THE EFFECTS OF PERSONALITY TRAITS THE EFFECTS OF PERSONALITY TRAITS

AND SUPPRESSION OF POSITIVE EMOTION AND SUPPRESSION OF POSITIVE EMOTION

ON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGESON PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES

Asmir Gračanin, Igor Kardum & Jasna Hudek-Knežević

Department of psychology

Faculty of arts and social sciences in Rijeka

Two kinds of explanations of relation between expressivity and physiological changes during emotion

1. Coactivation theory (Cacioppo et al., 1992)

2. Emotional discharge theory (e.g., Bonaparte, Freud & Kris, 1954) and effort model (Kunzmann, Kupperbusch & Levenson, 2005)

- Cacioppo et al., (1992) concluded that results of the previous reserch support:

a) Coactivation theory - in the context of intraindividual differences

b) Emotional discharge theory. - in the context of interindividual differences

- Contemporary research has shown positive relation between suppression (non-expressiveness) and activation in the context of intraindividual differences (e.g. Gross & Levenson, 1993, 1997; Butler i et al. 2003)

Personality traits and peripheral physiological Personality traits and peripheral physiological

activity in emotionactivity in emotionNeuroticism

Previous research has shown that depressiveness is related to diminished physiological responding in emotional situations

Agreeableness

theoretically and empirically this dimension is related to proness to feel empathy. It can be expected that individuals who are higher in agreeableness would show patterns of physiological activity that correspond to the level of experienced empathy.

Conscientiousness

dimension that is related to control of own impulses and responsible dealing with different tasks; more conscientious individuals should put more effort into following instruction to suppress and thus would have higher sympathetic activity.

HYPOTHESESHYPOTHESES

Different indicators of sympathetic activity (electrodermal activity, heart rate and peripheral pulse amplitude)

are going to:

1. Increase in an positive emotional situation only in less depressive subjects

2. Depend on the interaction between different personality traits (neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness) and instruction to suppress experienced emotion

3. Increase when participants who are prone to put effort in a task receive the instruction to suppress

METHODMETHOD

Subjects

N= 129 participants, students of differnt faculties at the

university of Rijeka, N= 97 females and N= 32 males

Age - 18 to 35 years (M = 21.46; SD = 2.77)

METHODMETHOD

Procedure / inducton of emotion

Film clip aimed to induce joy:

Scene form the film “Les visiteurs” (Poire, 1993 ), lenght: 134 seconds

Neutral clip (birds on the beach, 51 seconds) and clip aimed to habituate

participants to experimental conditions (dots and lines, 91 seconds) taken

from the Gross and Levenson’s study (1995)

METHODMETHOD

Instruments

NEO-PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992)

240; five personality dimensions, 30 facets

Short questionnaire designed for the purpose of this study

12 items; five basic emotions, PA and NA

METHODMETHOD

Instruments

Expressive behaviour

video camera

two evaluators

smiling, frowning , disgust, agitation

Physiological activity

ECG (IBI)

PPA

SCL

METHODMETHODInduction efficacy

Subjective experience

Target state

Positive affect

Negative affect Neutral state

Subjective experience

2 M SD 2 M SD M SD

Positive 0.43*** 12.86 4.03 0.53*** 4.22 1.10 8.43 4.01

Negative 0.00 9.08 2.52 0.70*** 17.70 5.76 9.00 2.04

2 – estimation of effect size; * p< 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001; N = 63

METHODMETHOD

Induction efficacy

Expressive behaviour

Target state

Positive affect Negative affect Neutral state

Expressive behaviour

2 M SD 2 M SD M SD

Smiling 0.69*** 2.84 1.02 0.00 1.29 0.72 1.23 0.66

Frowning 0.19*** 1.42 0.73 0.37*** 1.89 1.16 1.06 0.30

Disgust 0.17*** 1.14 0.31 0.34*** 1.72 1.00 1.00 0.00

Agitation 0.14** 1.28 0.72 0.47*** 1.95 1.02 1.00 0.00

2 – estimation of effect size; * p< 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001; N = 63

METHOD METHOD Induction efficacyInduction efficacy

Physiological activationPhysiological activation TARGET EMOTION

Positive affect Negative affect

PHYSIOLOGICAL

PARAMETERS 2 Neutral clip Emotional clip 2 Neutral clip Emotional clip

PPA (mV)

M

SD

0.02

2.29

1.73

2.15

1.72

0.22***

2.25

1.68

1.74

1.39

IBI (ms)

M

SD

0.02

806.01

125.80

811.49

120.29

00

808.37

127.44

809.96

121.96

SCL (µS) M

SD

0.31***

0.57

0.23

0.61

0.23

0.26***

0.55

0.23

0.62

0.23

2 – estimation of effect size; * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001 (negative affect N = 54; positive affect; N = 57); PPA – peripheral pulse amplitude; IBI – interval between beats (reciprocal to heart rate); SCL – skin conductance level

RESULTSRESULTS

For each of the Five factor model dimensions and their facets only those participants

which were positioned within the highest and the lowest 33% of the results

were included in further analyses

For each of the sympathetic activity indicators a group of three way ANOVAs has

been conducted:

1. Repeated measures – variable CLIP – two levels: neutral and emotional clip

2. USUAL BEHAVIOR/ SUPPRESSION – depending on the instruction

3. PERSONALITY DIMENSION / FACET – two levels: the lowest 33% and the

highest 33%

In each ANOVA next covariates were controlled for: sex, age and the variable

aimed to check for the familiarity of film from which the scene/clip has been

taken

RESULTSRESULTS

• Interaction between neuroticism and film clip on the skin conductance level. More neurotic participants have shown lower skin conductance level in the emotional situation, F (1,66) = 5,11; p <0.05

• Interaction between neuroticism facets

ANGRY HOSTILITY; F (1,68) = 5,29; p <0.05

DEPRESSION; F (1, 65) = 4,85; p <0.05

VULNERABILITY; F (1, 70) = 5,71; p <0.05

and film clip on the skin conductance level. More hostile, depressive and vulnerable participants have shown a decrease in skin conductance level in the emotional situation while those lower on these facets have shown an increase in SCL

RESULTS RESULTS Interaction between depression and film clip on the SCLInteraction between depression and film clip on the SCL

-0,04

-0,02

0

0,02

0,04

0,06

0,08

0,1

0,12

0,14

0,16

1 2

film clip

scl

RESULTSRESULTS

• Interaction between neuroticism facet IMPULSIVENESS and film clip on the heart rate (ibi) F (1,71) = 4,52; p <0.05.

More impulsive participants have shown a decrease in IBI (increase in heart rate) in the emotional situation while those lower on this facet have shown increase in IBI.

• Interaction between agreeableness facet TENDER-MINDEDNESS and film clip on the heart rate (IBI) F (1,63) = 4,06; p <0.05. Less tender-minded participants have shown much higher increase in IBI (decrease in heart rate) in the emotional situation.

RESULTSRESULTS

• Interaction between neuroticism, clip (neutral vs positive emotion) and

suppression on the peripheral pulse amplitude. When participants received

the instruction to suppress, those who are less neurotic have not shown

decrease in the amplitude of peripheral pulse (vasoconstriction – decreased

sympathetic activity) as it was the case in the no suppression group;

F(1,64) =6,41; p=0.01

RESULTS RESULTS Interaction between neuroticism, film clip and suppression on the PPAInteraction between neuroticism, film clip and suppression on the PPA

usual behaviour suppression

1,2

1,4

1,6

1,8

2

2,2

2,4

2,6

2,8

3

1 2

film clip

pp

a

1,7

1,9

2,1

2,3

2,5

2,7

2,9

3,1

3,3

3,5

1 2

film clip

pp

a

RESULTSRESULTS

• Interaction between neuroticism facet ANGRY HOSTILITY, clip (neutral vs positive emotion) and suppression on the peripheral pulse amplitude. When participants received the instruction to suppress, those who are less hostile have shown greater increase in the amplitude of peripheral pulse (vasodilatation – decreased sympathetic activity), F(1,66) =4,68; p<0.05

• Interaction between agreeableness facet TENDER MINDEDNESS, clip (neutral vs positive emotion) and suppression on the peripheral pulse amplitude. When participants received the instruction to suppress, those who are more tender minded have shown greater decrease in the amplitude of peripheral pulse (vasoconstriction – increased sympathetic activity), F(1,63) =8,6; p<0.01

RESULTS RESULTS Interaction between tender-mindedness, film clip and suppression on the PPAInteraction between tender-mindedness, film clip and suppression on the PPA

usual behaviour suppression

1,2

1,4

1,6

1,8

2

2,2

2,4

2,6

2,8

3

1 2

film clip

pp

a

1,7

1,9

2,1

2,3

2,5

2,7

2,9

3,1

3,3

3,5

1 2

film clip

pa

RESULTSRESULTS

• Interaction between conscientiousness facet COMPETENCE, clip (neutral vs positive emotion) and suppression on the peripheral pulse amplitude. During suppression, those who believe more in their self efficacy did not have any decrease in the amplitude of peripheral pulse (vasoconstriction – increased sympathetic activity), F(1,61) =5,47; p<0.05

RESULTS RESULTS Interaction between competence, film clip and suppression on the PPAInteraction between competence, film clip and suppression on the PPA

usual behaviour suppression

1,2

1,4

1,6

1,8

2

2,2

2,4

2,6

2,8

3

1 2

film clip

pp

a

0,7

0,9

1,1

1,3

1,5

1,7

1,9

2,1

2,3

2,5

1 2

film clip

pp

a

RESULTSRESULTS

• Interaction between extraversion facet GREGARIOUSNESS, clip and suppression on the SCL. When participants received the instruction to suppress, those who are more gregarious have shown a decrease in SCL compared to situation when they behaved as usual F(1,71) =3,64; p=0.06

• Interaction between conscientiousness facet DUTIFULNESS, clip and suppression on the SCL. When participants received the instruction to suppress, those who are higher in dutifulness have shown an increase in SCL compared to situation when they behaved as usual F(1,68) =7,46; p<0,01

RESULTS RESULTS

Interaction between dutifulness, clip and suppression on the SCLInteraction between dutifulness, clip and suppression on the SCL

usual behaviour suppression

-0,5

-0,4

-0,3

-0,2

-0,1

0

0,1

0,2

0,3

0,4

0,5

1 2

film clip

sc

l

-0,2

-0,1

0

0,1

0,2

0,3

0,4

0,5

0,6

1 2

film clip

sc

l

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

No interaction between clip and suppression has been found; instruction to suppress has

not, on average, produced any change in the indicators of sympathetic activation.

Interactions between diferent dimensions of Five factor model and their facets with the film

clip have been found. Personality traits have theoretically expected impact on the

patterns of sympathetical activation in the situation which tipically produces positive

emotion.

Interaction between different Five factor model dimensions and their facets with variables

film clip and suppression have been found. Different personality traits moderate the

effects of instruction to suppress on the different physiological parameters

(indicators of sympathetic activity) in the expected direction.