Anton Aluja

Several personality models currently coexist in the field of personality psychology. However, the dominant framework remains the Five-Factor Model (FFM), the origins of which can be traced back to ...

This study investigated prefrontal cortex activity during the viewing and evaluation of pictures depicting scenarios with varying levels of danger, with a focus on the modulatory effects of personality traits and decision-making styles. The study sample included 120 male participants (44.4 ± 12.9 years) and 87 female participants (38.9 ± 10.5 years). Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure prefrontal oxygenation during the period of looking at pictures and the subsequent period of judging how dangerous they looked. Psychometric assessments included the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) and the Melbourne Decision-Making Questionnaire (MDMQ). The results revealed significant time-by-region (F = 2.9, p = 0.013) and danger level by region interactions (F = 2.8, p = 0.021) during the viewing period. During the evaluation period, a significant time-by-region interaction was observed (F = 8.7, p < 0.001). High sensation seekers exhibited reduced oxygenation levels in specific right prefrontal regions, reflecting a differential neural response to varying danger levels. Similarly, individuals with higher Aggressiveness and Extraversion displayed distinct oxygenation patterns during the evaluation phase, suggesting that personality traits influence prefrontal activity. However, no significant effects of decision-making styles were detected in either phase. These findings emphasise the pivotal role of the prefrontal cortex in assessing scene safety and highlight how neural responses are modulated by personality traits, rather than by decision-making styles.

The literature has described how different and independent personality profiles (pathways or motives) lead to the same outcome: alcohol misuse. In addition, decision-making styles could also play a role in understanding alcohol misuse better, although the evidence is much more scarce compared to personality traits. The present paper aims to test how personality traits and decision-making styles could be integrated to better understand different pathways/profiles of alcohol misuse. Measures of alcohol misuse (AUDIT and RAPI), structural personality models (ZKA-PQ/SF), impulsivity (BIS-11 and UPPS-P), and decision-making styles (GDMS) were applied to a sample of 988 individuals from the Spanish general population (446 of them also completed the NEO-PI-R). Exploratory factor analyses support the identification of different pathways to alcohol misuse, and regression analyses suggest that decision-making styles add little variance to personality traits to account for differences in alcohol misuse, although the spontaneous style is consistently associated with alcohol misuse. The conclusions highlight the need to consider different aetiologies of alcohol misuse, especially an antisocial/disinhibited profile, and claim for the assessment of decision-making styles and, especially, personality traits to facilitate more successful treatment and prevention programs for alcohol misuse.

The present study aims to extend knowledge on the relationship between humor styles, optimism and quality of life by employing the typological approach. Therefore, humor profiles were examined as patterns of humor styles and compared within profiles. The sample of 725 respondents from Spanish community was tested using Humor Styles Questionnaire, Life Orientation Test – Revised and the 12-Item Short Form Survey. Initial insight into the relations between humor styles, optimism and quality of life was provided using correlations controlling for gender, age, and socio-economic status, showing that optimism and quality of life measures correlated positively with affiliative and self-enhancing humor, and negatively with self-defeating humor styles. Four humor profiles (humor enhancers, endorsers, deniers and detrimenters) were identified using latent profile analysis, with the pairwise comparisons between the profiles in the analysis of differences in optimism and quality of life. Results revealed higher optimism and quality of life at humor profiles whose members use positive humor styles compared to profiles whose members use only negative humor styles, or do not use any kind of humor. In addition, significant role of gender, age and socio-economic position on observed relationship were confirmed. Advantages of typological approach in research of humor styles were discussed.

This study compares the Melbourne Decision-Making Questionnaire (MDMQ) and the General Decision-Making Style questionnaire (GDMS), two of the most widely used decision-making questionnaires in the literature, in a large age- and sex-weighted general population sample of 714 men (45.7%) and 848 women (54.3%) between 18 and 90 years old. The objective was to evaluate the convergent and construct validity between several aspects of these decision-making style questionnaires. The results indicate that the two questionnaires replicate the factorial structure of four and five factors reported in the original studies, respectively, through exploratory and confirmatory procedures in our cross-cultural context. The domains of both questionnaires that represent a strong or large correlation are Vigilance with Rational (0.50), and Hypervigilance, Buck-passing, and Procrastination with Avoidant (0.45, 0.52, and 0.60). A Structural Equations Model (SEM) between both questionnaires indicates that both latent factors formed by the domains of the MDMQ and the GDMS obtain a correlation of 0.96. It is concluded that the two questionnaires measure similar aspects of the decision-making construct.

Background: Road safety improvement is a governmental priority due to driver-caused accidents. Driving style variation affects safety, with emotional regulation being pivotal. However, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies show inconsistent prefrontal cortex activity during emotion processing. This study examines prefrontal cortex response to negative emotional stimuli, particularly traffic accident images, across drivers diverse in age and gender. Method: The study involved 118 healthy males (44.38 ± 12.98 years) and 84 females (38.89 ± 10.60 years). The Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI) was used to assess driving behavior alongside fNIRS recordings. Participants viewed traffic accident and neutral images while prefrontal oxygenation was monitored. Results: Women rated traffic accidents (t-test = 2.43; p < 0.016) and neutral images (t-test = 2.19; p < 0.030) lower in valence than men. Arousal differences were significant for traffic accident images (t-test = −3.06; p < 0.002). correlational analysis found an inverse relationship between Dissociative scale scores and oxygenation (all p-values ≤ 0.013). Greater prefrontal oxygenation occurred with neutral images compared to traffic accidents. Left hemisphere differences (t-test = 3.23; p < 0.001) exceeded right hemisphere differences (t-test = 2.46; p < 0.015). Subgroup analysis showed male participants to be driving these disparities. Among adaptive drivers, significant oxygenation differences between neutral and accident images were evident in both hemispheres (left: t-test = 2.72, p < 0.009; right: t-test = 2.22, p < 0.030). Conclusions: Male drivers with maladaptive driving styles, particularly dissociative ones, exhibit reduced prefrontal oxygenation when exposed to neutral and traffic accident images. This response was absent in female drivers, with no notable age-related differences.

Background: Road safety improvement is a governmental priority due to driver-caused accidents. Driving styles variation affects safety, with emotional regulation being pivotal. However, functional Near-Infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies show inconsistent prefrontal cortex activity during emotion processing. This study examines prefrontal cortex response to negative emotional stimuli, particularly traffic accident images, across diverse drivers in age and gender. Method: The study involved 118 healthy males (44.38 ± 12.98 years) and 84 females (38.89 ± 10.60 years). The Multidimensional Driving Styles Inventory (MDSI) was used to assess driving behaviour alongside fNIRS recordings. Participants viewed traffic accident and neutral images while prefrontal oxygenation was monitored. Results: Women rated traffic accidents (t-test = 2.43; p < .016) and neutral images (t-test = 2.19; p < .030) lower in valence than men. Arousal differences were significant for traffic accident images (t-test = -3.06; p < .002). Correlational analysis found an inverse relationship between Dissociative scale scores and oxygenation (all p-values ≤ .013). Greater prefrontal oxygenation occurred with neutral images compared to traffic accidents. Left hemisphere differences (t-test = 3.23; p < .001) exceeded right hemisphere differences (t-test = 2.46; p < .015). Subgroup analysis showed male participants to be driving these disparities. Among adaptive drivers, significant oxygenation differences between neutral and accident images were evident in both hemispheres (left : t-test = 2.72, p < .009; right: t-test = 2.22, p < .030). Conclusion: Male drivers with maladaptive driving styles, particularly dissociative ones, exhibit reduced prefrontal oxygenation when exposed to neutral and traffic accident images. This response was absent in female drivers, with no notable age-related differences.

This study compares the Melbourne Decision-Making Questionnaire (MDMQ) and the General Decision-Making Style (GDMS), two of the most widely used decision-making questionnaires in the literature, in a large age- and sex-weighted general population sample of 714 men (45.7%) and 848 women (54.3%) between 18 and 90 years old. The objective was to evaluate the convergent and construct validity between several aspects of decision-making styles questionnaires. The results indicate that the two questionnaires replicate the factorial structure of four and five factors reported in the original studies respectively, through exploratory and confirmatory procedures in our cross-cultural context. The domains of both questionnaires that represent a strong or large correlation are Vigilance with Rational (.50), Hypervigilance, Buck-passing, and Procrastination with Avoidant (.45, .52 and .60). A Structural Equations Model (SEM) between both questionnaires indicates that both latent factors formed by the domains of the MDMQ and the GDMS obtain a correlation of .96. It is concluded that the two questionnaires measure similar aspects of the decision-making construct.

This study compares the Melbourne Decision-Making Questionnaire (MDMQ) and the General Decision-Making Style (GDMS), two of the most widely used decision-making questionnaires in the literature, in a large age- and sex-weighted general population sample of 714 men (45.7%) and 848 women (54.3%) between 18 and 90 years old. The objective was to evaluate the convergent and construct validity between several aspects of decision-making styles questionnaires. The results indicate that the two questionnaires replicate the factorial structure of four and five factors reported in the original studies respectively, through exploratory and confirmatory procedures in our cross-cultural context. The domains of both questionnaires that represent a strong or large correlation are Vigilance with Rational (.50), Hypervigilance, Buck-passing, and Procrastination with Avoidant (.45, .52 and .60). A Structural Equations Model (SEM) between both questionnaires indicates that both latent factors formed by the domains of the MDMQ and the GDMS obtain a correlation of .96. It is concluded that the two questionnaires measure similar aspects of the decision-making construct.

Background: This study was designed to examine the prevalence and relationships between the Internet gaming disorder (IGD) behaviors, suggested by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and personality traits.Participants and procedure: A sample community of 1,548 subjects, 707 men and 841 women, with a mean age of 40.90 and 38.89 years, respectively, was evaluated.Results: The results showed that only 7 subjects (0.5%) exceeded the cut-off point of 75 points to be classed as “disordered gamers” proposed by Fuster et al. (2016) in Spain. This study demonstrates the unidimensionality of the IGD-20, so it can be used as an ordinal dimensional measure to study the relationship between IGD symptoms and other related variables such as per-sonality in community samples. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that up to 8% of the variance of the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 scale (IGD-20), as a dimensional scale, can be explained by low activity, high aggressiveness, introver-sion, non-planning impulsivity, sensation seeking, neuroticism and impulsiveness (attention impulsivity) using the Alterna-tive Five Factor Model (AFFM) of personality and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11).Conclusions: This study shows that the prevalence of IGD in the Spanish population is similar to that of other Western countries. The unidimensionality of the IGD-20 allows its use in correlational studies to examine the relationship between Internet gam-bling behaviors and personality variables. The implications of these personality profiles are discussed in relation to the psy-chological and clinical mechanisms involved in Internet gaming disorder.