Temperament and Attention: Orienting Toward and Away From Positive and Negative Signals

Two studies used a target detection task to examine temperament-related attentional biases toward and away from significant stimuli. Pretarget cues were used to orient attention to locations carrying a positive incentive value (where points could be gained) or a negative value (where points could be...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality and social psychology 1994-06, Vol.66 (6), p.1128-1139
Main Authors: Derryberry, Douglas, Reed, Marjorie A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
Attentional bias
Attitudes
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Extraversion
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Incentives
Introversion
Personality
Personality traits
Personality. Affectivity
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reaction Time
Role
Selective Attention
Social psychology
Social research
Surveys and Questionnaires
Temperament
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Two studies used a target detection task to examine temperament-related attentional biases toward and away from significant stimuli. Pretarget cues were used to orient attention to locations carrying a positive incentive value (where points could be gained) or a negative value (where points could be lost). Under both involuntary and voluntary conditions, extraverts were slow to shift attention away from positive locations, whereas introverts were slow to shift from negative locations. These biases were enhanced on trials following negative feedback and tended to be strongest in Ss high in Neuroticism. The findings support models proposing that Extraversion reflects the combined activity of positive (strongest in extraverts) and negative (strongest in introverts) incentive motivational processes. They further suggest that incentive processes regulate the ability to shift attention away from, rather than toward, significant stimuli.
ISSN:0022-3514
1939-1315
DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.66.6.1128