Driven to tears or to joy: response dominance and trait-based predictions.
The present studies reinvigorate the construct of traitedness from a cognitive perspective. Tendencies toward habit (vs. flexibility) were assessed by examining response dominance performance within choice reaction time tasks. Consistent with the idea that response dominance reflects a tendency toward habitual modes of thought and action, three studies involving 428 undergraduates revealed that trait-outcome and test-retest correlations were higher among individuals higher in response dominance. In Studies 1 and 2, such trait-consistency effects took the form of stronger relations between extraversion and neuroticism, on one hand, and mood states and behavior, on the other. In Study 3, such tendencies took the form of higher test-retest correlations related to daily experiences of mood states, somatic symptoms, and life satisfaction. Together, the studies reveal a consistent effect of response dominance on trait-like consistency and raise some important issues for future studies of the traitedness construct.
Robinson
Michael D
MD
Psychology Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, USA. Micheal.D.Robinson@ndsu.edu
Goetz
Mark C
MC
Wilkowski
Benjamin M
BM
Hoffman
Scott J
SJ
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001288:Attention; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003118:Color Perception; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004644:Emotions; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012660:Semantics; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013666:Tears