THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM ON APPROACH-AVOIDANCE-RELATED MOTOR BEHAVIOR

Year 2023, , 125 - 135, 30.04.2023

Erman Doğan , Serdar Tok , Şenol Güven , Nihal Dal

https://doi.org/10.22282/tojras.1265538

Abstract

In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether positive emotional stimuli may affect high and low neuroticism individuals’ maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) level of the biceps brachii muscle, which is considered a motor representation of approach behavior. The sample consisted of 36 right-handed individuals (12 females) ranging in age from 18 to 27 (M= 23.516 [2.120]). Participants completed items from the Big Five Factor Personality Inventory concerning Neuroticism. After completing the psychometric test, we exposed participants to the high valance low arousal pictures selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) via Biotrace+ software during the execution of arm flexions. Participants made 2 MVC attempts for each experimental condition lasting 6 seconds and rested 3 minutes between MVC attempts to eliminate the effect of fatigue. Results of Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the percent change of MVC was positively associated with neuroticism (r= .368, p< .05). The results also showed that the percent change of MVC of the high neuroticism group was significantly greater than the percent change of the low neuroticism group [t(36)= -2.449, p= .020]. Results provided some support for our hypothesis. Hence the data demonstrated that positive emotional stimuli decreased the MVC of the biceps brachii muscle in individuals with low neuroticism. On the contrary, MVC levels of high neuroticism individuals remained almost stable in response to positive emotional stimuli.

Keywords

Neuroticism, Approach-Avoidance motivation, MVC

References

• REFERENCES Aubé, B., Rougier, M., Muller, D., Ric, F., & Yzerbyt, V. (2019). The online-VAAST: A short and online tool to measure spontaneous approach and avoidance tendencies. Acta Psychologica, 201(2019), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.102942
• Britton, J. C., Ho, S.-H., Taylor, S. F., & Liberzon, I. (2007). Neuroticism associated with neural activation patterns to positive stimuli. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 156(3), 263–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2007.06.003
• Burden, A. (2010). How should we normalize electromyograms obtained from healthy participants? What we have learned from over 25 years of research. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 20(6), 1023–1035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2010.07.004
• Burden, A., & Bartlett, R. (1999). Normalisation of EMG amplitude: An evaluation and comparison of old and new methods. Medical Engineering & Physics, 21(4), 247–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1350-4533(99)00054-5
• Cacioppo, J. T., Priester, J. R., & Berntson, G. G. (1993). Rudimentary determinants of attitudes: II. Arm flexion and extension have differential effects on attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(1), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.1.5
• Canli, T., Zhao, Z., Desmond, J. E., Kang, E., Gross, J., & Gabrieli, J. (2001). An fMRI study of personality influences on brain reactivity to emotional stimuli. Behavioral Neuroscience, 115(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7044.115.1.33
• Cunningham, W. A., Arbuckle, N. L., Jahn, A., Mowrer, S. M., & Abduljalil, A. M. (2010). Aspects of neuroticism and the amygdala: chronic tuning from motivational styles. Neuropsychologia, 48(12), 3399–3404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.06.026
• De Luca, C. J. (1997). The use of surface electromyography in biomechanics. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 13(2), 135–163. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.13.2.135
• Elliot, A. J. (2006). The hierarchical model of approach-avoidance motivation. Motivation and Emotion, 30(2), 111–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-006-9028-7
• Elliot, A. J. (2008). Handbook of approach and avoidance motivation. New York: Psychology Press.
• Elliot, A. J., & Thrash, T. M. (2002). Approach-avoidance motivation in personality: Approach and avoidance temperaments and goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(5), 804-818. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.5.804
• Eysenck, H. J. (1967). The biological basis of personality. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
• Gomez, R., Gomez, A., & Cooper, A. (2002). Neuroticism and extraversion as predictors of negative and positive emotional information processing: Comparing Eysenck’s, Gray’s, and Newman’s theories. European Journal of Personality, 16(5), 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.459
• Lang, P. J., Bradley, M. M., & Cuthbert, B. N. (1997). International affective picture system (IAPS): Technical manual and affective ratings. NIMH Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, 1(3), 39–58.
• Ng, W. (2009). Clarifying the relation between neuroticism and positive emotions. Personality and Individual Differences, 47(1), 69–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.01.049
• Önal-Hartmann, C., Pauli, P., Ocklenburg, S., & Güntürkün, O. (2012). The motor side of emotions: investigating the relationship between hemispheres, motor reactions and emotional stimuli. Psychological Research, 76(3), 311–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-011-0337-4
• Puca, R. M., Rinkenauer, G., & Breidenstein, C. (2006). Individual differences in approach and avoidance movements: How the avoidance motive influences response force. Journal of Personality, 74(4), 979–1014. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00400.x
• Razpurker-Apfeld, I., & Shamoa-Nir, L. (2021). Is an outgroup welcome with open arms? Approach and avoidance motor activations and outgroup prejudice. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 27(2), 417-429. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000334
• Rotteveel, M., & Phaf, R. H. (2004). Automatic affective evaluation does not automatically predispose for arm flexion and extension. Emotion, 4(2), 156-172. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.4.2.156
• Servaas, M. N., Van Der Velde, J., Costafreda, S. G., Horton, P., Ormel, J., Riese, H., & Aleman, A. (2013). Neuroticism and the brain: a quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies investigating emotion processing. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(8), 1518–1529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.05.005
• Sočan, G., & Bucik, V. (1998). Relationship between speed of information-processing and two major personality dimensions-extraversion and neuroticism. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(1), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(98)00031-2
• Tatar, A. (2016). The development of short-form five factor personality inventory. Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry, 17(1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.5455/apd.202977
• Tok, S., Koyuncu, M., Dural, S., & Catikkas, F. (2010). Evaluation of International Affective Picture System (IAPS) ratings in an athlete population and its relations to personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(5), 461–466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.04.020