Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology) / The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether robust and verifiable evoked potential components exist which can reliably be associated with temperament. The evoked potential (EP) procedures included the auditory brainstem response procedure (ABR), the auditory N1-P2 middle latency response procedure (AMR) utilising different stimulus intensities, the auditory P300 response utilising frequent and rare repetitions of stimuli (the "oddball paradigm" ) and a number of composite measures of the AMR and P300. The temperament dimensions which were assessed, were sensation seeking, measured by Zuckerman's sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) Form 5, stimulus augmenting-reducing measured by Vando's Augmenting-reducing scale, properties of the nervous system, measured by Strelau's Temperament Inventory (STI) and introversion-extroversion, measured by Schepers' Personality Questionnaire. The statistical population chosen for the research was the first year Behavioural Sciences students of 1991 and 1992 at a South African university (N = 640). A sample of 391 students (81 males and 210 females, aged 17 to 22 years) was randomly selected from the statistical population. All the Subjects completed the Psychological battery (the various temperament scales) and the Neurophysiological battery (the various evoked potential procedures). The reliabilities of the various scales and procedures were established prior to administering the batteries. Hotelling's T-test was used to determine if the vectors of means of the males and females in respect of the subtests of the Psychological battery and the measurements of the various EP procedures differed statistically significantly or not. Student's t-test was used to determine in respect of which variables the genders differed. All Subsequent analyses were performed separately for the males and females. Three contrasting groups with low, medium and high scores, respectively, were formed with regard to each temperament trait.