Human behavior individual differences

Recent research on motivation theories has provided more elaborate models of the factors which drive human behavior and has taken into account issues of individual differences and the influence of the social and cultural... 

Meehl, P. E. (1995b). Extension of the MAXCOV-HITMAX taxometric procedure to situations of sizeable nuisance covariance. In D. Lubinski R. V. Dawis (Eds.), Assessing individual differences in human behavior new concepts, methods, and findings (pp. 81-92). Palo Alto, CA Davies-Black. 

In humans, studies of hormone and behavior interactions affecting maternal behavior have been limited to correlations between endogenous hormones and a variety of behavioral events normally associated with childbirth. Individual differences, of largely unknown origins, have a major impact on human parental behavior. In addition, child rearing experience is a powerful positive determinant of maternal responsivity, and the social environment, including the presence of supportive companions, can affect subsequent mother-infant interactions (Sosa, et al., 1980). 

Abstract Behavioral discrimination procedures clearly demonstrate that nicotine elicits interoceptive stimulus effects in humans that are malleable by various pharmacological manipulations as well as by some behavioral manipulations. The parameters of nicotine discrimination and both chronic and acute factors that may alter discrimination behavior are addressed in this chapter, which emphasizes research by the author involving nicotine delivered by nasal spray. Human discrimination of nicotine is centrally mediated, as the central and peripheral nicotine antagonist mecamylamine blocks discrimination but the peripheral antagonist trimethaphan does not. The threshold dose for discrimination of nicotine via spray appears to be very low in smokers as well as nonsmokers. Because smoked tobacco delivers nicotine more rapidly than spray, the threshold dose of nicotine via smoking is probably even lower. In terms of individual differences, smokers may become tolerant to the discriminative stimulus effects of higher nicotine doses but not of low doses. 

Lubinski D 2000 Assessing individual differences in human behavior Sinking shafts at a few critical points . Annu Rev Psychol 51 405—444... 

The majority of individuals exposed to trauma are resilient and do not develop PTSD. As in humans, lower mammals also have individual differences and heterogeneity of stress responses. Recent animal models of PTSD attempt to take into account this heterogeneity. Cohen et al., 2006 review two measures—performance on the elevated plus maze and acoustic startle response, used to mimic symptoms of PTSD. In their model, they differentiate animals that display stress-induced extreme behavioral responses (EBR) on both of these tests from those that display minimal behavioral responses (MBR). Different types of stress paradigms caused different proportions of EBR and MBR, similar to the suggestion in clinical literature that more severe stress increases incidence of PTSD. In Cohen s study, although stress led to an EBR immediately after the stressor in 100% of the animals, only 25% of the animals continued to show EBR 30 days following stress. 

These comprehensive articles provide a more general survey of properties than presented above and include results derived from animal bone, as well as data on the mechanical behavior of individual trabeculae. In the absence of human data, data from animal studies can be used, although extrapolation of behavior from differing anatomic sites must be done with caution. 

Individual operator competencies are also often discussed in relation to the Skill, Rule, and Knowledge (SRK) framework. Vicente (1999) described three hierarchical levels of human behavior skill-, rule-, and knowledge-based behaviors. Each of the levels within the SRK framework defines a different level of cognitive control or human action. Skill-based behavior occurs in routine situations that require highly practiced and automatic behavior and where there is only small conscious control on behalf of the operator. Skill-based behavior consists of smooth, automated, and highly integrated patterns of action that are performed without conscious attention. 

Sam Peltzman s methodological approach differs from the technological approach in that he focuses on human behavior especially driver choice. He begins with an individual benefit-cost framework to traffic safety and combines with it findings from other safety studies to construct counterfactual estimates of traffic fatality rates, hypothetical rates which would have occurred without a national traffic safety policy. We will examine his study in some detail because most of the studies are similar m crucial aspects and hence we can examine other studies more quickly. Peltzman s study is pivotal in that it was one of the first comprehensive evaluative studies. It reintroduced human behavior into traffic safety thinking. 

---