Research shows that some personality traits like introversion and extraversion have biological or physiological origins. Eysenck (1983) spearheaded much of the research on the physiology of introversion/extraversion, showing that introverts are essentially more aroused than extraverts. Gale (1983) and Stelmach (1990) have pointed out some methodological weaknesses in Eysenck’s work but generally the principle that extraverts can handle stimulation or distraction better than introverts has seemed to correspond to the differences in these temperaments. The results of these studies have tremendous implications for everything from classroom design to communications. For example, O’Connor, Gardiner & Watson (2016) found that introverts benefitted more from relaxation techniques to stimulate creativity, whereas extraverts benefitted more from ideational skills training. As someone who is basically an introvert with some extraverted tendencies, I can see why there are some inconsistencies in the research. A pure introvert or extravert might react as expected on physiological tests like the eye blink or salivation test, but different people will react differently to different situations depending on a number of different variables like conditioning, habituation, and conditioning. In fact, some neurological studies even seem to reveal the opposite results of the Eysenck studies. For instance, Suslow,...
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