Extraversion, neuroticism, and the electrocortical response to monetary rewards in adolescent girls

• Published in: Biological psychology 2018-07, Vol.136, p.111-118
• Main Authors: Speed, Brittany C., Nelson, Brady D., Levinson, Amanda R., Perlman, Greg, Klein, Daniel N., Kotov, Roman, Hajcak, Greg
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Extraversion; Extraversion (Psychology); Female; Humans; Individuality; Neuroticism; Positive emotionality; Reward; Reward positivity
• ISSN: 0301-0511; 1873-6246
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.05.017

•Extraversion is associated with a potentiated ΔRewP at low levels of neuroticism.•Neuroticism modulates the association between positive emotionality and the ΔRewP.•Neuroticism decreases aged-related increases in the ΔRewP. Affective personality traits, such as extraversion and neuroticism, are associated with individual differences in reward system functioning. The reward positivity (ΔRewP) is an event-related potential (ERP) component that indexes sensitivity to reward, and can be elicited by feedback indicating monetary gains relative to losses. In a sample of 508 adolescent girls, the current study examined the relationship between extraversion, neuroticism, and their respective facets and the ΔRewP. Results indicated an Extraversion × Neuroticism interaction, such that greater extraversion was associated with an increased ΔRewP, but only in the context of low neuroticism. This association was primarily due to the extraversion facet positive emotionality—high levels of positive emotionality were associated with an increased ΔRewP, but only in the context of low neuroticism. In addition, increased neuroticism diminished the age-related increase in the ΔRewP. The current study suggests that both extraversion and neuroticism are associated with reward system function in adolescence.