Difference between Introversion and Extroversion

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Ganondox
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23 Oct 2013, 7:59 pm

It's commonly believed that introversion vs extroversion is based on social preferences, but that isn't quite true. Rather, it's about whether there is a preference for acquiring information from the environment (extroversion) or reflection (introversion). The prior tends to more socialization as people are probably the largest source of information in the environment. Everyone has some introverted and extroverted traits as everyone gets information from their environment, and everyone processes it to come to conclusions. Now, I believe the root of the distinction comes from not a binary distinction, but rather different values on a spectrum of a single trait. This trait is related to information processing. Basically, extroverts process small amounts of information quickly, whereas introverts process large amounts of information slowly.

To understand why this happens, I hypothesis it's because introverts "return" more information from what information they receive. Now, this concept of returning is really abstract, but basically it's how much additional information you think over while processing the initial information. The other hypothesis is that, proportionally, less information is returned from larger parcels of information, as information within a parcel is intertwined and larger parcels are more complete on their central idea, and we are only capable of returning so much information in a given time. This makes it so that depending on the amount of information people return they have an optimal parcel size. Because of this introverts will fall behind in quick conversation as they process their returned information slower than the conversation progresses, but they do well with letters because they can eventually process the large deal of information and generate a response. This can also apply to sensory information as well, so introverts can be overwhelmed in overstimulating, noisy areas.

In practice, this gives extroverts and introverts their own advantages. If my hypothesis is correct, than extroverts should do better at tasks that require getting more information from the environment in short amounts of time, while introverts would be better at tasks that require deep thinking.


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Sharkbait
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24 Oct 2013, 2:23 am

Per your hypothesis, I would be an introvert. I had to re-read your thesis to fully process it. During the second read-through I was dissecting your premise, the initial hypothesis, and its corollary. It all looks sound to my eye; I like it.

That is a very interesting idea and I enjoyed your write-up of it. It was very easy to read and digest.

Have you given any consideration to how you would test your hypotheses? How would you setup the experiment to test it? (Have you had any schooling or self-teaching in constructing experiments yet?)

And, even if you take it goes no further than your thesis... that's some good work.



1401b
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24 Oct 2013, 2:41 am

Close enough I reckon.


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Ganondox
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25 Oct 2013, 4:29 am

Sharkbait wrote:
Per your hypothesis, I would be an introvert. I had to re-read your thesis to fully process it. During the second read-through I was dissecting your premise, the initial hypothesis, and its corollary. It all looks sound to my eye; I like it.

That is a very interesting idea and I enjoyed your write-up of it. It was very easy to read and digest.

Have you given any consideration to how you would test your hypotheses? How would you setup the experiment to test it? (Have you had any schooling or self-teaching in constructing experiments yet?)

And, even if you take it goes no further than your thesis... that's some good work.


To test it I would get a random (more or less) sample of participants and than subject them to three tests. The first will be a personality questionnaire, and the primary purpose of that is to determine whether they are an introvert or extrovert, as well find other factors that might influence the results. Maybe a simplified IQ type test would also help to look at other factors, but it's less important. The next two tests are the principle tests. The first is meant to test if they are good at using large quantities of information (but only a small amount at a time) from the environment quickly to solve a certain problem. The second gives a little bit of information, or at least all the information is given at the start, and sees if someone is able to think over it and come to the correct conclusion. If the hypothesis is correct extroverts should do better at the first test, while introverts would do better at the second one. The problem is actually devising such tests that would accurately measure what I want.


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btbnnyr
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25 Oct 2013, 2:27 pm

I am introvert, but I tend to do best thinking when processing large amounts of information quickly or processing tiny amounts of information into big idear quickly, and keyword is quickly, I don't think that I have deep slow mode, but major difference in social interaction is my lack of tendency to process data in social direction.


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Stalk
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25 Oct 2013, 5:52 pm

my understanding is that introverts generates enough dopamine to keep themselves happy while the extroverts don't and needs to get their "fix" by interacting with more people so that their brain generates it. Introverts are quite happy talking and not listening, while extroverts are good at listening and talking, because they don't get over stimulated like introverts do.



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25 Oct 2013, 8:30 pm

Yes, I do return lots of information. I seem to get lots of paradoxical information as a result, which I end up mulling over. However, because there is so much other information I receive, a lot of it ends up only in my subconscious awareness, and I get bewildered by it.

BTW, your hypothesis reminds me of low latent inhibition.



Ganondox
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26 Oct 2013, 12:42 am

IntellectualCat wrote:
Yes, I do return lots of information. I seem to get lots of paradoxical information as a result, which I end up mulling over. However, because there is so much other information I receive, a lot of it ends up only in my subconscious awareness, and I get bewildered by it.

BTW, your hypothesis reminds me of low latent inhibition.


Looked it up, it seems to be a very similar, but slightly different concept. Has their been any studies of latent inhibition in introverts vs extroverts?


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