Visual Evoked Potential Augmenting-Reducing and Personality: The Vertex Augmenter is a Sensation Seeker

摘要

Assessment of personality correlates of evoked potential augmenting-reducing (A/R) requires appropriate psychophysiological procedures to assure valid assessment of cortical functioning (Tepas, Guiteras and Klingaman, 1974). Using a Maxwellian-view optical system to precisely control retinal illuminance, two studies compared A/R at Oz and Cz and their correlation with personality measures: Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale and Vando's Reducer-Augmenter Scale. Both the amplitude and latency of the occipital potentials varied in a very systematic and consistent manner with intensity and the A/R measures failed to correlate with personality. In contrast, the vertex potentials, which are known to be affected by nonsensory factors such as cortical arousal and attention, were significantly correlated with personality. The vertex augmenter is a sensation seeker and, as previously found with animals (Lukas and Siegel, 1977a), this relationship was true only for the A/R slopes to the more intense light flashes. Apparently, how the brain responds to intense sensory stimulation as measured by A/R determines how people respond behaviorally to intense sensations.