Motivation and emotion/Tutorials/Personality, motivation and emotion

Moodle 2011

Tutorial 5: Personality, motivation and emotion

Resource type: this resource contains a tutorial or tutorial notes.

This is the fifth tutorial for the Motivation and emotion unit of study.

Completion status: this resource is considered to be complete.

Chapter summary

Reeve (2009, Ch 13)

• Happiness and Personality - Happiness/Unhappiness - Extraversion/Neuroticism - BAS/BIS
• Arousal: Arousal, Optimal Arousal and Sensation Seeking
• Control: Perceived control and Desire for control

Big 5

Review (by class generating):

• the big 5 personality factors and
  • Neuroticism – (sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident). A tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability.
  • Extraversion – (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved). Energy, positive emotions, surgency, and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others.
  • Openness to experience – (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious). Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience.
  • Agreeableness – (friendly/compassionate vs. cold/unkind). A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
  • Conscientiousness – (efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless). A tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behaviour.
• Self-test your own personality profile - e.g., online big 5 test

BIS/BAS

A 10-item BIS/BAS self-test is suggested by (Reeve, 2009, p. 62), based on items by Carver and White (1994), and measuring:

• Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS; right prefrontal lobe sensitivity; 4 items); greater sensitivity to:
  • punishment
  • negative emotion
  • avoidance-oriented behaviours
• Behavioural Activation System (BAS; left prefrontal lobe sensitivity; 6 items); greater sensitivity to:
  • reward
  • positive emotion
  • approach-oriented behaviours

BIS/BAS Survey

Score each on a 1 to 7 scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree

BIS items

1. If I think something unpleasant is going to happen I usually get pretty "worked up."
2. Criticism or scolding hurts me quite a bit.
3. I feel pretty worried or upset when I think or know somebody is angry at me
4. I feel worried when I think I have done poorly at something

BAS items

1. When I get something I want, I feel excited and energised.
2. When good things happen to me, it affects me strongly.
3. When I want something, I usually go all-out to get it.
4. I go out of my way to get things I want.
5. I will often do things for no other reason than that they might be fun.
6. I crave excitement and new sensations.

Sensation seeking scale

• Sensation seeking is a personality trait which has been identified and described by Marvin Zuckerman (1971). Zuckerman was a student participant in sensory deprivation experiments who became intrigued by people who were least able to tolerate a lack of stimulation.
• Sensation seeking scale (Wikipedia)
• Online versions: BBC, RTA
• Other versions: SSS with scoring instructions

There are four factors:[1]

1. Thrill and adventure seeking (10 items) - desire to engage in sports or activities involving some physical danger or risk such as mountain climbing, parachute jumping, scuba diving, speeding in a car, etc.
2. Experience seeking (10 items) - desire to seek new experiences through the mind and senses by living in a nonconforming life style with unconventional friends, and through travel.
3. Disinhibition (10 items) - need to disinhibit behaviour in the social sphere by drinking, partying and seeking variety in sexual partners.
4. Boredom susceptibility (10 items) - aversion for repetitive experience of any kind, routine work, or even dull or predictable people. Other items indicate a restless reaction when things are unchanging.

Complete the SSS (online or from handout), score your total and factor scores, and then contribute your data to the class graph and data sheet (if willing).

Discuss the constructs and distributions.

Time perspective

• Watch and discuss video: Philip Zimbardo prescribes a healthy take on time (Philip Zimbardo, 6:31 min, TED talk, 2009)
• Try out for yourself - self-test online: Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (52-items)

Chapter tasks

• Class review - generate questions
• Wiki-blitz: Last chance to do some live tutorial demos and fixes/enhancements
• Chapter checklist:

Does the book chapter:

1. have a descriptive, interesting title?
2. have an overview which sets up some focus questions?
3. explain relevant theory(ies)?
4. explain relevant research?
5. utilise the best dozen or so peer-reviewed references about the topic?
6. provide some examples?
7. provide relevant links - to other chapters, other wiki pages, and external links?
8. present the knowledge in an interesting way?
9. provide a summary - what are the take-home messages for personal growth and development?
10. use APA style (as much as reasonably possible in wiki-format)?

Feedback (social contribution):

1. Have you provided timely feedback to others and sought feedback about your work?
2. Have you taken action on the feedback?

See also

• Emotion (Previous tutorial)
• Growth psychology (Next tutorial)
• User:S.emp/Week 12, tutoral 5