The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality

One of the major neuropsychological models of personality, developed by world-renowned psychologist Professor Jeffrey Gray, is based upon individual differences in reactions to punishing and rewarding stimuli. This biological theory of personality - now widely known as Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) - has had a major influence on motivation, emotion and psychopathology research. In 2000, RST was substantially revised by Jeffrey Gray, together with Neil McNaughton, and this revised theory proposed three principal motivation/emotion systems: the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS), the Behavioural Approach System (BAS) and the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS). This is the first book to summarise the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of personality and bring together leading researchers in the field. It summarizes all of the pre-2000 RST research findings, explains and elaborates the implications of the 2000 theory for personality psychology and lays out the future research agenda for RST. Contents
1. Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST): introduction Philip J. Corr
2. The neuropsychology of fear and anxiety: a foundation for Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Neil McNaughton and Philip J. Corr
3. Animal cognition and human personality Neil McNaughton and Philip J. Corr
4. The behavioural activation system: challenges and opportunities Alan D. Pickering and Luke D. Smillie
5. Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and personality Philip J. Corr and Neil McNaughton
6. Reinforcement sensitivity scales Rafael Torrubia, Csar vila and Xavier Caseras
7. Performance and conditioning studies Csar vila and Rafael Torrubia
8. Psychophysiological studies Vilfredo De Pascalis
9. Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and mood induction studies Rapson Gomez and Andrew Cooper
10. Neuro-imaging and genetics Martin Reuter
11. Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and psychosomatic medicine Liisa Keltikangas-Jrvinen
12. RST and clinical disorders: anxiety and depression Richard E. Zinbarg and K. Lira Yoon
13. RST and psychopathy: associations between psychopathy and the behavioral activation and inhibition systems John F. Wallace and Joseph P. Newman
14. Behavioural activation and inhibition in social adjustment Gennady G. Knyazev, Glenn D. Wilson and Helena R. Slobodskaya
15. Reinforcement sensitivity in the work-place: BIS/BAS in business Adrian Furnham and Chris Jackson
16. Formal and computational models of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Alan D. Pickering
17. Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory: a critique from cognitive science Gerald Matthews
18. The contribution of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory to personality theory William Revelle.

Author/Editor Details
Edited by: Philip J. Corr, University of Wales, Swansea