Photic driving and personality

Abstract

Relationships between photic driving in the thera (5–7 Hz), alpha (9–12 Hz), beta 1 (16, 18, 20 Hz), beta 2 (25 and 30 Hz) and gamma (35 and 40 Hz) bands and personality dimensions of extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), and psychoticism (P), obtained from Eysenck, Eysenck and Barrett's (1985; Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 21–29) EPQ-R, were investigated in 34 volunteer subjects. Photic driving power was derived from analysis of power at each driving frequency the EEG spectrum over 16 electrode sites. A Principal Components Analysis of photic driving power at the 14 frequencies disclosed four clear factors, two low, a middle and a high frequency factor. While there were no significant relationships between N and photic driving power in any of the frequency bands, P loaded a high frequency (gamma), and E a low frequency (theta) driving factor. It is proposed that more efficient high frequency driving in high P subjects reflects greater cortical strength, and that greater theta driving power in extraverts in indicative of an immature nervous system, one which lacks control over impulsive predispositions.