Why introverts can't always tell who likes them: Multitasking and nonverbal decoding

Despite personality theories suggesting that extraversion correlates with s ocial skill. most studies have not found a positive correlation between ext raversion and nonverbal decoding. The authors propose that introverts are l ess able to multitask and thus are poorer at nonverbal decoding, but only w hen it is a secondary task. Prior research has uniformly extracted the nonv erbal decoding from its multitasking context and, consequently, never teste d this hypothesis. In Studies 1-3, introverts exhibited a nonverbal decodin g deficit, relative to extraverts. but only when decoding was a secondary r ather than a primary tusk within a multitasking context. In Study 3. extrav ersion was found to correlate with central executive efficiency (r = .42) b ut not with storage capacity (r = .04). These results are discussed in term s of arousal theories of extraversion and the role of catecholamines (dopam ine and norepinephrine) in prefrontal function.