Personality, biology and cognitive science: a reply to Corr (2001)

Corr’s (2000) commentary on the Matthews and Gilliland (1999) review article provides a useful account of the current status of Gray’s personality theory, and the prospects for theory development. In this reply, we find some common ground with Corr (2000). We agree that it is important to articulate and test biological models of personality. Likewise, the moderator effects of reinforcement factors, which may be controlled by brain motivation systems, are an important focus for empirical study. We differ from Corr (2000), at least in emphasis, in two respects. First, Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory does not seem to have accommodated the multiplicity of brain systems which may relate to personality, including attentional systems which may modulate motivation. Second, the evidence from studies of personality and performance, suggests that cognitive models of trait action are often more successful in explaining behavioral data than theories of Gray and Eysenck. Cognitive and biological approaches may be integrated within a cognitive science framework which distinguishes multiple, complementary levels of explanation.