Abstract
According to Pavlov, temperament is determined by strength of excitation and inhibition, balance and mobility of the central nervous system, which could be segregated into four types of choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic (Ruch, 1992). All human behaviors are based on those types of central nervous system including how to control our behavior. When we make an anti-saccade, for example, our visual system needs to suppress (inhibit) the pro-saccade and make saccade in opposite direction. The anti-saccadic cost mainly embodies inhibition (Johannesson, Haraldsson, & Kristjánsson, 2013), and the switch cost reflects task reset (mobility) (Meiran, 1996; Rogers et al., 1995; Rubinstein, Meyer, & Evans, 2001; Schmitz & Voss, 2012). Both temperament and saccadic control result from some functions of central nervous system, i. e. excitation, inhibition, balance and mobility. We assume that temperament is correlated to saccadic control (cognitive control) in different patterns at different levels.
To explore the relationship between the temperament and eye movement control, a combination of eye tracking and questionnaire survey were adopted, in which a 2 x 2 design within-group of saccadic eye movement experiment with the saccade direction (pro-saccade and anti-saccade) and task type (repeat and switch) and temperament test (Chen Huichang, 1982) were conducted. Fifty undergraduate students participated in the experiment. Participants’ eye movements were recorded by a SR Research EyeLink II eye tracker, followed by questionnaire test of their temperaments.
Results showed that the choleric temperament scores significantly relate to the saccadic latency under the condition of pro-switch, and anti-saccade cost under the condition of switch, and closely significantly relate to switch cost under the condition of pro-saccade (r = 0.255, p = 0.074). Sanguine temperament scores significantly correlate to the saccadic latency under the condition of pro-switch and anti-switch,and significantly relate to switch cost under the condition of pro- and anti-saccade, and closely significantly correlate to the saccadic latency under the condition of pro-repeat (r=-0.245,p=0.086). Melancholic temperament score significantly correlates to the saccadic latency under the condition of pro-switch and to switch cost under the condition of anti-saccade, and closely significantly correlates to switch cost under the condition of pro saccade(r=0.256,p=0.073). Lymphatic temperament score aren’t significantly correlated to all saccadic parameters.
The results indicate that temperament is closely correlated to eye movement control, and this correlation is mediated by the cognitive control. Temperament is determined by different neural activities, the relationship between the neural activity and the cognitive control function is much complicated. The strength of neural activity is a fundamental aspect in all dimensions, it is related with inhibition and transformation functions of cognitive control; while the mobility and balance of neural activity are important to transformation and inhibition functions.
Key words
temperament /
saccade /
neural type /
switch cost /
cognitive control
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The relationship between temperament and eye movement control[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2015, 38(3): 666-671
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