Senin adaptation), Self-regulation profile questionnaire (V.I Morosanova), Personality factors of decision making questionnaire (T.V. Kornilova), Decision making model (T.Indina). To study the effectiveness of decision making in emergency situations specific experimental model was elaborated. A number of professional tasks were worked out to diagnose main decision making parameters: search for information, situation assessment, subjective task separation, alternatives construction, choice of the alternative, decision implementation.
Results and conclusions: NEO PI-R Personality Scales (Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) as well as Individual self regulation basic components (goal planning, programming of actions, modeling of significant conditions, result estimation) have shown significant positive correlations with decision making effectiveness. It was proved that individual self regulation development and certain personality domains improve decision making effectiveness in emergency situations.

2.10  The Frankfurt Acculturation Scale (FRAKK): A Questionnaire for the Measurement of Immigrants' Acculturation

Augustin Kelava, Stephan Bongard & Helfried Moosbrugger (Institute of Psychology, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Germany)  
The Frankfurt Acculturation Scale (FRAKK) uses a behavioural oriented conceptualisation of acculturation. In a previous study, a 15 item version of the FRAKK-scale showed ambiguous psychometric properties. In a recent study, a new extended 36 item version of the FRAKK-scale was administered to 305 immigrants from Bosnia, Iran, and Korea. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggest a two factorial structure with the dimensions "Orientation towards the Culture of Origin" (CO) and "Orientation towards the Host Culture" (HC). The two dimensions have high consistencies and correlate at .47. In this contribution, we report on new developments and analyses with latent item response models.

2.11  Emotional Intelligence, Mood-Regulation and EEG Response

A. Kustubayeva (Department of Ethnic and Pedagogical Psychology, Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan), G. Matthews (Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, USA), A. Tolegenova & S. Jakupov (Department of Ethnic and Pedagogical Psychology, Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan)  
Emotional intelligence (EI) may support the successful implementation of strategies for regulating the expression of emotion, such as reappraisal and suppression. These strategies may be expressed in changes in frontal brain activation. The present study aimed to investigate how trait EI relates to EEG activity while participants attempted to regulate their emotional response to a fear-inducing film. Participants were 150 students. EI was measured by the Russian version of Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS; Salovey et al., 1995), consisting of three subscales: Attention to Feelings, Clarity of Feelings, and Ability to Repair mood. Subjects were randomly allocated to one of three experimental groups: control, reappraisal instruction or suppression instruction. EEG was recorded during a sequence of three situations: (1) baseline (open eyes), (2) fear induction task (watching the film), (3) fear regulation task (watching the film after mood-regulation instruction). Spectral Power Density of EEG rhythms in 10 bands (2-45 Hz) was analyzed. The Repair subscale correlated positively with power in frontal gamma and theta-2 bands, in the reappraisal condition only. Correlations between Repair, Clarity and several EEG bands in the baseline condition are also reported. Reappraisal may be linked to trait EI (Repair) and to individual differences in frontal functioning.

2.12  Cross-Cultural Study in Sport (France-China): Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Coping Strategies

S. Laborde (UFR STAPS, EA 4260, University of Caen, France), M. You & A. Salinas (UFR Psychologie, CeRReV, University of Caen, France)  
Emotional Intelligence (EI) and coping strategies are relevant concepts in sport, to understand athlete's tendency to choke under pressure. Objectives: (1) To realize a cross-cultural comparison between EI profiles of Sport Science students in France and China and (2) to establish a relationship between EI scores and coping strategies. Methods: (1) EI of Sport Science students in China (N=166) and in France (N=121) was assessed with the long form of the TEIQue (Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire). (2) Coping strategies related to a stressful event in a specific sport (i.e.: table tennis) were then investigated with the CICS (Coping Inventory for Competitive Sport). Results: (1) Gender and Cultural significant differences were found in EI scores, and (2) coping strategies were moderately related to culture. Conclusion: Stress and emotion management program in sport should take into account both cultural and gender differences.

2.13  Emotion Regulation Strategies in Difficult Life Situations: The Modifying Role of Temperament and Depressive Tendencies

Magdalena Marszal-Wisniewska (Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities and Institute of Psychology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)  
Current research on cognitive emotion regulation strategies has generally ignored the type of difficult situation and cross-situational variability of those strategies in people differing in stable personality traits.
The presented research is meant to answer two questions: 1) Does the type of difficult life situations (loss, failure) influence the use of specific cognitive emotion regulation strategies? and 2) How do temperament and depressive tendencies modify the frequency of the use of those strategies in the analyzed situations? 139 participants completed the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (twice with different instructions for the situation of loss and the situation of failure), the Formal Characteristic of Behavior - Temperament Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. The results showed that a) the use of nonadaptive emotion regulation strategies (mainly catastrophizing, rumination, self-blame) is related with the type of difficult life situations- regardless of individual differences in temperament and depressive tendencies, b) the situation-related use of some strategies is modified by temperament, e.g. low perseveration (temperament trait) increases the frequency of the strategy of acceptance only in a situation of loss, but decreases - in a situation of failure. The results do not support the hypothesis that people with depressive tendencies are "stiff" in using nonadaptive strategies in all difficult situations.

2.14  Children's Trait Emotional Intelligence and School Behavior and Performance

Stella Mavroveli (Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University of London, UK) & K.V. Petrides (Department of Psychology, University College London, UK)  
Trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) is a constellation of emotion-related self-perceptions and dispositions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies (Petrides, Furnham, & Mavroveli, 2007). The validity of the construct in middle and late childhood was examined in four independent studies (Study 1: N = 188; Study 2: N = 140; Study 3: N = 140; Study 4: N = 565). As hypothesised in trait EI theory, trait EI scores showed near-zero correlations with proxies of cognitive ability (e.g., academic performance, verbal and nonverbal intelligence). However, the results suggested that confounding with verbal intelligence trait EI may lead to low or moderate correlations with academic achievement, especially in heterogeneous samples or samples of young children. Furthermore, trait EI scores differentiated between a) pupils with unauthorized absences or exclusions from school and their well-adjusted peers and b) pupils with special educational needs and those without such needs. Trait EI correlated positively with emotion recognition accuracy and teacher- as well as peer-rated positive behaviors (e.g., leadership, cooperativeness, and kindness) and negatively with negative behaviors (hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, conduct and peer problems, and bullying). The results are discussed with emphasis on the relevance of trait EI on performance and behavior at school.

2.15  Stability of Personality in Adolescents Using the JS NEO-S

J. Moya, M.I. Ibáñez, M.A. Ruipérez, H. Villa, L. Mezquita & G. Ortet (Department of Basic and Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Spain)  
The present research examined personality continuity during adolescence using the Short form JS NEO (Ortet et al., 2007). One hundred and ninety-four adolescents (74 boys and 120 girls) were first assessed when they were 12 years old and reassessed three years later (when they were aged 15). Analyses of the five broad dimensions indicated rank-order stability with correlations between 0.43 and 0.54. In relation to normative change (mean-level), adolescents showed no significant differences in Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and Agreeableness, but decreased in Conscientiousness. Facet analyses presented rank-order stability with correlations between 0.23 and 0.50; however, 17 out of 30 facets presented significant mean-level changes, most of them with a small effect size. When gender differences were studied, we only found that neuroticism decreased in boys, but increased in girls. The results replicated the main findings of stability and change of personality characteristics from previous researches. Moreover, this study gives additional evidence that the JS NEO-S is a sound measure of the five factors of personality in adolescents.
Ortet, G. et al. (2007) Adaptation for adolescents of the Spanish version of the NEO PI-R). Psicothema, 19, 263-268.

2.16  Psychological Status of Mood Regulation Strategies

Magdalena Nowicka (Department of Psychology of Individual Differences, Warsaw School of Social Psychology, Poland)  
Mood regulation refers to ability to modify or maintain one's mood state. The author examined the ability of 160 subclinically depressed and normal participants to regulate their mood in an automatic versus controlled way. Those processes were analyzed by manipulating both mood states and the level of cognitive loading. The lexical decision task (emotional version) and the UMACL were used to control mood change during different conditions. As results showed, normal individuals were generally less likely than depressed individuals to use downward mood regulation. Participants with dispositional tendency to mood improvement were able to repair negative moods or maintain positive ones during both parallel task and easy condition. The results suggest that there are differences between depressed and normal individuals in automatic mood regulation processes. In depressed individuals no automatic upward mood regulation takes place. Although depressed individuals can probably use controlled strategies leading to mood improvement, their negative mood is maintained as a consequence of automatic downward mood regulation. These results support the hypothesis that depression is related to inhibitory dysfunctions in the processing of negative stimuli.

2.17  Making inferences using an integrated representation of personality, values, and behavior descriptions

Boon-Kiat Quek1, Kayo Sakamoto1, and Andrew Ortony1,2 (1Computational Cognition for Social Systems, Institute of High Performance Computing, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; 2Northwestern University, USA)  
People routinely and spontaneously make probabilistic inferences about unobserved characteristics of things on the basis of only partial information about them. For example, on hearing about an interesting bird at the zoo, people are likely to infer that it can fly, even though, in fact, the bird in question might have been a penguin. Such inferences derive from implicit, or na•ve theories (e.g., Medin & Wattenmaker, 1989) which are in part founded on psychological analogs of correlations (illusory or otherwise). Our interest is in modeling these kinds of inferences in the social domain wherein inferences (predictions) about likely characteristics of persons are frequently made on the basis of rather little factual knowledge about them. There exist substantial bodies of correlational data that can be helpful for modeling such inferences (e.g., Goldberg, 1992). However, these inferences also depend on relationships between, for example, traits, behavior descriptions (e.g. NEO-PI-R, Costa & McCrae, 1992), and value preferences (e.g. Schwartz, 1992) for which comprehensive data donŐt exist. Accordingly, we seek to co-assemble relevant data sets into one unified representation and then to develop algorithms that, when given a small set of observed characteristics as input, yield plausible inferences about different kinds of unobserved characteristics a person might have.

2.18  Assortative Mating for Personality

Oxana Parshikova (Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia) & Olga Alexeeva (Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Russia)  
The degree of assortative mating was investigated among 189 married couples (M=37.6 years,s = 11.8). The couples were assessed on a broad range of personality characteristics and some relationship quality indicators. We found sizable assortative mating for three dimensions of locus of control (0.16 - 0.22, p<0.05), for two dimensions of Sensation Seeking (0.23; 0.34, p<0.05) and for Programming as one aspect of self-regulation of behavior (0.17, p<0.05). There was no similarity between spouses on such personality traits as Extraversion and Neuroticism, and on the level of Machiavellism. Implications of present findings will be useful for behavior genetics studies where assortative mating regarded as an effect of genotype-environment covariation.

2.19  Exploring the Factor Structure of the Spanish Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue)

J.C. Perez-Gonzalez (Faculty of Education, UNED, Spain), M» J. Sanchez-Ruiz (Faculty of Psychology, UAM, Spain) & K.V. Petrides (Department of Psychology, UCL, UK)  
Trait EI (TEI) has been recognized to be the most prevalent model of EI being used for research purposes and in educational and organizational settings, and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) (Petrides, 2009) is maybe the most robust instrument designed for comprehensively covering the TEI sampling domain. A number of empiric and cross-cultural studies supporting the reliability and construct validity of TEIQue has been carried out in the last few years. Nevertheless, so far empiric research on the factor structure of TEIQue is scant.
In this study we explored the factor structure of the Spanish TEIQue long forms (versions 1.0 and 1.5) in two samples of University Students (Na=289 & Nb=680, respectively). Concerning the version 1.0 and the first sample, the four oblique factors structure reported by Petrides (2009) was replicated in our data: well-being, self-control, emotionality, sociability. With regard to the version 1.5 and the second sample, an alternative three factors structure was found: sociability/well-being, emotionality, self-control. Further exploratory factor analysis splitting the second sample in three independent sub-samples (Nb1=172; Nb2=183; Nb3 =325) showed three alternative although similar factor structures. Finally, the above four oblique factors structure was confirmed again in the data from the third sub-sample.

2.20  A Consensual Model of Personality Traits

Boele De Raad (University of Groningen, The Netherlands), Dick P.H. Barelds (University of Groningen, The Netherlands) & Jan Pieter Van Oudenhoven (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)  
Some 30 psycho-lexical trait studies have been performed or are being performed, in majority geared towards the proto-typical Big Five model. Recent cross-cultural comparisons, however, confirm no more than three recurrent trait dimensions, with Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness as typical characteristics. Additional dimensions (e.g., Neuroticism, Honesty) may recur in some cultures, but not in others. The different lexical studies represent the most important language families (and cultures) of the world, with a broad distribution of geographical regions, including European languages, African languages, and Asian languages. The present study assumes a generalized version of the lexical hypothesis, namely: If individual differences in personality are considered important then language will have lexical expressions (most typically single words) for them, or invent words for them. Cross-lingually spoken, individual differences are more important, when more languages have invented the same or similar words for certain individual differences. From all 30 lexical trait studies lists of trait-adjectives (1000-1500 terms each), representative of the trait-lexicons in those languages, are collected and - for practical purposes - turned into English. The full collection of trait-words will be classified, according to different procedures (sorting, using Big-Five derived schedules, etc.). The classes of words, in themselves indicative of the relevance trait-semantic areas across cultures, are used as a resource to generate a large (master-)pool of internationally applicable personality descriptive items. That pool of items is empirically evaluated (using ratings of usefulness, communicability, differentiating function, etc.) to enable a reduction to manageable proportions. That reduced set of international items will be back-translated into the contributing languages in order to collect ratings from large samples of participants. The ultimate goal is to arrive at a consensual personality inventory that will possibly contain a small number of scales considered cross-culturally applicable and a variety of scales that may reflect trait semantic areas typical for varieties of languages and clusters.

2.21  Screening for Borderline Personality Disorder in an Undergraduate Sample

Kathy Smolewska, Jonathan Oakman & Marta Szepietowska (Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Canada)  
In this study, the validity of three self-report measures assessing the DSM-IV criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) was examined in a nonclinical sample. Fifty-six undergraduate students (6 males, 50 females; mean age = 20.9 years) completed a series of self-report measures that included the Borderline Personality Questionnaire (BPQ), International Personality Disorder Examination DSM-IV Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-SQ) and the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD). In addition, the BPD section of the IPDE DSM-IV Interview and the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R) were administered to each participant. The screeners were highly correlated (r = .65 to .84) and scores on each were positively associated with global indices from the DIB-R (r = .51 to .73) and IPDE interview (r = .59 to .68). Results from hierarchical regression analyses suggest that scores on the MSI-BPD accounted for a significant portion of the variance in both interview indices (R-squared = .46 and .54); the inclusion of the IPDE-SQ and BPQ scores did not result in a significant improvement in either regression. Data from additional studies conducted in our lab will be incorporated into the discussion of implications and limitations associated with screening for BPD within an undergraduate sample.

2.22  Facebook Profiles Reflect Actual Personality not Self-Idealization

Juliane M. Stopfer & Mitja D. Back (Department of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany), Simine Vazire (Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, USA), Sam Gaddis (Department of Psychology, University of Texas, USA), Stefan C. Schmukle (Department of Psychology, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Germany), Boris Egloff (Department of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany) & Samuel D. Gosling (Department of Psychology, University of Texas, USA)  
Almost 600 million people worldwide now have profiles on Online Social Networking sites (OSNs), such as MySpace and Facebook. OSNs have become seamlessly integrated into the milieu of modern-day social interactions and are widely used as a primary medium for communication and networking. Despite the staggering number of people engaging in OSN activities and despite the increasing integration of OSN activity in everyday life there has been virtually no research on this still rapidly growing phenomenon. Here we test the most fundamental question about these OSN profile-do they convey an accurate impression of the profile owners? We investigate this question using 236 profiles from the most popular OSNs in the US (Facebook) and Germany (StudiVZ, SchülerVZ). Unacquainted observers examined these profiles and rated each profile owner on the Big Five personality dimensions (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness). Observer ratings were then aggregated and compared to the profile owners' actual personality and their ideal-personality. Results show that, in contrast to widespread belief, OSN profiles do not reflect self-idealization. Instead, they provide information about social partners that is more valid than most other sources, including face-to-face encounters.

2.23  A Very Brief Scale for Measuring the BIS/BAS Traits

Y. Takahashi & S. Yamagata (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Keio University, Japan), K. Shigemasu (Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan) & J. Ando (Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Japan)  
To measure briefly the Big Five traits, Gosling et al. (2003) designed 5-item and 10-item personality inventories (i.e., FIPI and TIPI), and they reported their adequate reliability and validity. For now, to our knowledge, no very brief scale for measuring Gray's BIS and BAS temperamental traits. The purpose of the present study is to develop and evaluate the very brief version of the BIS/BAS scales (BIS/BAS-VBV). We first picked up the BIS/BAS items that properly describe their constructs from personality traits item pool, repeatedly analyzed preliminary data, and finally selected 12 items to represent the BIS and BAS traits. A total of 91 undergraduates completed the questionnaire booklet including the BIS/BAS-VBV (12 items, 7-point Likert scaling). It only took them about one minute to fill out this scale. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that the BIS/BAS-VBV showed robust two-factor structures. The scale was also evaluated on the basis of psychometric properties: internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and external correlations. The results of these evaluations showed this scale reached adequate reliability and validity. The present study suggested that the BIS/BAS-VBV worked effectively as a one-minute measurement, when time and space were limited.

2.24  The Good Judge: Does Emotional Intelligence Moderate the Accuracy of Zero-acquaintance Judgements?

H. Wall & P.J. Taylor (Psychology Department, Lancaster University, UK), K. Williams & S.M. Conchie (Psychology Department, Liverpool University, UK)  
There has recently been renewed interest into the accuracy of personality judgments and potential correlates of the Good Judge. Such research has increased our understanding of the individual difference variables related to zero-acquaintance judgments (i.e., judgments betweens strangers), which the present study aims to extend. Given that relationships have been reported between intelligence and accuracy for the judgment of non-emotional traits (e.g., Conscientiousness), we propose that it is important to explore the construct of trait emotional intelligence (EI), which may have implications for the judgment of emotional traits (e.g., Neuroticism) that have achieved comparatively little accuracy in zero-acquaintance situations. Therefore, the present study explored the relationship between EI and zero-acquaintance judgments. Specifically, Observers (N = 30) rated their level of trait EI and watched video footage of one participant chatting to another person (i.e., Interactants) unknown to them. Each Observer then rated the Interactants' personality along the Big-5 dimensions, which were compared with Interactants-self-ratings. Importantly, accuracy was found for Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. Median-split-analyses found that those high in EI were less accurate for the emotional personality traits. Findings suggest that those high in trait EI may engage in more complex cognitive processing, which appears to hinder accuracy at zero-acquaintance.

2.25  Cognitive Control of Obsessional Thoughts

A.D. Williams & J.R. Grisham (Department of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Australia)  
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been linked to unsuccessful attempts to suppress unwanted thoughts. Recent evidence of individual differences in ability to control intrusive thoughts may inform our understanding of failures of cognitive control in OCD. In addition, recent theorists have suggested a link between the cognitive processes involved in thought suppression and rumination. The current study investigated several cognitive styles that are potentially associated with OCD and may influence response to unwanted thoughts. Undergraduate students (N = 168) completed self-report measures of OCD symptoms, perceived thought control, tendency to thought-suppress, and tendency to ruminate. They were then presented with a distressing target thought and completed a standard thought suppression paradigm. Controlling for anxiety and depression, OCD symptoms were positively associated with rumination and the tendency to suppress thoughts while inversely associated with perceived thought control ability. In addition, OCD symptoms were associated with higher levels of distress and greater spontaneous efforts to suppress the target thought during the baseline period. Finally, results of the experimental manipulation confirmed that individuals assigned to suppress experienced more target thoughts than those in the control group during the recovery period. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

2.26  Mental Toughness as a Mediator between Temperament Traits and Optimism about the Personal, Local and Global Future

Anna M. Zalewska (Faculty of Psychology, Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland) & Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz (Faculty of Social Science, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland)  
This study examined relations between temperament traits, mental toughness and optimism about the future: personal, local (of local environment) and global (of the world). It was based on the following premises: High optimism facilitates undertaking difficult tasks, coping with failures and achieving successes. Optimism is probably associated with mental toughness (MT) because MT means ability to deal with challenges, pressure and difficulties, that enables us to achieve best results. Temperament traits are basic personality characteristics that influence the whole person's experience and forming the other traits. In accordance with aforementioned premises a general hypothesis has been put that MT will be a mediator between temperament traits and optimism. 268 students (110 boys) aged 11-14-17 were investigated with: Questionnaire MTQ48, Formal Characteristics of Behavior - Temperament Inventory and Questionnaire "What do you think about the future?". Results of hierarchical regression analyses with controlled demographic variables confirmed the general hypothesis. Temperament traits explained 46% of MT variability. They also predicted levels of 3 forms of optimism. However, including MT into analyses reduced the impact of temperament. Results also showed that personality resources explained optimism about own personal future to a higher degree than optimism about the local or global future.

2.27  Moderators of implicit and explicit measures in predicting disgust related behavior

Zinkernagel A., Dislich F., Schmitt M. University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany  
Drawing on two-process-models of information processing (Strack & Deutsch, 2004) and the double dissociation strategy (Asendorpf et al., 2002) we investigated, whether implicit measures indicating disgust sensitivity predict automatic behavior and explicit measures predict controlled behavior (N = 92). At a first occasion disgust proneness was assessed implicitly with a picture single target variant of the Single-block IAT (Teige-Mocigemba et al., 2008) and explicitly with the German questionnaire for the assessment of disgust sensitivity (FEE, Schienle, 2002). At a second occasion of the study the dependent variable disgust behavior was collected by use of two measures: (1) the ability of dealing with disgust-eliciting material as indicator of controlled behavior, (2) the facial expression during the dealing-task as indicator for automatic behavior. Besides the double dissociation we looked for moderating effects which are supposed to influence automatic and controlled behavior. As moderators of behavior the repressor-sensitizer construct (MCI, Krohne & Eggloff, 1999) was taken into account as well as the disposition to express negative emotion (BEQ/D, Traue, 1998) as a specific moderator of facial expression. Results did not confirm the double dissociation but facial expression was very well predicted by explicit measures. Expected moderating effects were shown for implicit measures.

2.28  Literacy and Learning in Healthcare

Emily L. Ross, Katherine R. Waite, Elizabeth A. Bojarski, Rina M. Sobel, William Revelle, David N. Rapp, and Michael S. Wolf. Northwestern University, USA.
The relationship between literacy and health outcomes are well documented in adult medicine, yet specific causal pathways are not entirely clear. Despite an incomplete understanding of the problem, numerous interventions have already been implemented with variable success. Many of the earlier strategies assumed the problem to originate from reading difficulties only. Given the timely need for more effective interventions, it is of increasing importance to reconsider the meaning of health literacy in order to advance our conceptual understanding of the problem and how best to respond. One potentially effective approach might involve recognizing the known associations between a larger set of cognitive and psychosocial abilities with functional literacy skills. We review the current health literacy definition and literature and draw upon relevant research from the fields of education, cognitive science, and psychology. In this framework, a research agenda is proposed that considers an individual's health learning capacity, referring to the broad constellation of cognitive and psychosocial skills patients or family members must draw upon to effectively promote, protect, and manage their own or a child's health. This new, related concept will ideally lead to more effective ways of thinking about health literacy interventions, including the design of health education materials, instructional strategies, and the delivery of healthcare services to support patients and families across the lifespan.

Index

(See the pdf for the index.)

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On 11 Jul 2009, 11:40.